PLACE NYC Responds to $635M Academic Recovery Plan

NEW YORK, NY, July 12, 2021 — The just announced Academic Recovery Plan for NYC schools allocates $635M for one-year of a “bold, rigorous framework” with few specifics.  PLACE NYC agrees with many of the DOE’s stated goals such as improving early literacy, support for special education services and multilingual learners, but we are skeptical of the grand Universal Mosaic Curriculum, particularly when the DOE has provided scant details of the curriculum. Instead of selecting from tested and proven curriculum, the DOE will spend $202M to design its own curriculum, further bloating central administration which has expanded significantly under Mayor de Blasio. 

Most troublingly, the City will spend millions without establishing any metrics to assess whether or not the funds spent actually improve the education of students. Will more students learn to read, write, or do math at grade level? We question how DOE defines “rigorous” when half of NYC students are not grade level proficient in reading and math. “Inclusive and affirming” is a non-descript platitude that, while perhaps well-intentioned, does nothing to improve academic outcomes. We demand that the DOE provide details, establish timelines, and set success metrics so that it may be held accountable to parents and students.

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