Newer, tougher promotional standards were introduced this year in New York City Public Schools, with the possibility of keeping many students left back. HarlemLive's senior staff members reflect on the new standards and their implications.

Lamont Sparrow

I feel if students aren't graduating, the problem is either with teachers or the students. The teachers don't know about about the subjects they are teaching. Students, on the other hand, think "cutting" is cool, but they fail to realize that they'll get left back if they don't [go to class].

Angel Colon

I think school is getting harder. Teachers are also OD'ing with work in such short time. It's a lot harder to keep up with a lesson due to large class size.

Tameeka Mitchem

I think that the standards were inevitable. New York City schools just aren't as effective as they once were. America is the number one nation in the world but thirteenth in [pre college] education. It's important that the future generation be able to not only be smart technologically, but intellectually as well. This is the first step towards that.

Khalid Muhammad

I think its a bad idea to give tests because my school doesn't even teach the regents.

Ebony Myers

I think the new and tougher promotional standards are a good start in public school reform. However I feel that if students get harder standards to graduate the teachers should go through the same. They should have to undergo more training in order to keep their positions. Nowadays, teaching abilities have gone down.

Jerlena Rhodes

You will graduate because yo earned your diploma not because you're too old. This could also force students to work harder. But some students will never graduate because the Regents is too challenging and they'll end up dropping out of school and going for their GED.

Michael Blaco

Well the new tougher standards is good and bad. Good in that it makes the student use his skills and talents to prove they are worthy to pass. Bad, since a lot of kids don't feel as if they are forced to do something when they have done all they could to pass high school.

Laura Cespedes

This subject does pertain to me. I just passed the regents. It was somewhat hard, challenging. But it was mostly common sense. I think that the idea of raising standards is excellent. I always thought the system was cheapened and the system didn't really know what students were capable of.

Osakwe Beale

With school already under academic probation there needs to be a complete overhaul before certain standards are set. It needs to be shown that the students are learning the material before they make it a requirement to advance to the next grade. Overall I think it's a good idea but certain steps need to be taken before it is implemented.

Nicole Farrow

The new requirements for public school students will force students to improve their grades. They either pass or fail, and probably most will choose to pass. I also think that the students should not be the only people working harder to maintain a passing grade, but the teachers should as well. The effort should be equal on both sides. I think this is a huge step in the improvement of the public educational system.

Chris Frierson

I say if you all are going to make a harder test, then its only right for the teachers to work harder to get those kids prepared for the test. If not you should expect a whole lot of kids left back.