Problems in the city’s early childhood divisions run deep and could threaten the quality of free preschool, according to current and former staff members.
Tag Archives: Education Department (NYC)
How a Windfall of Special Education Funding Benefited Hasidic Schools
New York has paid companies millions of dollars to help children with disabilities in religious schools. But the services are not always needed or even provided.
More Than 104,000 NYC Students Were Homeless Last Year
The number of students in temporary housing rose by about 3 percent, a daunting figure that does not include the thousands of migrant children who have recently entered city schools.
Bring Back Competitive Admissions? Some NYC Middle Schools May Not.
After a pandemic moratorium, city leaders are letting school superintendents decide whether to bring back some admissions requirements that critics say feed racial disparities.
Hasidic School Is Breaking State Education Law, N.Y. Official Rules
Issued amid a lawsuit brought by a parent who left the community, the determination could pose a significant challenge to Hasidic Jewish schools.
NYC Tests Show Children Gained in Reading, but Lost Ground in Math
The first standardized test results that capture how most city schoolchildren did during the pandemic offered a mixed picture.
3-K for All? Adams Retreats From Expanding N.Y.C. Preschool Program.
Mayor Eric Adams is reassessing how New York City’s so-called 3-K for All program, a top priority of his predecessor, fits into his administration’s strategy.
New NY Rules Offer Road Map for Regulating Private Hasidic Schools
The State Board of Regents on Tuesday enacted regulations aimed at holding New York private schools to minimum academic standards.
חסידישע מוסדות געבן נישט קיין עדיוקעשאן, אבער באקומען א שפע פון רעגירונגס געלטער
די חסידישע מוסדות אין ניו יארק האבן גענאסן פון 1 ביליאן דאלאר אין רעגירונגס געלטער דורכאויס די לעצטע פיר יאר אבער מוזן קיינעם נישט אפגעבן קיין דין וחשבון וואס מען לערנט ביי זיי
In Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Yeshivas Flush with Public Money
New York’s Hasidic Jewish religious schools have benefited from $1 billion in government funding in the last four years but are unaccountable to outside oversight.
N.Y.C. Schools Reopen With Focus on Recovery From Pandemic Losses
“We need to show them: We’re back,” said the head of the principals’ union as children return to school Thursday with Covid restrictions largely ended.
Could the Courts Block Biden’s Student Loan Relief Plan?
Just last year, President Biden himself cast doubt on whether he had the authority to cancel student loan debt on such a broad basis.
Covid and N.Y.C. Schools: Back to Class, and Finally Back to Normal?
The city Education Department has ended most Covid restrictions for students, although teachers still have to be vaccinated.
A Cyberattack Illuminates the Shaky State of Student Privacy
At a moment when education technology firms are stockpiling sensitive information on millions of school children, safeguards for student data have broken down.
A Judge Halts New York City School Budget Cuts, For Now
Parents sued the city over plans to cut money to schools that have lost students, even as the mayor and City Council try to make a deal to restore funds.
Too Many New Yorkers Can’t Swim. It’s Time to Change That.
New York City is letting down its residents by nixing swimming lessons.
Rebuilding Elementary School Band Class After the Pandemic
Young violists and sax players in Brooklyn get reacquainted with their instruments, and with one another: “You have to play in harmony.”
N.Y.C. Tried to Fix High School Admissions. Some Parents Are Furious.
In an attempt to democratize schools, the city is focusing less on grades, attendance and test scores. Instead, it relies heavily on a lottery.
Class Sizes Set to Shrink in New York City Schools, but at What Cost?
A bill approved by state lawmakers to shrink New York City class sizes would cost millions, and its passage reignited a longstanding debate about whether the move would help students as intended.
What’s the Best Way to Find a Gifted 4-Year-Old?
New York City has abandoned its test to screen for gifted and talented children. Now the responsibility of choosing students falls squarely on teacher recommendations.
New York City to Expand Gifted and Talented Program but Scrap Test
The mayor unveiled a plan to add seats in the highly selective program for both kindergartners and third graders and to permanently replace an admissions test with universal screening.
Covid Cases Are Up in Schools. So Why Are Masks Off?
Mayor Eric Adams says he’s following the science in his decision to rescind mask mandates for very young children.
Vegan Fridays and Other Plans Eric Adams Has for Food in NYC
Eric Adams has promoted nutrition like no predecessor besides Michael Bloomberg. Some food activists see the prospect of real change, but others want more details and diligence.
