Appeals Court Tosses Out UFT's Case on Class Size
In a unanimous ruling, an appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the teacher’s union and other groups that claimed the city misused more than $700 million in state aid between 2007 and 2010...
View ArticleOn WNYC, a Discussion About School Buildings and Crowding
On the air on Thursday, WNYC's Beth Fertig discussed school and classroom crowding, construction, co-location and environmental issues in schools. And when a caller complains that the average class...
View ArticleTeachers' Union Says Class Sizes at 1970s Levels
A survey by the teachers union gives a new look at how the latest round of budget cuts has affected students, with teachers reporting more crowded classrooms, fewer textbooks and even a lack of...
View ArticleElementary Students in Large Classes Tripled, Report Shows
The number of elementary school students in classes of 30 or more has tripled in the last three years because of teacher attrition and budget cuts to public schools, according to a report released on...
View ArticleShould Program to Reward Teachers Include More Hours and Students?
Earlier this year I wrote about some of the problems in Project Respect, a proposed federal program designed to try to "keep good teachers on the job and reward the best ones,'' in the words of...
View ArticleUnion: Special Ed Reforms Worsen Overcrowding
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said Tuesday that nearly half of the city’s schools have overcrowded classes, and that the problem is even worse in special education...
View ArticleOpinion: Time to Tackle Class Size
In 2007, in response to the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) school funding lawsuit, lawmakers in Albany approved a law directing districts to spend new money on essential staff, programs and services...
View ArticleBond Act Passage Translates to More Seats in NYC Schools
New York voters agreed on Tuesday to let the state borrow $2 billion so school districts can upgrade their technology, improve school security and build classrooms for prekindergarten students. While...
View ArticleUnion: Class Size Drops For First Time in Three Years
For the first time in three years, the number of overcrowded classes is down in New York City public schools, according to the teachers union.In its annual survey, taken on the sixth day of school, the...
View ArticleCan Mississippi schools get ahead after a new round of budget cuts?
Parents, students and educators say Mississippi public schools are treading water after years of stagnant funding.This fall, students at Enterprise Attendance Center in the small city of Brookhaven may...
View ArticleParents Push NY to Enforce Smaller Class Size Law
A group of New York City parents and advocates fed up with increasing class sizes in the public schools filed a complaint on Thursday with the New York State Education Department, charging that the...
View ArticleSocial Distancing Requirements Will Be Pivotal In School Reopening
Mayor Bill de Blasio has said repeatedly that his goal is to get all students back into school buildings next fall. But some educators worry there won’t be enough physical space or staff to welcome...
View ArticleCOVID-19 News Update; City Council Proposal for Small Classes; Live Coverage...
On today's show:WNYC's health and science editor Nsikan Akpan breaks down the science behind breakthrough infections, local pols' decisions not to mandate indoor masking and more COVID news.NYC Council...
View ArticleNYC Principals Grapple With Social Distancing Recommendations
There's just over a month until the city's public schools are set to reopen fully for in-person learning, but principals are still figuring out how to fit their students. Federal guidelines say kids...
View ArticleChanges Coming to NYC Schools
As the New York State legislative session ends, several education-related changes are making waves. Jessica Gould, WNYC reporter, reports on bills about class size, parental involvement and more. Plus,...
View ArticleNYC Immigrant Affairs Commissioner; Where Did You Catch COVID?; State Sen....
Coming up on today's show: Manuel Castro, commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, discusses the city's response amid the arrival of asylum seekers who have been bussed from red...
View ArticleThis Week in Politics: Back to school with a dose of politics
It was back to school for nearly a million public school students in New York City on Thursday. And thanks to new legislation signed by Governor Hochul late this week, their class sizes will eventually...
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