Officials at the College Board have decided to reintroduce the Advanced Placement Italian test, The Washington Post reported. The test was eliminated in 2009 along with Latin literature, French literature and computer science AB because fewer students signed up to take each of these four tests than more popular tests, such as U.S. history. The College Board also called the Italian program "underfunded," according to The Post. The reinstatement of the test is a victory for the two-year lobbying effort led by Margaret Cuomo, daughter of former New York governor Mario Cuomo, and sister of New York Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo. The Italian national government will match the funds raised by Margaret Cuomo's group, the Italian Language Foundation, according to The Post.
Joel Klein, who served as the chancellor of New York City public schools for eight years, resigned on Tuesday, The New York Times reported. Cathleen Black, the chairwoman of Hearst Magazines, will replace Klein. Black will be the first woman to hold the chancellor position in New York City, which has the nation's largest school system. Black also lacks experience in the field of education and will require a waiver from the state Education Department to serve as chancellor, according to The Times. As chancellor, Klein restructured the city's Department of Education by centralizing control under a single office. Klein was also a critic of the American Federation of Teachers' principles of "seniority, tenure and a set pay scale," according to The Times. During his tenure, Klein oversaw the opening of 470 new schools and the increase of graduation rates by 20 percent, The Times reported.
