GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

A city teacher who presented at last month’s American Educational Research Association conference in California explains, in a video presentation, why school systems should encourage teacher leadership, as New York City has taken new steps toward doing this year. (more…)

While the state’s proposed high school social studies curriculum “framework” in some ways represents a step forward, it also falls into longstanding habits that have not been conducive to strong social studies teaching and learning. (more…)

The Harvest Collegiate High School that I helped to open in September is the result of an inspirational plan written by a brilliant principal, deep and thoughtful work and planning by a team of passionate and experienced educators, and the incredible courses imagined by our teachers. Our school can be proud about these accomplishments.

But Harvest is also equipped with a number of advantages, some born of current school politics and others of luck, that will give us a huge leg up on other schools in New York City. (more…)

When I meet educators from across the country and tell them about my new school, they ask one question more than any other: “What is new and innovative about Harvest?” I am increasingly comfortable and proud of the following answer: absolutely nothing. (more…)

I’m excited for Harvest Collegiate High School to be born, but for that to happen, Legacy High School has to die. (more…)

I get asked frequently why I’m helping to start a school. I have three different answers to the question, depending on the audience.  All are true, and I’m not sure they’re contradictory. I gave the first answer, the particular one about why Harvest Collegiate High School now, in a post last month. The second answer (more…)

I get asked frequently why I’m helping to start a school. I have three different answers to the question, depending on the audience. All are true, and I’m not sure they’re contradictory. The first story is the particular one. The personal one and the political one will follow.  
I left Bronx Lab School at the (more…)

I never lack for reasons why I love my job, but none of them ever supersede the privilege of seeing young women and ment take hold of the views and positions they will carry with them into their adulthood. In rare cases, I get to bear witness to a student who not only attains a (more…)

It seems that the biggest issue these days in education “reform” is the attempt to change how teachers are evaluated. Locally in New York, the state legislature passed a new evaluation system last year and the Board of Regents more recently released its guidelines for the implementation of that law, though much of the details (more…)

At the end of this month, I’ll be joining thousands of other teachers for the Save Our Schools March in Washington. People will march for lots of reasons, and you can read some great ones here, here, and here.
I am going to do something I don’t usually do with this piece, and make a rather conservative (more…)