Pre-K for all? NYC’s universal preschool push leaves behind students with disabilities, report finds
The crowning achievement of former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration is uncontested: universal pre-K. The program guarantees free pre-K for 4-year-olds and has grown to include 3-year-olds in a dozen districts with plans to expand citywide. But the city’s preschool programming has poorly served many students with disabilities, according to an analysis of 2019-2020 city […]
NYC parents: Was your child exposed to COVID? Here’s what to do next
Once again, New York City parents are facing questions about when to keep their children home from school or get them tested for COVID as they learn of possible exposures. Though the omicron variant appears to be slightly loosening its grip, nearly 2,200 students and school staffers reported positive coronavirus cases last weekend, according to […]
Hochul proposes $2.1 billion increase for NY schools, extension of NYC mayoral control
Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a $2.1 billion increase for the state’s public schools and called for a four-year extension of New York City’s mayoral control of schools in her first budget address Tuesday. Hochul’s proposal builds on her State of the State address earlier this month, which outlined plans to recruit and retain more teachers, […]
This urban farming teacher is helping Bronx students connect to the earth and each other
A new horticulture program is blooming at a Bronx high school, and environmental science teacher Vanessa Spiegel is helping tend it. Bronx International High School — a progressive, project-based school that serves recent immigrants — launched its urban farming program this year at the five-year-old Morris Campus Farm, adding it to its roster of career […]
NY cancels January Regents exams as COVID cases surge
New York students won’t take Regents exams this January. New York education Commissioner Betty Rosa canceled the winter tests on Tuesday, citing a “daunting” spike in coronavirus cases across the state. No decisions have been made yet regarding the June and August exams, which far more students take. Officials previously said they planned to move […]
Amid omicron surge, NYC schools prepare to reopen after winter break
New York City teachers and students prepared to return from winter break Monday to schools with ramped up testing and other measures designed to contain the spread of the surging omicron variant. The reopening of the country’s largest school district was greeted with apprehension among some parents and teachers unnerved by a surge in cases […]
Special education tuition hearings shift to NYC trials agency to address backlog
From Chalkbeat December: The de Blasio administration is transferring oversight of a backlogged special education complaint system — where filings typically take months or years to resolve — from the education department to a city entity that operates administrative trials. The shift was codified earlier this month in a memorandum of understanding between the city […]
Albany 101: Here are the big NYC education issues to watch in the new legislative session
When New York state’s legislative session begins this month, don’t expect to see the familiar rallies of advocates, union leaders and lawmakers pressing the governor to boost money for schools. That’s because state lawmakers passed a budget last session that, for the first time, committed to fully cover Foundation Aid, the formula that provides the […]
