NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg took the drastic step of replacing 3 of his own appointees from an education advisory board in order to get passed a plan to end social promotion in schools. Frankly the fact that the mayor fired 3 political appointees and appointed 3 other people is a red herring, and the United Federation of Teachers knows it. Social promotion needed to die. In the real world, if someone can't hack it at a job, they don't automatically get bumped up the food chain. Social promotion ignores students with special needs by throwing them in the same boat as regular students. If a kid can't read at a third grade level in third grade due to a learning disability, what makes anyone think he's gonna read at a fifth grade level in fifth grade? I don't agree with all of what Bloomy does, but give the man his due.