Chaotic end to NYC school year: Rage over budget cuts
A wave of disappointment and anger is spreading across New York City school communities, touched off by Mayor Eric Adams’ recently announced budget cuts: Parents fear they’ll see programs discontinued in the fall, and teachers are worried about their jobs. While the cuts are tied to K-12 declining enrollment —which has dropped by 9.5% since […]
NYC public school families to receive $375 per child for food benefits through federal COVID relief
All New York City public school families regardless of income will receive $375 per child in food benefits to help cover the costs of meals from last summer during the pandemic —whether they attended summer school or not. The state began the rollout this month, with the retroactive benefit being distributed to students enrolled as […]
Dancing after social distancing: NYC students learn to waltz together again
There was no hint of social distancing, no hesitation to get in close once the polka came on. Fifth graders at P.S. 48 in Washington Heights faced each other in two tight circles at the center of the gym, some wearing masks and others without. The upbeat pom-pom-pom music came through a small but powerful […]
Teacher shortages continue… Here’s what New Jersey is doing to make it easier to hire more
New Jersey is relaxing teacher certification requirements and implementing laws to make it easier for public schools to hire teachers, but that will not fix an ongoing teacher shortage in the state, a new report warns. If the state does not take additional action soon, there will not be enough qualified candidates to replace teachers […]
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 […]
New York to increase weekly instruction for medically fragile students
New York state officials will increase the number of hours students with medical conditions must receive after a flurry of questions from parents and school districts — but the mandate won’t take effect until the 2023-2024 school year. The changes affect students who, for medical reasons, won’t be in school for at least 10 days […]
Will expanding ‘gifted’ programs help or hurt NYC schools already struggling with enrollment?
Chancellor David Banks has argued it’s important to dramatically expand New York City’s gifted and talented program to lure families back to public schools amid years long sagging enrollment. But in one corner of Harlem, the city’s plan set off a debate over whether opening more classrooms for “gifted” students would really be a boost […]
‘Sensory canoes’ and climbing walls: Inside NYC’s recovery program for students with disabilities
Five-year-old Bradley often struggles to sit still and is prone to wandering. But on a recent Saturday morning, he was calm, sprawled on a bean bag chair in a Brooklyn classroom, the lights turned down, and his socks cast aside. The only glow came from four illuminated vertical tubes filled with bubbles and a laptop […]
