NYC’s controversial social skills assessment helped this Brooklyn school. Getting there hasn’t been easy.
Educators and families were in wide agreement: Students would need help adjusting socially and emotionally to being back in classrooms this year amid the COVID pandemic. But one of New York City’s plans to do that — by using a questionnaire called the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment, or DESSA, in every school — was quickly […]
NYC schools to pilot Asian American studies curriculum
New York City is piloting a curriculum on Asian American history this fall, with a wider rollout planned for 2024, officials announced Thursday. The lessons are part of the city’s roughly $200 million investment in Universal Mosaic, a curriculum under development that aims to provide more culturally representative lessons for the nearly 1 million students […]
After a lockdown brings fears home, Denver students rally for gun control
When Jude Keener-Ruscha realized the lockdown Thursday at Denver’s Northfield High School wasn’t a drill, they looked at the two good friends sitting next to them. “I thought, ‘Well, if I die sitting next to these two people, then it’s not that bad,’” said Jude, who will be a senior next year. “And that’s a […]
After Texas elementary school shooting, NYC officials ponder next steps
Safe corridors for children traveling to and from schools. New scanning devices to catch weapons before they are brought into classrooms. A public information campaign urging parents to keep an eye on their own children and whether they have guns. Those were some of the suggestions floated Wednesday by New York City officials at a […]
State officials: 180,000 teachers needed over the next decade
The New York State education industry is facing a crisis. The New York State Teacher Retirement Program projects more than one third of teachers are currently eligible or will soon be eligible to retire. They estimate districts will need up to 180,000 teachers within the next decade. “The teacher shortage is definitely not looming anymore. […]
The ‘School Colors’ podcast is back, exploring why a Queens diversity plan failed
In the center of Queens, New York City’s famously diverse borough, a plan to integrate middle schools was tabled before it really began. The podcast “School Colors” is back with a second season that delves into how the plan derailed in District 28, which is divided into the ethnically mixed but largely white and affluent […]
Splashy initiative to provide $100 million boost for NYC child care
A new public-private partnership plans to invest $100 million in New York City’s youngest residents by supporting child care providers and expanding access to care for families. The new effort, which is being called the Child Care Quality & Innovation Initiative for New York City, is funded by matching $50 million commitments from both the […]
TikTok videos and teacher calls: How a South Side Chicago school increased vaccine uptake
More than a dozen elementary school students, sporting bright yellow T-shirts with the words: “Doing my part. Vaccinated,” walked down a hallway at Dunne STEM Academy and recited lines while filming a public service announcement. In take after take, students corrected one another on pronunciation and encouraged classmates to carry on if they fumbled a […]
