Reports | Urban Matters | School Improvement

The Calculus of Race and Class: A New Look at the Achievement Gap in New York City Schools

By Nicole Mader and Ana Carla Sant’anna Costa

Decades of national research have documented the “achievement gap” among students of different racial and ethnic groups as measured by their scores on standardized tests, with White and Asian students generally outperforming their Black and Hispanic peers. Now, a new tool developed by the Integration Project at the Center for New York City Affairs allows parents, educators, and policymakers to see just how large that gap is among students at each of the city’s approximately 900 public elementary schools, both district and charter. It also shows how strongly and how frequently this gap is moderated by the household incomes of students, even within the same schools.

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Urban Matters | School Improvement

Not Just Justice: Creating Intentionally Restorative Schools (2016)

By Jared Roebuck

The subject of school discipline offers fertile territory – and an opportunity to get beyond the reductive charter-vs-district-school conflicts of recent years. Specifically, it’s a chance for some district schools to learn from the charter experience about the importance of purposefully executing a vision for school culture.

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Report | School Improvement, Education

Understanding FAFSA: A How-To Guide for High School Students (And the Adults Who Help Them) (2016)

By Kim Nauer and Sandra Salmans
This guide is designed to help students and families navigate the U.S. Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in their quest to get financial aid for college.

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Report | School Improvement, Education

Baby & Toddler Takeoff:
Tracking NY's Surge in Early Childhood Programs and Policies (2015)

By Kendra Hurley, Abigail Kramer and Bruce Cory with Evan Pellegrino and Gail Robinson
With nearly 15 million new dollars earmarked in the 2016 city budget for the social and emotional health of the youngest New Yorkers, the city's growing interest in what's often called "infant mental health" is undeniable. This report offers the first comprehensive look at New York's key new goals and efforts to protect the well-being of babies and toddlers.  

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Report | School Improvement, Education

Scaling the Community School Strategy in New York City: 
A Systems Building Guide (2014)

By Kassa Belay, Nicole Mader and Laura Miller
A report detailing recommendations that can help sustain the city's new community schools initiative. NYC has long been home to some of the nation's most celebrated community schools but until recently there has been little support for this strategy at the city level. 
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Event | School Improvement, Education

The Low-down on Pre-K from Insideschools (2015)

If your child turns 4 this year, he or she is eligible for free pre-kindergarten, either in a public school or at a site run by a community organization. The de Blasio administration gets an A for effort in its rapid expansion of pre-kindergarten, with more than 30,000 new seats last fall and another 20,000 planned for this coming fall. But what is the quality of these new programs? Even though the city is rapidly expanding free all-day pre-k programs, demand still outstrips supply in many neighborhoods. The staff of Insideschools and a panel of experts will tell you how to find a good program for your child and to navigate the application process.


Report | School Improvement, Education

Big Dreams for NYC's Youngest Children: 
The Future of Early Care and Education (2014)

By Kendra Hurley and Abigail Kramer with Myra Rosenbaum and Alison Miller
In 2012, NYC launched EarlyLearnNYC, a plan that would upend its system for providing subsidized child care to low-income families. The goal was to take the city’s sprawling assortment of child care programs—ranging from subsidized babysitting services to nationally accredited preschools—and blend them into a unified, holistic spectrum of early education services for children from 6 weeks through 4 years old. 

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