Parent-led Education Advocacy Group, PLACE NYC, Endorses Eric Adams For New York City Mayor

NEW YORK, NY, June 1, 2021 — PLACE NYC (placenyc.org) proudly endorses Eric Adams for Mayor of New York City. Borough President Adams has a long track record of support for increasing access to and improving the quality of education in New York City. Eric Adams has demonstrated competency and effectiveness as a leader and public official from his 22 years with the New York Transit Police and Police Department, four terms in the New York State Senate, and currently as a two-term Brooklyn Borough President.

“Borough President Adams listens to voices across all NYC communities. His policy proposals reflect engagement with the often excluded voices of public school parents, including parent leaders who advocate for expanding quality rigorous education to all schools, and those of our immigrant communities. Eric Adams is committed to improving the educational outcomes of all NYC students. These factors have earned Eric Adams our endorsement,” said Lucas Liu, Co-President of PLACE NYC.

Adams unequivocally supports the use of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) as the sole unbiased admissions criteria for the existing specialized high schools and will create additional specialized high schools in each borough that would use multiple criteria for admissions creating even more opportunity for NYC public school students.

In 2017, in partnership with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Adams formed a task force to review and make recommendations to expand and improve access to Gifted & Talented education. The Borough Presidents also called for free or low-cost SHSAT test prep.

PLACE NYC agrees with Adams that to address disparities in academic outcomes, educators must focus on the early years of child development by providing proper nutrition, universal screening for learning support needs like dyslexia, and free or low cost childcare for low income families so each child has the supports to achieve academic and life success starting at elementary school. Adams promises greater accountability and financial governance to reduce costs and increase efficiency so valuable funds can be repurposed for critical investments in education and other areas. Finally, Adams recognizes the need to address the learning loss from Covid disruptions through the expansion of summer school and investing in remote learning technology to expand access for all students.

Eric Adams’ public service, understanding of education issues, willingness to listen to diverse voices, and pragmatic policy proposals make him a standout candidate. Adams’ approach to addressing root causes will improve public education, increase diversity, and lead to better academic and life outcomes for all NYC students. For these reasons, PLACE NYC believes Eric Adams is the best qualified candidate to be the next Mayor. We whole-heartedly endorse Eric Adams as the #1 choice for Mayor of New York City.