This Manhattan adult learning center is seeing a surge in African asylum seekers
The case manager’s office at Harlem’s Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center was crowded, primarily with Senegalese men in their late 20s and 30s. Fatou Kane, the school’s community coordinator, picked up the student sign-in sheet that February afternoon, and with the aid of Patrick Duff, the case manager, started triaging the students’ problems. Some of the […]
NYC is mandating new reading curriculums. This teacher had a head start.
Second-grade teacher Janina Jarnich was focused on bats. As her students gathered on the classroom rug one June morning, she instructed them to flip through their workbooks and take their “magic finger” to trace the words from an article about the nocturnal pollinators. Her students read aloud in unison about the dangers humans pose, from […]
Turmoil grips NYC schools office that administers parent-led board elections
Queens parent leader Sherée Gibson worried about turnout even before voting began in this spring’s elections for the city’s Community Education Councils, the 32 parent-led boards that oversee school zones and other policy issues. New York City public school parents cast ballots through their children’s NYC Schools Accounts, but education officials say a third of […]
As NYC revamps elementary reading curriculum, some high schools follow suit
While New York City’s elementary schools undertake a sweeping shift in their approach to teaching reading, a parallel change is quietly unfolding at many high schools. High school superintendents across the city are urging, and in some cases mandating, that schools under their supervision adopt standardized English language arts curriculum, according to principals and district […]
NYC must slash class sizes under a new law. The neediest schools stand to benefit least.
When Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new law last year that would slash class sizes in New York City, praise came in from many quarters. Teachers, along with their union, hailed the move as a victory that would improve classroom conditions and boost learning. Education activists said smaller class sizes would benefit the most vulnerable […]
Betty Rosa, New York’s top education official, raises equity concerns over class size law
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa raised fresh concerns Thursday about a new law that will require New York City to slash class sizes, responding to a Chalkbeat analysis that found that the highest-poverty schools are least likely to benefit. Rosa said the equity implications of the law are “a problem,” as lower-need schools are more […]
Biden taps education researcher known for work on school funding as economics adviser
President Joe Biden tapped education economist Kirabo Jackson to serve as a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers on Friday. Jackson is well-known in education research circles for his work finding that more money spent on public schools tends to boost student performance. His appointment suggests that Biden will continue to promote […]
Debate over NYC high school admissions heats up at parent meeting
Debate over how selective New York City high schools choose their students erupted Wednesday night, as members of a parent advisory group called on the city to adopt more stringent academic screening. The Citywide Council on High Schools, a group of parent representatives from across the five boroughs, considered a slate of recommendations on the […]
