New York
U.S.
Rank
Score:
78%
Grade:
C
Rank:
#11
A pioneering state that first demonstrated how successful a university system can be in authorizing no matter what the political party that controls the state, New York’s charter environment still outshines most states. Still, districts are reticent authorizers and New York City’s politicians now fight against the innovative public schools despite their many successes.
Law passed: 1998
Most recently amended: 2017
Number of charter schools: 359
Number of charter students: 150,000
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes. There is a limit of 460 charter schools. Additionally, no more than 50 new charter schools after July 1, 2015 in a city with a population of 1 million or more. Conversions and renewals do not count toward limits.
Virtual charters allowed? No
AUTHORIZERS: The State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees is an independent statewide authorizer. Schools authorized by SUNY must receive final approval by the Board of Regents. Local districts can also approve charter schools, but the Board of Regents also must give final approval. The Mayor of the City of New York through his appointed Chancellor, has in the past been a primary authorizer of city schools. There is no appeals process.
GROWTH: The cap inhibits growth, but state law allows successful charters to replicate – single boards can hold multiple charters. As of this analysis, 36 more schools were slated to open. It’s also a plus that conversion charters do not count toward the cap.
OPERATIONS: Authorizers and charter school boards have a great deal of autonomy, which often translates into innovation and high quality schools.
EQUITY: Charter schools receive a proportional share of dollars to district schools based on a funding formula, which was recalculated starting with the 2018-19 school year. Even with the formula, charters receive less than two-thirds, on average, compared to their district counterparts. There is no per-pupil facilities funding for charter schools.
Score:
Grade:
F
Rank:
#41
There are no choice programs in this state.
Score:
Grade:
B
Rank:
#2
Strong teacher preparation programs; Districts have the authority to set pay scales, but there are no statewide performance pay policies in place.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 82%
General Teacher Preparation 62%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 88%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 88%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 95%
Alternate Routes 75%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 82%
Hiring 85%
Retaining Effective Teachers 79%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 91%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 75%
Score:
78%
Grade:
C
Rank:
#11
A pioneering state that first demonstrated how successful a university system can be in authorizing no matter what the political party that controls the state, New York’s charter environment still outshines most states. Still, districts are reticent authorizers and New York City’s politicians now fight against the innovative public schools despite their many successes.
Law passed: 1998
Most recently amended: 2017
Number of charter schools: 359
Number of charter students: 150,000
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes. There is a limit of 460 charter schools. Additionally, no more than 50 new charter schools after July 1, 2015 in a city with a population of 1 million or more. Conversions and renewals do not count toward limits.
Virtual charters allowed? No
AUTHORIZERS: The State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees is an independent statewide authorizer. Schools authorized by SUNY must receive final approval by the Board of Regents. Local districts can also approve charter schools, but the Board of Regents also must give final approval. The Mayor of the City of New York through his appointed Chancellor, has in the past been a primary authorizer of city schools. There is no appeals process.
GROWTH: The cap inhibits growth, but state law allows successful charters to replicate – single boards can hold multiple charters. As of this analysis, 36 more schools were slated to open. It’s also a plus that conversion charters do not count toward the cap.
OPERATIONS: Authorizers and charter school boards have a great deal of autonomy, which often translates into innovation and high quality schools.
EQUITY: Charter schools receive a proportional share of dollars to district schools based on a funding formula, which was recalculated starting with the 2018-19 school year. Even with the formula, charters receive less than two-thirds, on average, compared to their district counterparts. There is no per-pupil facilities funding for charter schools.
Score:
Grade:
F
Rank:
#41
There are no choice programs in this state.
Score:
Grade:
B
Rank:
#2
Strong teacher preparation programs; Districts have the authority to set pay scales, but there are no statewide performance pay policies in place.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 82%
General Teacher Preparation 62%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 88%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 88%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 95%
Alternate Routes 75%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 82%
Hiring 85%
Retaining Effective Teachers 79%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 91%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 75%
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#44
The state provides school districts suggestions of digital tools, programs and instructional materials that have shown to be beneficial to teachers and students. School districts across the state are encouraged to consult with local curriculum, instruction, and educational technology experts when deciding how to implement technology into the curriculum. New York also has an extensive guide to technology resources and guidelines for schools.
In early May 2020, Governor Cuomo announced that the state would partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch the Reimagine Education Initiative that focuses on transforming the current education system using technology and virtual learning.
New York has nine school districts that are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing over 1,000,000 students digital learning opportunities in the state. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “98.7% of students in New York can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 33,535 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”
While not expressly encouraged through state law or guidance, some school districts are creating personalized learning environments in their schools. Syracuse City School District is one of the biggest school districts in the state, and one of 18 districts and 3 BOCES that are partnered with Education Elements to implement personalized learning models in their schools and change the way students learn and teachers educate.
