Empty New York City School
Dear Commons Community,
The New York City public schools are being watched closely here in the Big Apple to see what will be happening over the next six months as the state and city deal with the coronavirus pandemic. New York City has by far the largest education system in the country with more than 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 public schools, with 75,000 teachers, and a budget of nearly $25 billion.
Earlier this week, Governor Andrew Cuomo closed all public schools in the state for the remainder of this school year. This was not a surprise and was generally assumed by most New Yorkers. The New York City schools moved to remote learning in March and in the process has given out 245,000 devices to students, including 70,000 WiFi-enabled iPads.
Summer school this year will be limited and will likely be conducted remotely, if at all.
New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza also told city principals in a conference call earlier this week that there’s a “50-50″ shot that school buildings will open in September. However, the Department of Education and city officials have stated that coronavirus complications could nix that schedule.
“The Chancellor made clear, as he has consistently, that our goal and our focus is on returning to buildings in September,” said NYCDOE spokesperson Miranda Barbot on Thursday. “He was referring to the fact that, just like other countries and cities across the world, we’re looking at different options for how to resume in person instruction and will not reopen a day before public health experts say it’s safe.”
Another interesting development is what to do with admissions to New York City’s selective schools. In the best of times, the selection process generates turmoil because of what many see as a grossly discriminatory practice. The New York Post had an article yesterday implying that the coronavirus may kill the controversial practice of “screening” students for admittance to NYC’s most coveted middle and high schools, at least temporarily. With this year’s state math and English exams canceled, a watered-down grading policy enacted, and the tossing of attendance, the key factors for admission to selective schools have been dropped or diminished.
David Bloomfield, a colleague of mine at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, was quoted in the article as saying: “This may be the beginning of the end of screening as we know it,”
The NYCDOE has so far left anxious parents of current 4th and 7th graders — who would normally apply to middle and high schools by early December for the 2021-22 academic year — in the dark about how admissions will be determined.
For students, parents, and teachers, the next six months will be filled with anxiety and concern about the decisions to open or close the schools.
Tony
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