NYC’s class size working group delivers recommendations — but some members dissent Michael Elsen-Rooney and Amy Zimmer, Chalkbeat December 11, 2023 Fearing NYC will fail to meet new class size limits, advocates ask the state to step in Cayla Bamberger, Daily News December 1, 2023 Teachers’ union says 300,000 New York City students are in […]
2024 Clips A New Way to Shrink Class Sizes: Let Schools Take Charge Clare Fahey, NY Times December 24, 2024 The NYC school system must reject this contract Kemala Karmen, Daily News December 18, 2024 Can peer support address student mental health? New York City Council members hope so. Julian Shen-Berro, Chalkbeat November 25, 2024 […]
Dec. 29, 2025 This has been a watershed year for class size in NYC public schools. Nearly 750 schools lowered class size this fall to far smaller levels, and about 60% of classes achieved the benchmarks required by the law which we helped pass in 2022. In these classrooms, teachers are ecstatic about the changes […]
Dec. 22, 2025 The DOE is rapidly expanding the use of AI in our schools, despite the glaring lack of guidelines or guardrails, and despite the growing evidence that AI use may undermine student privacy, cognitive skills, critical thinking, creativity and the health of the local and global environment. I was quoted in this Chalkbeat […]
Dec. 17, 2025 This is a last minute email to let you know that DOE has removed the AI products from tonight’s PEP agenda, because they were told they would not be approved! A big thank you to those of you who sent emails in opposition. And for those who were planning to attend to […]
Dec. 16, 2025 1. Today the IBO released a report with their estimate of the costs of staffing to comply with the class size law; check out our response on how compliance could be achieved more thoroughly, equitably, efficiently and affordably than DOE currently plans to do. More on this soon. 2. […]
Check out the presentation here and below that we recently provided to the Education Committee of the NYC Bar Association about the weaknesses in DOE’s treatment of student privacy and AI. If you’d like a similar briefing for your CEC or other organization, please let us know by emailing info@studentprivacymatters.org “
Comments on the IBO report on costs of compliance For immediate release: December 16, 2025 For more information: Leonie Haimson, leonie@classsizematters.org; 917-435-9329 The IBO’s latest report includes cost estimates for staffing to meet the class size caps in the law, based upon figures two years old. However, the report also points out that accounting for […]
Dec. 9, 2025 The forum on Saturday explaining the serious risks of AI use in schools was standing room only, and there were many others attending via Zoom as far as away as Idaho. Thanks for those of you who came! The video will be posted soon, but meanwhile, here are three important steps you […]
December 12, 2025 A couple of quick requests: Please call Gov. Hochul’s office ASAP, especially if you haven’t already, to urge her to sign S7599C, the Loading Act, without weakening its provisions. She is in negotiations right now about what changes she would like to the bill. Recently, she forced significant changes before […]
Please join us for a virtual Class Size Briefing this Sunday June 28th, where we will speak about the changes to the class size law, point out flaws in the DOE's proposed plan for next year, and provide everyone with strategies for advocating for smaller classes for all NYC students!
Sign the petition asking for a moratorium on the use of AI until rigorous safeguards are established to protect student privacy, learning and the environment.
Click to see our presentation!
Talk out of School radio show and podcast airs Sunday night at 7 PM on WBAI 99.5 FM or online at www.wbai.org when Leonie Haimson, Daniel Alicea and Kaliris Salas Ramirez interview guests and discuss issues affecting public schools in NYC, the state level and nationally. You can stream or subscribe to the podcast here at Simplecast; or at iTunes, Spotify or Google.
Sign here to urge NYC to implement a real, multi-year strategy to lower class size, as the law intends, without exempting up to half or more of all students.
