Why is it a problem for some when academic spaces are comprised of more Black teachers than White teachers? I continue to be baffled by the resistance to this change, especially from White teachers. The reality is that many Black teachers function in predominantly White academic spaces for the entirety of our careers, often without… Continue reading An Impassioned Plea For The Purposeful Hiring of More Black Teachers
This is a guest post by Dr. Anael Alston, who was born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. “Dr. A” is currently the Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Access, Equity and Community Engagement in the New York State Education Department. “I am…” declared Michael D. Smith. “My Brother’s Keeper!” nearly 500 young men of color… Continue reading The My Brother’s Keeper Movement in New York State and the Audacious Goal of Success for All
City kids are struggling with basic math and English — but a new Department of Education curricular initiative focuses instead on racial privilege and activism, The Post has learned. As soon as I read this opening sentence of this NY Post article, I was completely taken aback. Racial privilege? Activism? What — you mean activating… Continue reading The NYC DOE Has Racism Coursing Through Its Veins and Carranza Is Trying To Do Something About It. Why the Pushback?: Part 1.
Kindergarten Connect, the form New York City parents use to apply their children to public school Kindergarten for September 2019, is scheduled to close on Monday, January 14th, although on-going problems with the “new and improved” online Parent Portal may cause the deadline to be pushed back due to technical difficulties. To help parents know… Continue reading New Year, Old NYC School Argument
This is a guest post by Raymond Ankrum, Sr., the Executive Director of Riverhead Charter School. It was originally posted here on his blog. I work on Long Island as a school superintendent of the only K-12 charter school in Suffolk County. Given the history of our school, the power of the teacher’s union on LI,… Continue reading The Entitlement of Opting Out in Suburbia: A Superintendent Speaks Out.
No one seemed more surprised at the obliteration of ten-term, fourth-ranking U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley than victor Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a self-identified Democratic Socialist. Last week, in a gobsmacking upset, she won the primary for New York’s 14th Congressional District. Politico described her today as “not just a full-blown political sensation but an international news phenomenon.”… Continue reading What Are Ocasio-Cortez’s Views on Public School Choice?
“Study of N.Y. Schools Finds Wide Racial, Ethnic Disparities in Advanced High School Courses.” That’s the alarming headline that recently captured my attention, based on unpublished state Education Department data from the 2016-2017 school year analyzed by the New York Equity Coalition. The Coalition comprises the State Business Council, the New York Urban League, Albany… Continue reading “I Thought I Was Taking Algebra But It Was Really Pre-Algebra”: the Racial and Ethnic Gap in New York’s Gateway Courses
(This is a guest post by Pete Cook which originally appeared on his blog, “Retort: Correcting the Record on Education Reform.” Pete became involved in education reform in New Orleans Public Schools as a 2002 Teach For America corps member and has worked in various capacities at Teach For America, KIPP, TNTP and the Recovery School District.)… Continue reading A “Polite Cousin” of Hypocrisy
The start of my daughter’s junior year — and diving head first into the college prep process — is officially here. As I was going through a list of things to start tackling, results from a recent National Association for College Admission Counseling report caught my eye: the most important factor that colleges consider when… Continue reading What’s Wrong with Grade Inflation? Ask This Long Island Mom.
When I first started teaching, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were just being rolled out to replace the New York State Standards. I wasn’t resistant to the shift in course content standards because teaching was still very new to me and my eagerness superseded any skepticism that I might have had. I noticed, however,… Continue reading New Education Standards? Oh Boy—Here We Go Again!
