The following statement can be attributed to Ian Rosenblum, Executive Director of The Education Trust–New York:
“Today’s announcement about New York City schools reopening raises more questions than it answers. Most importantly, we are eager to understand what specific additional resources, access to teachers, and support will the city provide to achieve what Mayor de Blasio said must be ‘the greatest school year in New York City history,’ particularly for the most vulnerable students.
“Our poll of New York City public school parents found that satisfaction with online learning dropped significantly from 64% of parents in March to 53% of parents in June, driven primarily by increased dissatisfaction among parents from low-income backgrounds. Our survey also revealed enormous gaps between the services and supports that parents identified as important and what their schools were actually providing.
“Today’s announcement does not address many of the fundamental issues facing our education system during reopening, including equitable access to in-person instruction; intensive support from teachers, school counselors, and other school personnel; and how blended or distance learning will be better this year. Schools that serve vulnerable students – including students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, and Multilingual learners – are also likely to have parents who work away from the home and may not have access to adequate resources to support online learning. The inequities these families faced prior to the pandemic have been exacerbated by this crisis.
“We look forward to city leaders releasing a meaningful, transparent plan that describes how the full resources of the city will be leveraged to prioritize educational equity in the coming school year. We realize these are tough decisions with no perfect solutions, and we are hopeful that the full plan includes more information about what kind of support will be provided both in the classroom and during blended or distance learning so that parents can make informed decisions about what is best for their child, and so we can all work together in the pursuit of educational justice during this crucial time.”
Read The New York Equity Coalition’s recommendations for reopening here.