Talk out of School: concerns with NYC's mandated reading curriculum, plus student comments below

Check out the latest Talk out of School featuring a discussion of NYC's most widely used reading program, HMH Into Reading, with NYU researcher Flor Khan, Brooklyn parent Alina Lewis and teacher Martina Meijer.  Below is a short summary of Alina's concerns, along with some comments from fifth and 6th grade students at the Brooklyn School of Inquiry. Below that are some newsclips related to the reading curriculum as well as other news items mentioned on the show.

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In May of 2023 we were informed that our school, the Brooklyn School of Inquiry, would need to replace our existing literacy curriculum with HMH’s Into Reading for grades K-5, and that our middle school would need to adopt HMH’s Into Literature for grades 6-8.

The Brooklyn School of Inquiry is founded upon progressive education principles, and has a long standing tradition of student centered, inquiry driven pedagogy. Our literacy curriculum, honed by teachers over many years, was developed with our specific students in mind and embodied the spirit of inquiry and progressive education embedded in our mission. It is this tradition of inquiry that draws parents from all over Brooklyn to our school, and the curriculum has served our community extremely well.

Students are highly engaged in meaningful learning, well prepared to succeed in rigorous high school classrooms, and 91% of our students are at or above proficient (ELA state test, 2022-2023). We have been forced to abandon our curriculum and adopt HMH, a scripted, test prep style literacy curriculum that does not include real books, only excerpts from passages.

Instead of engaging deeply with the themes embedded in rich literature such as A Raisin in the Sun, our kids now read three and a half page articles about Instagrammers. Instead of reading the Diary of Ann Frank at BSI, our students read bland two page excerpts such as “Challenges for Space Exploration,” from the HMH workbook. There is simply no way that such a curriculum will prepare our students to be the thinkers, change makers, and citizens that we want them to be.

It's unconscionable that HMH is being pushed onto students, teachers and families in the name of “literacy” when it contains no substantive literature. It's unconscionable that HMH is being billed as “research backed” with no extant, rigorous data to support its effectiveness and quality (Wexler, 2024). Below, please see some qualitative data about Into Reading and Into Literature, gleaned from students direct experiences. Please consider if this is the type of literacy education we dream of for our public school kids in New York City.

I have always loved reading. You can ask anyone in my family, and they will tell you that. And I can also tell you that this curriculum has no real reading.

-       Will, 5th grade

 

Overall, the Into Literature book has you repeat what it just stated, feeding you words to the answers and saps your writing of creativity and self expression. This is why I don’t think I am learning very much.

-       Penelope, 6th grade

 

In years past, ELA was fun! We would read real books and short stories. Now we read mostly excerpts in our HMH workbooks or online…Next year I will be in 7th grade. I was so excited to hear about Ms. Mia and some of the things that she does in her ELA classes, such as a unit where students put Christopher Columbus on trial. I am a Native American/Puerto Rican girl with Taino ancestry - what a  unique and personal experience this could be! I would be so disappointed to have this learning opportunity with my classmates taken away and replaced with excerpts and assessments from HMH.

-       Kira, 6th grade

 

In the fifth Harry Potter book, the Ministry of Magic installs a mundane curriculum for the students of Hogwarts in Defense against the Dark Arts. In this curriculum, you study defensive spells, think about defensive spells, and write papers on defensive spells, but you do not actually get to do defensive spells. In my opinion, this curriculum is not unlike the HMH curriculum. We are thinking about books, and we are reading excerpts, but are we are not actually reading books.

-       Isabel Carlos, 5th grade

 

So, to sum it all up, it's just not challenging, fun or exciting. It feels like I’m getting half of the ELA sixth grade experience. Half of a story, half of a piece of writing, only half of a curriculum. I really hope you will let my school keep teaching me and my classmates in a way that is both educational, exciting and fun.

- Carlo, 6th grade

 

I miss reading whole novels and discussing them in class like we did in elementary school. Now in middle school we read excerpts from the books and are asked simplistic questions about them…You can't get to the point and the idea of the book through reading just a part of it. You need to read books in their entirety and if you have a teacher to guide you and your friends to discuss the book with, it makes you want to read more.