March 18, all schools in New York closed and did not reopen for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. Although the state became the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, New York students continued to learn. By early April, the state was providing a variety of tools and resources for students, parents, teachers, and schools, with guidelines on remote learning for all students.
The state also provided teachers with planning guides and digital tools, as well as access to EngageNY, an open-source site with math and language arts curriculum, and took steps to ensure students had access to devices and the internet.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#44
The state provides school districts suggestions of digital tools, programs and instructional materials that have shown to be beneficial to teachers and students. School districts across the state are encouraged to consult with local curriculum, instruction, and educational technology experts when deciding how to implement technology into the curriculum. New York also has an extensive guide to technology resources and guidelines for schools.
In early May 2020, Governor Cuomo announced that the state would partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch the Reimagine Education Initiative that focuses on transforming the current education system using technology and virtual learning.
New York has nine school districts that are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing over 1,000,000 students digital learning opportunities in the state. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “98.7% of students in New York can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 33,535 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”
While not expressly encouraged through state law or guidance, some school districts are creating personalized learning environments in their schools. Syracuse City School District is one of the biggest school districts in the state, and one of 18 districts and 3 BOCES that are partnered with Education Elements to implement personalized learning models in their schools and change the way students learn and teachers educate.
March 18, all schools in New York closed and did not reopen for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. Although the state became the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, New York students continued to learn. By early April, the state was providing a variety of tools and resources for students, parents, teachers, and schools, with guidelines on remote learning for all students.
The state also provided teachers with planning guides and digital tools, as well as access to EngageNY, an open-source site with math and language arts curriculum, and took steps to ensure students had access to devices and the internet.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Kathy Hochul (D)
First term began in 2021
Governor Hochul has been elected to her first full term as Governor since taking over for Andrew Cuomo who resigned from office. The Governor did not focus much at all on education on the campaign trail, but she posed numerous times during the campaign with national union president Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers and has done little to boost the states’ vigorous charter school sector in her short term in office.
Neither chamber in the legislature is conducive to expanding educational opportunities in the state. The cap on charters in NYC should be removed immediately, as there are tens of thousands of children on waiting lists there, and charter school operators who want to open schools to serve them. The state also has no private choice programs, despite Gov. Cuomo including a new scholarship tax credit program in his 2018 budget proposal and the Senate then including it also. It ultimately failed to pass. The Senate then flipped to Democrat control in 2019, and with it, the likelihood for education reform measures to be enacted. While the legislature is unwilling to allow all families the right to choose, perhaps new New York City Mayor Eric Adams and state wide advocates can convince them otherwise.
“Despite an initially restrictive interpretation of its Blaine Amendment, New York courts have abandoned that approach… New York’s highest state court held in Board of Education v. Allen that the Blaine Amendment was never intended to bar government programs providing incidental benefits to parochial schools.” (Institute for Justice)
School report cards are easily located on New York’s DOE homepage. Report cards are not very easy to understand; the page is busy with data and displayed in charts that are hard to read. On the plus side, there is an option for parents to generate the state’s report card according to the various data they’re looking for (i.e. graduation rate.)
Educational options are easily located on the DOE homepage by clicking Enrollment. Here you can find information on charter schools and alternative schooling options.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.
Kathy Hochul (D)
First term began in 2021
Governor Hochul has been elected to her first full term as Governor since taking over for Andrew Cuomo who resigned from office. The Governor did not focus much at all on education on the campaign trail, but she posed numerous times during the campaign with national union president Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers and has done little to boost the states’ vigorous charter school sector in her short term in office.
Neither chamber in the legislature is conducive to expanding educational opportunities in the state. The cap on charters in NYC should be removed immediately, as there are tens of thousands of children on waiting lists there, and charter school operators who want to open schools to serve them. The state also has no private choice programs, despite Gov. Cuomo including a new scholarship tax credit program in his 2018 budget proposal and the Senate then including it also. It ultimately failed to pass. The Senate then flipped to Democrat control in 2019, and with it, the likelihood for education reform measures to be enacted. While the legislature is unwilling to allow all families the right to choose, perhaps new New York City Mayor Eric Adams and state wide advocates can convince them otherwise.
“Despite an initially restrictive interpretation of its Blaine Amendment, New York courts have abandoned that approach… New York’s highest state court held in Board of Education v. Allen that the Blaine Amendment was never intended to bar government programs providing incidental benefits to parochial schools.” (Institute for Justice)
School report cards are easily located on New York’s DOE homepage. Report cards are not very easy to understand; the page is busy with data and displayed in charts that are hard to read. On the plus side, there is an option for parents to generate the state’s report card according to the various data they’re looking for (i.e. graduation rate.)
Educational options are easily located on the DOE homepage by clicking Enrollment. Here you can find information on charter schools and alternative schooling options.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.