NYC school COVID testing is falling short, some educators say
As city officials investigated whether a slew of positive COVID cases should close down Millennium Brooklyn High School, science teacher Mike Stivers tried to get swabbed on Tuesday during the school’s weekly testing visit. Stivers and other teachers were turned away. They hadn’t filled out the newly required consent forms three days earlier — before […]
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 […]
The future of geographic screens for NYC’s high schools is up in the air amid concerns over diversity, commutes
From Chalkbeat: New York City’s high school system rests on a patchwork of choice and exclusivity. Thousands of students criss-cross the five boroughs each day on subways, buses, and ferries to get to schools that admit students from anywhere in the city. Other high schools give priority to teens based on their home address — […]
NYC will receive 231,000 pediatric COVID vaccine doses next week. How will shots get in-arms?
From Chalkbeat: New York City parents and caregivers are likely days away from making appointments to get COVID vaccines for their children ages 5 to 11 — but city officials have yet to reveal what role, if any, schools will play in vaccine distribution. While the education department hosted clinics in nearly 800 schools this […]
In major test, New York City schools reopen for nearly 1 million students
From Chalkbeat: Third grader Jaden arrived Monday morning at his Bronx elementary school with a lanyard around his neck holding hand sanitizer. Like most of the district’s nearly 1 million students, Jaden has not set foot in a classroom in almost 550 days. New York City threw open its classroom doors on Monday to all […]
‘Literacy blitz’ and other ways de Blasio plans to spend $635 million to help NYC students catch up
From Chalkbeat: New York City will infuse public schools with $635 million for an academic recovery plan that includes a universal literacy screening through second grade, after-school help for students with disabilities, and college counseling services for all juniors and seniors, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter announced Thursday. The announcement provided […]
‘How do we rebuild a sense of community?’ A Brooklyn school seeks to find joy and connection after a devastating year
From Chalkbeat: Milagros Reyes’s husband was in the first wave of New Yorkers to succumb to the coronavirus, taking his last breath in their East New York apartment. His death in April 2020 left Reyes alone with her two children, ages 3 and 10. Reyes called 911 to retrieve her husband’s body, which was quarantined […]
No more snow days? Not so fast, says NYC teachers union.
“New York City students weren’t the only ones upset about losing snow days next school year. The city’s teachers union also cast a flurry of doubt on the move to remote instruction during inclement weather. The education department, for the second year in a row, said that canceling snow days would help the city reach […]
