New York City schools Chancellor David Banks warned teachers Wednesday about violating rules for political speech, a day before a planned walkout over the war in Gaza. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu /Getty Images In advance of a planned student and staff walkout at some New York City schools Thursday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, schools Chancellor David Banks warned teachers about violating Education Department rules on political speech. In an email to school staff Wednesday, Banks urged educators to keep their personal political beliefs out of the classroom — and warned that even out-of-school ..read more

The state will hold public hearings on New York City’s school governance structure in December and January across the five boroughs. Courtesy of Ed Reed / Mayoral Photography Office Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools.  Mayor Eric Adams will need to return to Albany next year to retain control of New York City schools, but in the meantime, residents across the five boroughs have a chance to voice their opinions on whether mayoral control has been effective. As part of a comprehensive review of New York City’s school governance s ..read more

“Every student gets a daily dose of grade-level text, including teacher-provided support for a just-right reach above their comfort zone,” write Tamra Collins and Cristine Vaughan. Tajuana Cheshier / Chalkbeat Reading scores are in crisis. Instruction is uneven at best. Can a plan to change curriculum at all New York City public schools help more students become proficient readers? We believe it can.  As district superintendents who oversee more than 80 schools combined in Brooklyn and the Bronx, we have seen firsthand how a well-chosen reading curriculum can spark and hold students ..read more

Schools Chancellor David Banks posed next to student artwork displayed in his office at the Education Department’s Tweed Courthouse headquarters. Alex Zimmerman / Chalkbeat Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools. When David Banks took the reins of New York City’s public schools, he offered a blunt diagnosis. The system is “fundamentally flawed,” he said, and in need of complete transformation.  Nearly two years later, the chancellor’s vision for improving the system is coming into sharper focus. Rather than pursuing aggressive chan ..read more

Students, families, and representatives from dozens of Brooklyn high schools gather for a high school fair at George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School. New York City families have until Dec. 1 to submit high school applications. Julian Shen-Berro / Chalkbeat Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools.  With a month left to go in New York City’s notoriously complex high school admissions process, families are striving to determine which of the city’s more than 700 programs across 400 schools will be a good fit for ..read more

“On the subway, I no longer sit hunched over my phone. I simply look around, studying the mosaic of faces walking in and out of the car,” writes Kate Romalewski. Oscar Wong / Getty Images As a member of Gen Z, I was introduced to technology at a young age. It started out innocent: watching “Kim Possible” reruns on YouTube and creating Minecraft servers with my twin brother. But as my interests changed, so did the content I consumed.  I saw teen lifestyle influencers amass millions of followers on YouTube simply for sharing the mundane details of their daily lives. I obsessively watch ..read more

Fewer than 1 in 3 of the city’s public schools are fully accessible to students and staff with mobility impairments. The city plans to spend $800 million over the next five years on building upgrades. Johner Images / Getty Images Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools. New York City plans to spend $800 million over the next five years to boost school building accessibility for people with physical disabilities, officials revealed Wednesday. That figure is far short of what advocates had demanded.  Fewer than 1 in 3 of the city’s pu ..read more

Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the nation’s largest campuses, offered a special education open house this year. David Handschuh / Chalkbeat Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools. Manhattan dad Tom Fiorella wanted a public high school that could challenge his child and accommodate learning disabilities. He spent countless hours scouring websites, attending open houses, and emailing parent coordinators in search of answers. Does the school integrate students with disabilities alongside typically developing children in classes at ..read more

Students pose for graduation pictures in Brooklyn in 2020. The pandemic upended the college and career landscape for New York City teenagers, and counselors are trying to adapt. Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images When students come into Danielle Insel’s college and career advising office with their sights set on higher education, she has a checklist of next steps ready. For years, around nine out of 10 kids fell into that camp, she estimates. But recently, a growing number of seniors — upwards of 30%, she guesses — have told her they have no intention of going to college. And m ..read more

Según datos obtenidos por Chalkbeat, más de 90,000 niños elegibles en la ciudad de Nueva York no han canjeado los últimos beneficios alimentarios por la pandemia. José A. Alvarado Jr. for Chalkbeat Según datos obtenidos por Chalkbeat, más de 90,000 niños elegibles en la ciudad de Nueva York no han canjeado los últimos beneficios alimentarios por la pandemia. José A. Alvarado Jr. para Chalkbeat Suscríbete al boletín diario y gratuito de Chalkbeat New York para mantenerte al día sobre las escuelas públicas de Nueva York. Las familias de más de 90,000 niños elegibles en la ciudad d ..read more