Caring for a beloved class pet taught me to care for myself, too
When I started middle school, there were a lot of things I didn’t like. I didn’t like the teachers. I didn’t like the building. Honestly, I didn’t even like the girl I saw in the mirror. She was quiet, self-conscious, and afraid of not fitting in. But I loved our class pets. There were snakes, […]
NYC says all classrooms have air conditioning, but gaps remain
Days before the school year started, New York City officials said they made good on a major promise: ensuring every public school classroom has air conditioning. But as students and educators returned to their classrooms, some were still sweltering. A Queens parent said her kindergarten son came home during the opening weeks of school flushed […]
NYC principals with enrollment shortfalls brace for more budget cuts
Even as many New York City schools reel from this summer’s budget cuts, some principals are bracing for another financial hit. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, schools with enrollment shortfalls will have to pay back money midway through the school year. Education department budget directors warned many schools last week […]
NYC shelves $202 million plan to create a universal curriculum
On his way out of office, former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an ambitious $202 million plan to create a universal K-12 reading and math curriculum by fall 2023, promising lessons and materials that reflected the diversity of the city’s students. But after months of uncertainty, Mayor Eric Adams is not creating a math and […]
NYC brings violence interrupters and other mentors to 138 schools
Nearly 140 New York City public schools will partner with a wide range of community groups that provide mentorship, counseling, and violence interruption programs, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday. In drafting the program last April as part of his executive budget, Adams described it as a way to bring violence interruption — a technique that […]
As NYC school board meetings return in person, will parent voices dwindle?
For many New York City parents, the move during the pandemic to virtual school board meetings meant they could attend without having to scramble for child care or figure out transportation. Now, participating in these meetings could once again become difficult, and that could have important consequences in terms of whose voices get heard when […]
The Looming Teacher Shortage in New York State
As state officials estimate New York will need more than 180,000 new teachers in the next decade, the teacher shortage is already hitting selected subject specialties and geographic areas. Big city and rural districts are reporting severe shortages in many subject areas. Districts with high child poverty rates and racially diverse students are much more […]
NYC test scores drop in math, increase in reading
Nearly half of New York City’s third through eighth graders passed their state reading tests last school year, while about 38% passed math, according to scores released by city officials Wednesday. The scores are the first measure of how students across the five boroughs have fared in reading and math since the coronavirus pandemic upended […]
