StudentsFirstNY:

Working to give kids the education they deserve

StudentsFirstNY is New York's leading voice for students who depend on public education for the skills they need to succeed, but who are too often failed by a system that puts special interests, rather than the interests of children, first.

Recent Updates

StudentsFirstNY Launches Seven-Figure Campaign to Extend Mayoral Accountability in New York City Schools

NEW YORK–Amid reckless, dire threats to school governance from Albany politicians, StudentsFirstNY today announced a seven-figure campaign to extend mayoral accountability in New York City’s public schools. The group will run ads, mobilize concerned parents, and talk directly with elected officials for the rest of this year’s legislative session to demand a four-year extension of the current system. You can watch StudentsFirstNY’s first ad here

Last week, StudentsFirstNY released “Dysfunction Junction: A History of NYC Schools Before Mayoral Accountability.” The landmark report outlined the history of New York City’s failed experiment with decentralized leadership of its schools - a failure that Albany’s inaction risks revisiting upon New York City’s public school students.

“Albany is sleepwalking into a disaster for over one million New York City students. We’re going to wake them up,” said Crystal McQueen-Taylor, Executive Director of StudentsFirstNY. “Mayoral accountability has produced higher test scores, more resources, and better governance than the catastrophic School Board era ever did. Albany should extend it - not play political games with students’ futures.”

Decentralized leadership created a slide in student performance that was arrested when mayoral accountability, also known as mayoral control, was restored under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The end of this experiment created bottom-line accountability in New York City’s public schools, and allowed mayors and chancellors to take direct responsibility for improving performance - instead of 32 separate, uncoordinated entities. Mayoral accountability is set to expire this June.

Full text of StudentsFirstNY’s first ad is below:

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As Mayoral Accountability Battle Rages in Albany, StudentsFirstNY Releases Landmark Report on Board of Education’s Sordid Legacy in New York City

For Immediate Release

March 27, 2024

Contact: Mitch Schwartz, (914) 330-1026

As Mayoral Accountability Battle Rages in Albany, StudentsFirstNY Releases Landmark Report on Board of Education’s Sordid Legacy in New York City

NEW YORK–StudentsFirstNY today released Dysfunction Junction: A History of NYC Schools Before Mayoral Accountability,” a landmark report outlining the history of New York City’s failed experiment with decentralized leadership of its schools. That experiment - which began in 1969 and ended in 2002 - saw corruption and incompetence flourish under the Board of Education’s leadership. It delivered a system where no single person could be held accountable for failures in public schools.

Decentralized leadership created a slide in student performance that was arrested when mayoral accountability, also known as mayoral control, was restored under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The end of this experiment created bottom-line accountability in New York City’s public schools, and allowed mayors and chancellors to take direct responsibility for improving performance - instead of 32 separate, uncoordinated entities. 

The report comes as the State Legislature debates a four-year extension of mayoral accountability of City schools. The expiration of mayoral accountability could trigger a return to a Board of Education-style governance for New York City’s public school students.

Click here to read the full report.

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StudentsFirstNY Responds to Mayor Adams’ State of the City Address

NEW YORK–StudentsFirstNY today responded to Mayor Adams’ State of the City address, which emphatically called for a four-year extension of mayoral control of city schools.

Please attribute this statement to Crystal McQueen-Taylor, Executive Director of StudentsFirstNY:

“Public schools aren’t political bargaining chips, and the Mayor is right to insist that he remain accountable for their performance. Mayoral control has produced better academic performance, higher graduation rates, and richer student programming than school boards did. We’re not going back. It’s time to take politics out of the equation and give the mayor the chance his predecessors had to give every student a great public education.”

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

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StudentsFirstNY Responds to 2022-23 State Test Scores

NEW YORK–StudentsFirstNY today responded to the release of New York City’s math and ELA test scores for grades 3-8. The results revealed shocking racial disparities in our city’s school system; while over 75% of Asian American students, and 70% of white students passed their math exams, only 34% of Black students and 36% of Latino students did the same. The results for reading were similar; 72% of Asian students and 70% of white students passed, compared to 40% of Black students and 39% of Latino students.

Last month, StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Crystal McQueen-Taylor and Bronx parent Unique Jackson co-wrote an op-ed that highlighted the power and promise of NYC Public Schools’s new reading approach, New York City Reads.

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Poll: As Legislature Debates Cap Lift, New Yorkers Voice Overwhelming Support for Charter Schools

New York–As the state legislature debates Governor Hochul’s plan to lift the cap on charter schools in New York City, a newly released StudentsFirstNY poll of nearly 1,100 likely Democratic primary voters in New York City, conducted by Benenson Strategy Group, found overwhelming support for her proposal and public charter schools generally. Among the key findings were:

  • Seventy-eight percent of Black voters, and 81% of Latino voters, believe charters can play a positive role in our school system.
  • Nearly two-thirds of New York City voters - including two-thirds of Black voters and more than three-quarters of Latino voters - want the charter cap lifted.
  • Two-thirds of Latino voters are more likely to support candidates if they support charter schools.
  • Governor Hochul, whose pro-charter position has garnered significant attention, enjoys a 69% favorability rating among Black voters - a higher rating than Congress Member Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Gillibrand, and other notable local elected officials.

Earlier this month, over 1,000 parents rallied outside City Hall to demand Albany raise the cap.

"It’s hard to get New Yorkers to agree on anything. But in crucial districts across the city, the verdict is clear. New Yorkers - especially Black and brown New Yorkers, who have been chronically underserved by our education system - overwhelmingly support parents’ right to choose the right kind of public education for their children,” said Crystal McQueen-Taylor, Executive Director of StudentsFirstNY. “As budget negotiations reach a fever pitch, Albany should stay focused on the facts: a cap lift is what parents want, and students deserve.”

 

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