With city schools on the verge of the most radical structural change in 33 years, Mike Bloomberg might benefit from a history lesson, minus all the shortsighted revisionism. The decentralized system on its way out the door was, much like today's "reform," championed by an elite consensus, instigated by a Republican mayor, resisted though ultimately shaped by a powerful teachers union, and widely seen as the only way to jump-start a system simultaneously awash in... More >>>