-       Ethan, 6th grade

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Episode Notes

Chalkbeat, NYC chancellor said he’d resign without mayoral control. His threat could add fuel to critics.

Daily News, Keep Mayor Adams’ control of NYC schools, Chancellor David Banks urges Albany lawmakers 

Sign up to testify at Council education budget hearings on March 18, 2024

Info on Panel for Education Policy meeting March 20, 2024 

NYU Metro Center,   Lessons in (In)Equity: An Evaluation of Cultural Responsiveness in Elementary ELA Curriculum https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/ejroc/lessons-inequity-evaluation-cultural-responsiveness-elementary-ela-curriculum

NYU Metro scorecard

NY State Education Department, Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education 

Comments by NYC students on HMH Into Reading 

Chalkbeat, See which curriculum is dominating NYC's reading mandate 

NY1, Some parents are skeptical of new reading curriculum 

Contact info for guests (with their permission): Alina Lewis at alinajlewis@gmail.com; MORE at MORE@morecaucusnyc.org; Flor Khan at fk725@nyu.edu

Johanna Garcia on the long, hard struggle for smaller classes

 I interviewed Johanna Garcia, chief of staff to Sen. Robert Jackson and co-chair of the Class Size Working Group, on my podcast, Talk out of School. She explained the legislative history and the larger context of the long and hard fight for smaller classes that grew out of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. You can listen to the interview here or below.

Episode Notes

Chalkbeat, COVID guidance for NYC schools https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2023/9/12/23870420/nyc-schools-covid-guidance-2023-2024-testing-vaccines

UNESCO report, An Ed Tech Tragedy? https://www.unesco.org/en/digital-education/ed-tech-tragedy

NY Times article about the UNESCO report https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/technology/unesco-report-remote-learning-inequity.html

Class Size Matters presentation on the ways DOE is putting student privacy at risk https://classsizematters.org/the-many-ways-in-which-doe-is-putting-student-privacy-at-risk

Class Size Matters testimony on dangers of DOE plans to expand online learning and ed techhttps://classsizematters.org/testimony-on-the-dangers-of-doe-plans-to-expand-online-learning-and-ed-tech

FAQ on the new state class size law https://classsizematters.org/faq-on-the-states-new-class-size-law

Class Size Working Group (CSWG) public engagement sessions to present their proposals for feedback:

Tuesday, September 26th – 5- 7:30pm online (Manhattan/Brooklyn);
Wednesday, September 27th – 5- 7:30pm online (Queens/Bronx/Staten Island)
Monday, October 2nd –  5- 7:30pm in person at MLK Campus Auditorium, 122 Amsterdam Ave, Manhattan  (Citywide) .
Register for these sessions here: https://learndoe.org/class_size/

More information on the CSWG and their proposals here: https://infohub.nyced.org/reports/financial/contracts-for-excellence

Jonathan Friedman on book-banning in our schools

 

This Saturday, after a brief summary of NYC education news, I interviewed Jonathan Friedman of PEN America, an expert on book-banning -- a movement sweeping across the nation that is successfully removing critical books off the shelves of schools and public libraries.  Jonathan explains why this disturbing trend is happening now and what parents and education advocates can do to fight it.  Take a listen!

Episode Notes

NYC Public School Parent blog on Horrible McGraw Hill contract  and Daily News on its temporary withdrawal

Panel for Educational Policy meetings on proposed charter school co-locations, scheduled for Dec. 21,  Jan. 5 and Jan. 25.

Gary Rubinstein on Success Academy student attrition

Pen America reports on book-banning and how to subscribe to their newsletter on the subject 

NY Times on A Fast-Growing Network of Conservative Groups Is Fueling a Surge in Book Bans

Judd Legum on efforts to ban 3600 books from schools 

 

Talk out of School: Top education stories of 2021, De Blasio record, what we might expect from Mayor Adams, and school safety during the Omicron Surge

Check out our latest Talk out of School podcast:  Daniel Alicea and I recap the top education stories of 2021, discuss the De Blasio record, what we might expect of Mayor Eric Adams, and whether current school safety protocols are strong enough during the Omicron surge.  Please leave your comments below! 

