Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said he and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg have reached an "understanding" that gives the mayor direct control of the city's schools. "There is an understanding between the mayor and myself, and we've spoken to both the governor and Senator (Joseph) Bruno about that understanding," said Silver. "And we believe we can move forward to bring about a new era in education in the city of New York by having a Board of Education that is controlled by the mayor." The agreement in principle, which must be approved by both houses of the state Legislature and signed...