| Top Stories Mums The Word Mamdani campaign hosts education roundtable featuring woman who called standardized tests ‘eugenics’ NY Post, 11/1/2025 Radical socialist Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign hosted a closed-door roundtable to craft his prospective administration’s education policy, and stocked it with anti-merit leftists — one of whom once bashed standardized tests as “eugenics.” Groups pushing for academic rigor were left off the guest list, which contained a veritable who’s who of radical advocates opposed to gifted and talented programs, as well as figures with troubling antisemitism accusations, critics said. …Parent Leaders of Accelerated Curriculum and Education, an organization that advocates for higher standards in the NYC public school system, was not given a seat at the table, nor was the New York City Public School Alliance. “[Mamdani] is probably going to be worse than De Blasio 2.0 from all the signals that we’re seeing,” said Yiatin Chu, co-president of PLACE. Less Students, Same Funding NYC won’t claw back $250 million midyear from schools as enrollment declines Chalkbeat, 11/3/2025 New York City schools with fewer students than projected will not have to give back money midyear, Education Department officials announced Monday, as the public school system saw its biggest enrollment drop in four years. Enrollment in the city’s K-12 and preschool programs fell by about 22,000, or 2.4%, compared to last year, according to the Education Department’s preliminary numbers. A total of 884,400 students were enrolled in the city’s traditional public schools as of Oct. 31, according to the figures. Nearly two-thirds of the city’s roughly 1,600 schools had fewer students than projected, officials said. In past years, those schools would have had to pay back a total of more than $250 million to the city. But those funds will now stay with schools. ICYMI Mamdani campaign quietly convenes education advocates to shape schools agenda Chalkbeat, 10/28/2025 Last week, a handful of Mamdani campaign staffers organized a roundtable discussion with dozens of education advocates, parent leaders, and experts to solicit input on what Mamdani should prioritize if he is elected on Nov. 4, multiple people in attendance told Chalkbeat. …The education roundtable also included conversation about an advisory group report released in 2019 under Mayor Bill de Blasio that offered recommendations for improving school diversity, according to the agenda. Mamdani has referenced it several times on the campaign trail, including in a proposal to phase out gifted programs for kindergarten students…Multiple attendees said City Council education chair Rita Joseph participated as did Jamaal Bowman, a former congressman and Bronx middle school principal. Both have been rumored as possible chancellor candidates. Advocacy Corner PLACE NYC parent volunteers are back for High School Admissions Office HourRegister here: https://tinyurl.com/2025-HS-Applications |
Open Letter Template to NYC Mayoral Candidates Click here (works best on iOS) to send an email organized by parents to Protect and Strengthen NYC’s Gifted & Talented Programs Petition to Retract the NY Math Briefs Read and sign the petition here Election Day Information Election Day Tuesday 11/4 Polls are open 6AM to 9PM. Find Your Poll Site and View Sample Ballot: findmypollsite.vote.nyc/ PLACE NYC Mayoral Endorsement: https://placenyc.org/2025/10/04/place-nyc-endorses-andrew-cuomo-for-mayor https://placenyc.org/2025/10/09/place-nyc-endorses-city-council-candidates Elections Coverage Bombshell NYC election eve poll predicts Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo mayoral race will come down to wire NY Post, 11/3/2025 NYC early voting ends with record turnout, shattering 2021 stats CBS News, 11/2/2025 Four Early Voting Takeaways in NYC, By The Numbers The City, 11/2/2025 Queens Democrat Party snubs own Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani — refuses to endorse him for NYC mayor NY Post, 11/2/2025 Even for Some Mamdani Supporters, His Thin Résumé Is Cause for Concern NY Times, 11/2/2025 Ballot Proposals: Here’s what NYC voters need to know as they head to the polls Gothamist, 10/24/2025 Other Headlines NYC school calendar: November brings holidays, half days, and child care burdens Chalkbeat, 11/3/2025 NYC asks principals to apply for next round of cash for smaller class sizes NY Daily News, 11/3/2025 Some Head Start preschools shutter as government shutdown continues NY Daily News, 11/3/2025 Mamdani Mayoral Control Chaos ‘Confusion and chaos’: Mamdani pushes for less power over NYC schools Politico, 11/02/2025 If elected, Mamdani says he would share authority with parents, teachers and local councils in a “co-governance” model that reimagines how the city’s nearly 1 million students — in what remains the most segregated school system in the nation — are educated. He calls it a path to accountability and equity. Critics call it a recipe for dysfunction. …Mayoral control replaced a 32-school board system established in 1969 to give parents more control over schools following demands from Black and brown parents…The 32 districts operated like “autonomous fiefdoms,” according to a 16-page report released by StudentsFirstNYC, a pro-charter group, last year. That setup led to poor education results, according to the group, including flat test scores and graduation rates. Even more troubling was lax hiring practices that saw gang leaders and drug dealers employed in schools and officials accepting bribes for jobs. College students pick socialism over capitalism Axios, 11/1/2025 They’ve Called for Terrorism Against Jews. Now They’re Teaching NYC Public School Students ‘How To Organize.’ Washington Free Beacon, 10/30/2025 NYC school bus chaos averted: companies sign 30-day emergency contract Chalkbeat, 10/30/2025 G&T Schools Rank High Best New York Elementary Schools US News and World Report, 10/29/2025 U.S. News analyzed 103,391 pre-K, elementary and middle schools. Browse our district and school profiles to find the right fit for you. Upper East Side Elementary School Ranked #1 in New York State East Side Feed, 10/29/2025 Math Problem New York’s Plan for Math Instruction Doesn’t Add Up City Journal, 10/29/2025 New York students’ math scores lag the national average and have remained stagnant for many years, despite massive increases in per-pupil funding. In May, the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) launched a Numeracy Initiative to address the issue. Unfortunately, its guidance will lead to even poorer math instruction. The initiative has released a series of Numeracy Briefs, which aim to instruct educators in “best practices for effective mathematics instruction.” The briefs were produced by TeachingWorks, a group led by University of Michigan professor Deborah Loewenberg Ball. The group’s goal, according to its website, is to promote “teaching to create a more just society” and to develop “equitable, skillful teaching.” The briefs quickly caused confusion and concern among educators who attended NYSED’s professional development sessions. Some noticed that the guidance from NYSED contradicted well-established math pedagogy, as well as advice from other experts in the field. Gifted & Talented programs are what true progress is all about NY Post Editorial, 10/28/2025 NYC officials lay out plans to get kids to school if bus contract negotiations stall Gothamist, 10/27/2025 Blacklisted An Early-Decision Student Backed Out of Tulane. Tulane Punished the High School. NY Times, 10/26/2025 At Tulane University, early decision isn’t just a process. It’s practically the brand of its admissions department. For years, the private university in New Orleans welcomed more than half of its freshman class this way, locking in students months before regular-decision applicants even got a chance. Take Tulane’s class of 2026. About two-thirds of the more than 1,800 freshmen in the class were admitted through early decision, and only 106 with regular decisions, according to a report by Inside Higher Ed. (Others got in through early action, a preferential way to apply without committing to enrolling.) So when Tulane quietly placed Colorado Academy, a private high school in Denver, on an early-decision suspension for one year, it set off alarm bells. The ban prevented the high school’s next senior class from applying early decision after a student there backed out of an early-decision agreement at Tulane last year. Black enrollment is waning at many elite colleges after affirmative action ban, AP analysis finds AP News, 10/25/2025 Colleges Face a Financial Reckoning. The University of Chicago Is Exhibit A. Wall Street Journal, Op-ed by Jorge Elorza, 10/22/2025 |