Episode Notes

Gotham Gazette, The Sizeable Downside of de Blasio’s education record

NY1, At many schools, the DOE is testing fever kids for Covid than you might think

NYC Public School Parents, Deceptive messaging and multiple gaps in the level of protection from Covid that the DOE is providing students -- but why?

NYC Public School Parents , Update on Omicron and what's happening in schools in NYC and elsewhere to limit transmission

NYC Public School Parents, The city's claim of low in-school transmission is unreliable at best

Reddit , I Am a New York City Public High School Student. The Situation is Beyond Control.

New Yorker, Who Gets the Blame When Schools Shut Down

Gothamist, NYC Schools Bought Weaker Air Purifiers. Now Underventilated Campuses Are More Prone To COVID Cases

Nature: Real-world data show that filters clean COVID-causing virus from air

Talk out of School: Our most listened to podcasts in 2021

One of the best things that happened to me in 2021 was finding a collaborator who share hosting responsibilities on Talk out of School, my WBAI radio show and podcast.  Daniel Alicea is a special education teacher and the founder of the organization Educators of NYC.  

Below are the episodes most listened this year, half of them hosted by Daniel.  But there are many more that are worth hearing on the podcast website.  Please subscribe!  And if you enjoy our show, please also contribute to WBAI, the only purely listener-supported radio station in NYC that doesn't accept any advertising.

September 4, 2021   Council Member Mark Levine on his concerns with the health and safety protocols in the NYC school reopening plan 

August 28, 2021: Keeping our Children and Schools Safe: Discussing School Reopening with Tajh Sutton and Dr. Kaliris Salas-Ramirez

July 17, 2021: Inside UFT Politics and History (Part 1) : How the Nation’s Most Powerful Teachers Union Impacted NYC Public Schools

July 10, 2021: The Creation, Implementation, and Failure of Common Core Standards with Tom Loveless

Talk out of School with Beth Ellor & Brad Lander: REC centers, safe reopening of schools, and need for child care & wraparound services next year

In today's podcast of Talk out of School, I spoke to Beth Ellor, a former Kindergarten teacher and preschool director, who described what it’s like working at the REC centers, which opened up to serve the NYC children of essential workers when schools were shut down in mid-March, including the various health and safety protocols they have followed. She discussed how the conditions in the REC centers relates to the safeguards that schools must use if and when they reopen in the fall.

I briefly summarized recent guidance from Gov. Cuomo, the NY State Department of Health and the Board of Regents for the reopening of schools, and explained how if NYC schools do reopen, to ensure social distancing most students will only be able to attend school in person 1-3 days a week, depending on how overcrowded their particular school is.

Council Member Brad Lander then joined us, to explain how the city needs to provide child care and wrap around services for young students on days when they are not attending school.  We discussed where the funding will come from and the need for more federal and state aid.

Resources and links:

Governor Cuomo’s announcement of the metrics that will determine whether schools can be reopened in NY state in the fall.

Guidelines from  the state Department of Health and the Board of Regents.

Class Size Matters and NYC Kids PAC proposals for the safe reopening of schools; letter to the Board of Regents and Summary of ideas from our June 20 conference.

How the need for social distancing brings in sharper focus the inequities of class size across the city.

Council Member Brad Lander’s oped and draft childcare plan.

Information on the increase in wealth among NY state billionaires during the pandemic.

NY Legislature bills that would raise revenue to support our schools during the pandemic and help pay for child care and wrap around services, by increasing taxes on the ultra-wealthy.

Today's "Talk out of School" - removing School Safety Agents from police control, saving youth jobs and ending admission screens

Today on "Talk out of School," I spoke to Matt Bromme, former NYC principal and Superintendent of District 27 in Queens and former HS student Cat Oteng of the YA-YA Network about the need to remove School Safety Agents from the NYPD control, and add school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other ways to defuse tension at schools.

Then we spoke to Alex Rodriguez of Teens Take Charge on the campaigns to restore the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and end school admission screens.