NYC Ends School Mask Mandate in a Key Step to Recovery
The lifting of the mandate in the nation’s largest school district was met with a mixture of anxiety and celebration.
New York City public schoolchildren head to the first day of class without masks.
Schools Chancellor Pledges to End New York City’s ‘Betrayal’ of Students
David Banks vowed in his first major policy address since becoming chancellor to break up bureaucracy, improve literacy and emphasize wellness in schools.
‘Attempted Security Threat’ Disables Software at Some New York Schools
The outage in a platform used by teachers and students has caused another disruption for a system that has had its share amid the pandemic.
New N.Y.C. Schools Chancellor Vows to Tackle Education Bureaucracy
Mayor-elect Eric Adams introduced David Banks, his first cabinet-level appointment, with stern warnings about the state of the nation’s largest school system.
Why Was a Black Lives Matter Mural at a Brooklyn School Destroyed?
Artwork intended to reflect on social justice and racial equity has exposed long-simmering tensions in a Brooklyn public school.
New York City Mandates Vaccines for Its Workers to ‘End the Covid Era’
Mayor Bill de Blasio says 46,000 unvaccinated city workers must get a coronavirus shot by November or lose their paychecks.
New York Needs Vaccine Mandates. Don’t Let Unions Stop Them.
Unions are hurting their members and the rest of us by fighting vaccine mandates.
The Clock Is Ticking: What We Know About N.Y.C.’s School Reopening Plan
Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted that all students will return to classrooms full-time, despite the Delta variant.
New York Turns to Smart Thermometers for Disease Detection in Schools
The technology company Kinsa will distribute as many as 100,000 internet-connected thermometers through the city’s elementary schools.
The End of Online Classes
Masks will still be required, and schools will follow social-distancing guidelines, but vaccinations are not yet mandatory.
Restaurants and Broadway Are Coming Back. What About Our Schools?
As the city reopens, parents, teachers and students remain stuck in a hybrid-learning holding pattern.
Save Snow Days!
Haven’t kids lost enough this year?
Many Yeshivas Cheat Students of a Basic Education — and Break the Law
Ultra-Orthodox schools must provide a proper education, but politicians aren’t holding them accountable.
New York City Schools Have Been Closing a Lot. That’s About to Change.
Mayor Bill de Blasio is easing the two-case rule about positive virus cases that had been forcing many schools to temporarily shut this year.
How Red Tape Keeps Parents From Getting the Day Care They Need
Long waits and less funding for subsidized child care have stranded parents and threaten to close day care centers.
The Return of High Schools in New York City
Students who signed up for in-person learning can go back later this month, and all students can resume sports.
New York City Takes Another Step Toward Fully Reopening
Tens of thousands of middle school students will be able to return to classrooms later this month for at least part of the week.
How the 3 Diallo Sisters Were Finally Able to Connect to Their Classes
The city said it would be “impossible” to quickly install Wi-Fi in shelters for remote learning. Some shelter operators have proven them wrong.
Children Love Snow Days. The Pandemic May End Them Forever.
In New York City and elsewhere, classes will be held online no matter how bad storms are this year in a shift that makes some parents wistful.
The Partial Return to School in New York City
Elementary schools have reopened, with mandatory weekly testing, but many parents decided not to send their children back.
Racial Divide in Reopened Classrooms: More White Than Black Children
As New York City schools reopen, many families of color are choosing to keep students home. That disparity is raising alarms, given the shortcomings of remote learning.
New York Shifts Its Thinking and Reopens Elementary Schools
Middle and high schools will remain closed for now, said Mayor de Blasio, who signaled changes in managing the system during the pandemic.
How de Blasio Backed Himself Into a Corner on Closing Schools
He says that he has celebrated educators more than any mayor in the last 20 years, but Bill de Blasio has taken heat from all sides about school policy during the pandemic.
N.Y.C.’s Schools Shutdown, Explained
The mayor may wait until community spread of the virus stabilizes at a lower rate before reopening the buildings.
Parents in N.Y.C. Public Schools Now Face This Agonizing Choice
Only one in four students have returned to classrooms. The remainder have two weeks left to decide if they’ll go back, too.
Reopening of N.Y.C. Classrooms Faces a Major Test
Only about a quarter of public school students have shown up for in-person instruction, reflecting a range of concerns among parents.