Gov. Cuomo was hailed as a rising star yesterday after speaking to the Democratic Governors Association — even as his battle over New York teacher evaluations continued.

“The nation should follow Gov. Cuomo’s balanced approach,” said Ed Rendell, the former governor of Pennsylvania and Democratic National Committee chair. “He’s cut spending and promoted economic development. He gets it.”

Cuomo said at the Sheraton New York that government must stop “strangling” in red tape and start building big construction projects to boost jobs.

National teachers-union president Randi Weingarten, meanwhile, said New York union officials were negotiating an agreement with the governor on a rigorous set of teacher evaluations.