The New York City school system, which has approximately 1,700 campuses in the five boroughs and where are educated more than 900,38 students, you are not doing your homework well, you are failing the kids, and you are plagued with serious problems that continue to hold back the success of those who pass through your classrooms. Data such as that 65% of black and Latino students are not achieving optimal levels of training, and that in last five years more than 120,000 students have left the schools halfway, they are just proof of the insufficient and disconnected work that has been done in the schools.
Thus This was admitted on Wednesday by City Education Chancellor David Banks, who surprised with a critical radiography of the Big Apple school system, which he presented before announcing a plan to transform schools.
The official assured that with an annual budget of $,000 million in schools, the results are far from being expected, so the implementation of a four-pillar plan seeks to improve teaching processes and learning, do away with bureaucracy, invest resources better, train more capable children, help teachers and directors, and solve a problem as basic as children learning to read well when they are already in third grade.
“One hundred and twenty thousand families decided to leave with their feet and say: ‘Let’s look for other alternatives and other options’ for the children. That is a strong accusation that illustrates the work we have done,” said Banks in the “mea culpa” of the City Department of Education (DOE), with which he warned of the urgency of regaining trust between parents and children about the work they are doing. “We invest $65 billion dollars each year to get the results we have, where the 65 percent of black and Latino children never reach the required skills.”
Reinvent the learning experience
Banks stated that first of all the plan calls for “reinventing the student learning experience“, under a new set of commitments, called the Career Pathways Initiative, to be implemented in the fall. This includes the reinvention of virtual learning, which will remain an option.
“This includes testing models that establish new career paths (including credits
“Our reading teaching model has not given the results we need. So we are going to make sure that every one of our students receives solid instruction in reading and writing through phonics from a very young age. Our plan also includes teacher support and capacity building so that they can implement effective strategies to help students with dyslexia,” added the DOE leader.
Second, the Chancellor highlighted that his vision of transformation of schools will focus on “expanding, maintaining and restoring what works”, identifying positive practices in the system
to spread and expand them, and become role models for other schools.
“We want to honor and highlight these teachers and administrators so that all schools in New York City know what they are doing. Too often, we criticize schools that are struggling and tell them they need to improve, but we don’t do a good job of telling them how they can be better,” the chancellor said. “For a long time we have had a system of winners and losers. When schools lose, so do students, families, communities, and our City. My wish is that we all win”.
They will give priority to the well-being of the children
The third point of the change plan is to give “priority to the well-being of the children so that This influences good student performance“, through the promotion of safe schools, access to green areas, more excursions, good quality nutrition and comprehensive support for the needs of students.
The vision of the Chancellor of Education highlights that healthy, safe, well-nourished and intellectually stimulated students are in a better position to perform better, and the importance of creating more ties with community organizations, to stop violence and provide support.
“We will work with trusted messengers and mentors in collaboration with community organizations
to help keep our schools safe. An important part of that is expanding conflict resolution and restorative justice training,” Banks said. “Collaborating with community partners to support school safety, mental health, attendance, and enrichment activities is a positive.”
Finally, the head of schools mentioned that the fourth pillar of transformation is about “involving families so that they are allies in the implementation of the changes“, because he understands that this is the number one factor to achieve an efficient transformation.
“Parents know their children. We know that when our experience as school educators joins the influence of families, magic happens: students perform well not only academically, but also physically, emotionally and socially”, explained the Chancellor.
“We are going to involve families in the procedures for creating and applying policies at all levels. I do not want to create policies in which families have not participated in the process”, emphasized the Chancellor.
Mayor recognizes system failures
Mayor Eric Adams showed his support for Banks’ plan and also backed the Chancellor’s criticism, confirming that the public school system has failed students and families in the Big Apple for years. The Chancellor insisted that there are many deficiencies that must be addressed.
“Let’s be clear: COVID is not the only challenge facing our schools (…) Many of the students graduate from our schools unprepared for college or careers. A large number of schools continue to have security problems. Many of our schools are not academically challenging enough and do not offer accelerated learning opportunities,” said the Chancellor of Education. “An unacceptable number of third graders still can’t read. We have to face the harsh reality that in an educational system that spends 38 a billion dollars a year, a an average of two-thirds of Latino and black students do not reach the level of proficiency in math and English“.
Banks stressed again and again the requirement to start working differently, connected all towards the same goal, so that the talent and commitment of the DOE and the teachers achieve their mission.
“In order for our schools to fulfill the initial promise of being the engines of the American dream for all our students and their families, we will have to do things differently to build trust one big step at a time,” said Banks, stating that there is a disconnect between schools, the Department of Education and training for the future. “Our schools have to connect students to the real world and to what is important to them. We need to provide meaningful academic experiences that are safe, fun, and engaging. Our schools must prepare students so that when they graduate they will excel in our economy“.
Banks mentioned that it is urgent that schools train students in matters such as financial management, civic education, democratic participation and skills development to ensure that when kids graduate they have the tools they need to get to college and be financially well off.
“That’s why Mayor Adams and I are really committed to transform our system so that each and every one of our students graduates with the possibility of a rewarding career, long-term economic security, and prepared to be a positive force for change,” warned the DOE Chancellor.
Banks, who graduated from a public school in the city, like Mayor Adams, he also said that he gave the order to reorganize the central offices so that “c Every penny of taxpayers’ money is used productively.” As a first change, he announced the elimination of the position of Executive Superintendent, which he said does not make sense to keep when the schools are not at the level they should be and it generates more bureaucracy. Instead, he gave his support to the school superintendents, but to guarantee that the best are in those positions, he informed that each of them should reapply to their job to analyze if they meet the objective of being officials who help the principals. of schools with innovative plans”.
The Chancellor of Education stressed that he is not “playing at being the head of the schools”, but since the day he took office, he has been working in making improvements, and one of them has been that in a month and a half it has managed to increase the attendance rate in the schools of the 65%, to the 89%.
NYC Schools Transformation Vision Points
- The aim is to make the organization more efficient and to focus everything on supporting schools. 900900Develop quality care and education for children from birth. birth up to 5 years old.900
- Use teaching reading and writing through phonics so that all students are able to read by third grade.
- Adopt new screening methods to identify dyslexia and other problems at an early age, in order to respond more effectively.
- Strengthen early childhood education.
- Promote the reinvention of virtual learning, creating a digital learning advisory committee with educators, administrators, families and students.
- Create new and solid collaborations with partners from the private and non-profit sectors with the main objective of guaranteeing the long-term financial security for all students.900
- Promote a commitment to ensure that all students leave high school with a diploma and the chance to get a good job and a college career.700
- Use technology to facilitate the ability of schools to share best practices and learn a as others.
- Take advantage of effective initiatives to support the social and emotional needs of students and families after the traumas of the pandemic.
- Urgently restore families’ confidence in the school system.
- Eliminate the position of School Executive Superintendent to curb bureaucracy.
- Ask for the hiring of about 1,000 school security agents to compensate the 1,500 current vacancies.900