Editorials
Our trans youth
President Trump's executive order to end "radical indoctrination" is devoid of any compassion for the struggles of young people who are living or considering living as a person of the opposite gender. Nor does it acknowledge our role as educators in respecting students’ dignity as we help them develop self-confidence and independence.
Our undocumented students
We will continue to fight for schools to remain safe zones. Our students deserve an education free from fear, humiliation and trauma. Children should feel safe and protected at all times, and when they are with us in our schools, we will ensure that they do.
NYC Reads reset
This school year, as outside consultants took over most of the training, teachers grew increasingly frustrated with their lack of voice and the lack of support. So we headed to the bargaining table to demand changes. The revised curriculum policy that the DOE announced in early December is a step in the right direction.
Errors in math
As the DOE's mandated Algebra I math curriculum has expanded from a few hundred high schools last year to citywide this school year, so have teachers’ concerns that it is a mismatch for city schools and is hampering their students’ academic progress.
Para-lyzing process
New York City schools, particularly in District 75, are in dire need of paraprofessionals, who provide essential support services for children with disabilities. The shortage won’t get resolved until the city Department of Education streamlines its bureaucratic hiring process.
Don’t phone it in
Cell phones in schools distract from teaching and learning and can threaten students’ mental health by feeding an addiction to social media. Barring them from classrooms makes sense, but any citywide ban has to be carefully conceived and implemented. Educators should not have to use instructional time to collect phones and they should not be the first or sole line of enforcement.