"New York City's education system received its report card today and the results must serve as a wake up call to all of us. New York City should be the model for the country, but under Mayor de Blasio's leadership, NYC schools are stuck in neutral. According to the gold standard of student performance, New York City scores essentially remained flat with a notable five-point drop in fourth-grade math scores from 2013. It's clear we need a mayor committed to proven reforms and evidence-based solutions, not a lame duck with dog-ate-my-homework excuses,” said StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis.

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StudentsFirstNY is a grassroots education advocacy organization dedicated to improving public school options throughout New York State

(New York, NY) Dozens of public charter school parents from across New York City rallied outside the NYC Department of Education in support of a longstanding City initiative that allows charter schools to mail flyers to prospective families. New York City has a model program where it protects parent privacy so that no school has access to parent contact information, but parents can still be informed about school options in their neighborhood.

“The budget agreement reached by Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie puts the needs of students first. Thanks to their leadership, all public school students – charter and district – will be better off. This year's budget deal takes an important step to making sure all schools have access to the funding they need," said StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis.

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StudentsFirstNY is a grassroots education advocacy organization dedicated to improving public school options throughout New York State.

"New York City charter schools have been among the most widely studied and effective tools for improving educational outcomes for low-income students of color. New York City parents and families know this, which is why demand is so high. The message New York City parents are sending is clear and we should give parents what they want by raising the charter school cap.”

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StudentsFirstNY is a grassroots education advocacy organization dedicated to improving public school options throughout New York State.

On Saturday February 16th, more than 200 public school parents and students braved the weather and the long trip to Albany for a special panel discussion. The conversation, co-sponsored by Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez and StudentsFirstNY, focused on school collaboration and ensuring the best education opportunities for students in low-income communities.