For more information on ending the school to prison pipeline, check out this letter signed by hundreds of NYC school leaders urging the Mayor to transfer School Safety Agents to the supervision of principals rather than the NYPD, and the websites of the YA-YA Network and Dignity in Schools campaign.  See also Matt Bromme's blog post on this issue, from the perspective of a former principal and Superintendent.

To find out about the campaign of Teens Take Charge to end school admission screens, check out their website; see also their proposals about how the SYEP could be reconfigured to meet the needs of youth and the community at this time.

Interview with Diane Ravitch and Talk out of School is now a podcast!

Today on WBAI, I interviewed Diane Ravitch on Talk out of School.  We discussed her new book, Battling Goliath, to be released in January, about the resistance to privatization, about Mayoral control, and what to pay attention to during Saturday’s education forum of the Presidential candidates on MSNBC.

You can hear our conversation here.   Earlier Talk out of School shows can be downloaded here.

You can also subscribe to the podcast via Apple or Spotify or Google.

Today's "Talk out of School" on the toxic levels of testing and lead in NYC schools

On today’s Talk Out of School on WBAI radio, we spoke with NYC Council Member and Chair of the Education Committee Mark Treyger, about yesterday's oversight hearing on “Breaking the test culture” in our NYC schools, the highlights of which I described on the blog. 

We discussed the success of the the 38 schools that belong to the NY Performance Standards Consortium, that use projects and performance-based assessments instead of  Regents exams that most NYC high school students are required to pass to graduate. The Council Member referred to these schools to as the “best kept secret in our education system”. Meanwhile, the overemphasis on standardized testing in our public schools encourages rote learning and memoritzation rather than develop deep knowledge and critical thinking. We also talked about DOE’s proposal to implement yet another set of standardized tests in our schools and create yet another data system called Edustat.  I followed up by asked him what the powers of the Council were to prevent the implementation of these likely damaging and/or wasteful programs might be given mayoral control.

Christopher Werth

In the second half of the show we were joined by Christoper Werth, senior editor at WNYC’s narrative unit, who explained thow his visit to his young daughter’s elementary classroom led to a groundbreaking investigation of lead contamination, followed by a new round of testing by DOE.  

We also discussed how the risks posed by lead in school water compare to lead in peeling paint and dust, and described how the model bill proposed by NRDC would mandate filtration systems on all drinking water outlets in schools and lower the action level requiring remediation. The possible correlation between the phasing out of lead paint and the national  drop in crime rates was another topic we touched on in our discussion. 

Click here to download or livestream the full episode. More information on these issues are linked to below.

• NYC Public School Parents on NYC Council hearings on Breaking the school testing culture.
• Christopher Werth's reporting on crumbling lead paint in schools
• NYC Public School Parents on high levels of lead in water still found in schools in third round of DOE testing.
• DOE inspection results for peeling lead paint in classrooms
• DOE inspection results for lead found in school water  
• NRDC FAQ for parents on lead in school water: what should you do?
• NRDC Model State Legislation: “Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act” Summary of Provisions

 

Talk of out School - join us next Wed. on WBAI at 10 AM with Wendy Lecker and Senator John Liu

Next week on Wednesday Sept 18 at 10 AM, I will have two guests, "Talk out of School": attorney Wendy Lecker of the Education Law Center, who will bring us up to date on the class size lawsuit of on nine NYC parents vs the state and city of New York for their failure to lower class size.

My other guest will be  Senator John Liu, chair of the NYC Education Committee in the State Senate, who will tell us what new laws, funding levels and other developments we may expect in the coming legislative session that affect our public schools. I always find what goes on in Albany to be very mysterious - hopefully straight-talking Senator Liu, who was formerly a City Council member and NYC Comptroller, will help us undo some of that mystery.  Please listen in at 99.5 FM or at wbai.org and call in at 212-209-2877.

Also, if you haven't yet, please check out our first show from last Wednesday, co-hosted with Carol Burris.  We focused on the diversity and integration proposals of the School Diversity Advisory Group, with guests Shino Tanikawa of the SDAG, and Alex Rodriguez and Tiffani Torres of Teens Take Charge.  You can livestream or download the program here.

Shino and co-host Carol Burris at the WBAI studio - check out the words on the wall we aren't allowed to say on radio.