New York is home to some of the most promising college readiness programs in the country, but the future of those initiatives is threatened by inadequate collaboration between the two key partners, says a new report released today by the Center for an Urban Future. The study, titled Ready or Not, examines three college preparatory programs, run by the City University of New York (CUNY) and the city’s Department of Education (DOE), the potential expansion of these programs is threatened by insufficient collaboration between CUNY and DOE. The report praises Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein’s sweeping educational reforms but criticizes DOE for providing limited institutional support around college readiness, and, specifically, for backing away from an agreement made in 2000 between CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and Klein’s predecessor, Harold Levy, to vastly expand collaboration around college readiness between the two systems. “Ready or Not” calls for a renewed partnership around three dual enrollment programs—College Now, the Middle Grades Initiative and the Early College Initiative, which enroll thousands of city students in a range of college prep activities—and urges CUNY and DOE to join forces in an expansion of these programs to serve more city students, many of whom are graduating from high school unprepared for the rigors of college or the working world. Indeed, the report sees an opportunity for an improved collaboration during the remainder of the mayor’s term. (T. Colton)