March 31, 2022 1. Last week we put out a new report, showing how average class sizes have fallen significantly in many schools, due to enrollment decline, though sharp disparities remain. We also wrote about how the DOE is proposing to cut spending for new schools by over $1.5B, leading to over 11,000 school seats […]
March 17, 2022 Dear folks — 1. Class Size Matters would love to hear directly from NYC public school parents, teachers, principals, students and other school staff about how class size and related issues have affected learning in your schools this year. Our survey is posted here. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 will only 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗻 […]
Feb. 14, 2022 Today Class Size Matters, the Alliance for Quality Education, the Education Law Center and NYC Kids PAC sent a letter to state legislators, urging them to include class size caps in their one-house budgets, so that the additional state funding our schools are due to receive will be invested in providing NYC […]
Feb. 10, 2022 Every few years the Office of Civil Rights of the US Dept. of Education asks for comments on what data they should collect from districts. Accurate data on class size is nearly impossible to find in many districts across the country, despite the fact that it is a key element in education […]
Jan. 30, 2022 1. Please check out our latest Talk out of School podcast, with parent and teacher activists describing what’s been done in their districts for the sake of health, safety and academic support to students during the pandemic, with Damaris Allen, Hillsborough County parent and President of the FL Collaboration Project; Glenn Sacks, […]
Jan. 27, 2022 1. This Monday evening, Jan. 31, Class Size Matters and NYC Kids PAC will be co-hosting a issue briefing via Zoom, designed for CEC members but other interested parents/teachers/advocates are welcome as well. We’ll be providing lots of useful info on Mayoral control, class size and the Capital plan, diversity and equity, […]
Dec. 31, 2021 Just a short email to wish you a wonderful New Year and to thank you for your support over the past months. I also thought you might be interested in checking out my most read blog posts and most-listened to Talk out of School podcasts from 2021. And if you haven’t yet, […]
Jan. 13, 2022 DOE has proposed a totally inadequate Contracts for Excellence plan that will not provide NYC students with their right to a sound basic education. Class Size Matters, the Alliance for Quality Education and the Education Law Center just sent a letter to DOE and the NY State Education Department strongly opposing this […]
December 23, 2021 Though it was disappointing that the City Council was blocked from passing the class size bill Int. 2374, despite 41 co-sponsors, we did prove that there is a tremendous consensus and a growing impetus to finally provide NYC kids with the smaller classes they need and deserve. We will work to see […]
December 29, 2021 Dear friend – As a historian, I have studied reform in NYC and in cities across the nation. Reform usually means shaking up the system. Centralize, decentralize, recentralize. Reorganize the bureaucracy, put the mayor in control, change the decision-making structure. Hire consultants, hire data analysts, hire coaches. Or reform means outsource the […]
Please join us on Wed. June 18 when we will honor Dr. Betty Rosa, former Bronx principal, District Superintendent, Board of Regents member and now NY State Education Commissioner for courageously standing up against the Trump administration on the importance of preserving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in our public schools. Wine and food will be served!
Sign up here for our Annual Parent Action Conference on June 7th 2025, with keynote speaker Jamaal Bowman!
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.
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 and Daniel Alicea interview guests and discuss issues affecting public schools in NYC, the state level and nationally. You can stream or subscribe to the podcast here; or at iTunes, Spotify or Google.
