Julian Shen-Berro
Reporter, Chalkbeat National
Julian Shen-Berro is a National Reporter for Chalkbeat based in New York City. He previously covered city politics at Politico and breaking news at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is a graduate of Columbia University.
The downpour affected service on every subway line, delayed dozens of school buses, and prompted both NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul to issue a state of emergency.
The city’s notoriously complex high school admissions process can be daunting and stressful for families. See what advice experts offer as applications are set to open next week.
The updated guidance comes just days before the city’s notoriously complex high school admissions process kicks off on Oct. 3.
The tentative contract agreement comes after tense negotiations and concerns a strike would disrupt the first few weeks of the school year.
Families at a Brooklyn Prospect Charter middle school were notified last week that a surge in new COVID cases had prompted precautionary measures.
State officials have not yet released broader data showing how students across the city or state fared on last year’s exams.
Students returned to the city’s nearly 1,600 schools on a sweltering Thursday as a possible bus strike loomed.
A bus worker strike would impact roughly 80,000 students across 4,400 routes, according to the city’s education department.
A strike could impact roughly 80,000 students across 4,400 bus routes in the five boroughs, according to city officials.
The city’s popular summer program continues to garner praise, though some parents at multiple school sites told Chalkbeat they decided to withdraw their kids this year.
A parent council passed a resolution calling for seventh grade state test scores to be used once again in admissions among other changes, despite some public protest.
More than 90% of school buses have air conditioning this summer, according to city officials. But advocates warn the heat can be severe inside buses that don’t.
NYC families can quickly locate the nearest free summer meal sites for their children, thanks to a text service from No Kid Hungry.
The latest round of benefits is intended to help families cover summer meal costs.
Schools will need to determine which students receive additional academic support without the standardized test scores, under a newly amended state regulation.
“This is the world that we live in,” one Brooklyn student said. “This is reality. So what can we do now to help?”
The file-sharing software security breach has affected millions, as private companies and government agencies saw their user data compromised.
“At the heart of what we want to accomplish is exposure,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “[Students] are coming from communities that historically did not have access to technology.”
Expanded education programs on nutrition and a greater offering of plant-based foods are among the plans outlined in a new report.
This year’s offer data shows very little change in racial and economic diversity, particularly for high school, despite seeing the biggest admissions changes.
“Oftentimes, people think about child care deserts as being somewhere else,” one local provider said. “But the truth is that New York has one of the most significant child care supply-and-demand imbalances in the country.”
Part of a New York Academy of Sciences program, seventh graders get excited when their trail cameras catch critters in a nearby park.
Another round of pandemic food benefits for NYC public school families, with at least $391 per child
‘We know that food insecurity prior to the pandemic was a major problem in New York City,’ one advocate said. ‘It’s only gotten exponentially worse since the pandemic, so any ongoing support is really essential.’
The latest enrollment figures hold major implications for school funding across the five boroughs.
Though New York City’s public libraries avoided deep cuts that would have significantly reduced hours, educators warn access to librarians is still limited in schools.
“If you enter the school system as a 3-year-old, and you exit as an 18-year-old, you will have done 60 lockdown drills,” one parent said. “This is not about making anyone less safe — this is about being smart about what is the best mediated solution.”
“Climate education has the potential to empower the next generation of civic leaders and improve the futures of millions of young people,” one student said.
“When it comes to these small, close-knit communities that are so tight, it really does feel like you’re breaking up families,” one local education council member said.
“There just becomes this hopelessness,” one clinician said. “They’re not incentivized to keep going to school, because it’s just too hard, and in fact they may never catch up.”
“The temperature has come down a little bit. But even if the outbursts aren’t quite as big as they were last year, they’re still there.”