News

City Hall Exploits Diploma Mills & Hides Behind Facade of Graduation Rates 

New York, NY – As the school year comes to a close, a shocking new report released today by leading education reform organization StudentsFirstNY, The Graduation Facade: How New York City’s Diploma Mills Mask College Readiness Crisis, exposes the problem of Diploma Mills – schools where the graduation rates are above average, but the students are not prepared for college or a career after high school. Earlier this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio hailed the fact that high school graduation rates ticked up two percentage points, but this data point obscures the fact that college readiness in NYC high schools lags far behind graduation rates.

"What is happening at Boys and Girls High School is just unacceptable. Mayor de Blasio has so far shown that he lacks the leadership and vision to turn around this situation. For the sake of Bed-Stuy parents and students, Mayor de Blasio must hire a leader capable of making Boys and Girls High School a school worthy of this community," said StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis.

New York, NY – More than 500 district school parents rallied outside City Hall today to demand answers from Mayor de Blasio about the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR). In just two months, more than 7,500 parents have now signed on to the effort to get the de Blasio Administration to turn over basic information about where ineffective teachers from the ATR pool are being placed.

Parents to Mayor: Where is Urgency to Fix Our Schools?

New York, NY – Public school parents from across New York City gathered outside today's mayoral control hearing to send a clear message: parents are dissatisfied with the quality of NYC public schools and they expect Mayor de Blasio to be held accountable.

“Mayoral control was put in place to bring accountability to public education, not to allow City Hall to escape scrutiny. The mayor wants the authority without taking responsibility for his failed education record," said StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis.

District Parents Launch Campaign to Find Out Where Ineffective Teachers Are Being Placed

New York, NY — More than one hundred district school parents stood outside the Department of Education’s headquarters today to demand equity for their children – and full transparency from Mayor de Blasio. For five months, the de Blasio Administration has been stonewalling parent efforts to find out where ineffective teachers from the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) are being placed. The parents called on the Mayor to end this ATR Cover-Up and provide real answers to their requests for information.

March 17, 2016

Commissioner MaryEllen Elia
New York State Education Department
Education Building Room 111
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234

Dear Commissioner Elia:

 We are very concerned about the State Education Department’s (SED) recent action that removed about half of the schools -- 70 schools -- from the state’s failing schools transformation program. We believe this action violates the law, and if not immediately reversed we will explore all available remedies.