Mayoral Candidates Talk Education At Teachers' Union Forum
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Six mayoral candidates touted their education policies Saturday at a panel hosted by the United Federation of Teachers.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, former City Comptroller William Thompson, current City Comptroller John Liu, former City Councilman Sal Albanese, and former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, spoke during the panel as part of the UFT Spring Education Conference. The conference was held at the New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 Sixth Ave.
The candidates told about 800 teachers they opposed heavy reliance on standardized tests.
Mayoral Candidates Talk Education At Teachers' Union Forum
Also at the event, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said anger management is something the 200,000 union members need some help with these days, WCBS 880's Monica Miller reported.
"Mayor (Michael) Bloomberg and his administration declared war on the teachers and the schools of New York City once they got their third term," Mulgrew said.
Mulgrew said he was encouraged to hear that all six mayoral candidates agree changes need to be made – particularly in terms of standardized testing.
Mulgrew also said he wants to launch a truth commission.
"I don't think the school system or the city wants to go through two years of unearthing new scandals and new information that shows what was being done was being done and for wrong reasons," he said.
The union will announce its endorsement for the mayoral race on June 19.
Also at the conference Saturday, the union presented actor Henry Winkler – the Fonz on "Happy Days" and Barry Zuckercorn on "Arrested Development" – with its John Dewey Award. Winkler has become an advocate for children with disabilities and has written books inspired by his struggle with dyslexia, the union said.
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