Restorative justice funding under threat, NYC schools advocates warn
Thanks to billions in federal pandemic relief funding, the city’s education department made plans to dramatically expand restorative justice programming, more than tripling funding over a three-year period to $21.6 million this school year. But dozens of advocacy groups are now raising the alarm that much of that funding is “at risk” — including a […]
This Brooklyn teacher is making theater more accessible to students with all abilities
A serendipitous subway ride about 20 years ago led Michael Pantone from his acting career to teaching theater at a Brooklyn public school serving children with disabilities. On the No. 2 train, Pantone had run into an actor friend as she headed to direct an after-school theater program for middle school students. She invited Pantone, […]
NYC wants to change the way students learn to read. Here’s how.
Mayor Eric Adams has made literacy a priority, promising to overhaul reading instruction in New York City schools. Educators agree it’s a critical moment. Even before the pandemic, fewer than half of students in grades 3-8 were reading on grade level, according to state tests. Now, interrupted learning has only heightened concerns that students have […]
NYC plans to end school-based COVID testing program this fall, source says
New York City is planning to end its program to administer weekly coronavirus tests to a random sample of students, Chalkbeat has learned, removing one of the last standing campus COVID safety measures. The decision to discontinue on-site PCR testing after summer school ends was communicated internally last month, a source with knowledge of the […]
Banks wants to cut private school payments for NYC students with disabilities
As the education department faces intense pressure to reconsider school budget cuts, Chancellor David Banks indicated that there’s another pot of money he wants to slash: hundreds of millions worth of tuition payments for students with disabilities. “All this money that is meant for the kids in our public schools are going to private schools,” […]
Teacher shortage: ‘Maligning and vilifying’ educators affects retention, union president says
Teacher shortage: ‘Maligning and vilifying’ educators affects retention, union president says Students across the country are heading back to school, but many without adequate teachers. According to the National Education Association, there are more than 280,000 fewer public school teachers nationally than prior to the pandemic. And the shortage is perhaps most acute in the […]
