24 • March 17, 2022 - March 23, 2022
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Education
Chancellor Banks addresses confusion over admissions policy beyond, we will continue to collaborate with our families on strategies to streamline our policies and expand high-quality learning opportunities for every child.” Some of the changes Banks wants for the 2022-’23 school year include: simplifying and streamlining all enrollment and admissions processes, from 3-K to Gifted and Talented and to high school; increasing opportunities for students in all zip codes to eliminate roadblocks to success; adjusting the learning process recognizing that onesize-doesn’t-fit-all for students and building trust with the community. This, said Banks, should take the burden off families who are conNew York City Schools Chancellor David Banks fused about the application prohopes to implement his agenda in 2022-’23 cess. It’s part of his four-pillar (Photo Courtesy of SCHOOLS.NYC.GOV) system, which he unveiled earlier this month, that would establish a By STEPHON JOHNSON ‘new normal’ in the public school system. Amsterdam News Staff During a news conference with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Schools Chancel- the mayor recited something that he lor David Banks wants to clear a few hears Banks say regularly. things up for students and parents. “It’s not about dismantling something “I’ve heard from families across the city because you did not create it,” Adams said over the past two months, and the con- during the announcement for the Summer sensus is clear: we must reform our en- Rising program for K-8 (designed to rollment and admissions policies and provide internships and jobs for city expand access to quality schools,” said kids whether it’s through Community the chancellor. “The decades-long status Based Organizations or the Summer Youth quo of dread and stress around this pro- Employment Program). “It’s about taking cess ends under this administration. what’s worked and building on it.” “As we look ahead to next year and Some parent organizations believe that
Banks’ goals have aligned with the city and Albany and it seems to be working for now. On Monday, Jasmine Gripper, the executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, approved of the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly’s 2022-’23 budget proposals including the potential expansion of eligibility for free and affordable childcare. Something that could get Banks’ plan rolling from jump. “Both the Senate and Assembly proposals also show their strong commitment to New York’s public schools and students,” said Gripper in a statement. “In addition to committing to the second year of the phase-in of the Foundation Aid formula, expansions to pre-K, community schools, and student mental health supports, among other investments, would help alleviate some of the most pressing needs and inequities facing our public schools.” This year is the same as last with the Bill de Blasio carryover that allows all kids with an average of 85 or higher to be considered for a spot in one of the city’s more competitive schools. It’s an issue that’s stuck in the craw of the previous administration along with former Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza. The decade-long fight for admissions into specialized high schools has pitted the city’s Asian-American community against the Black and Brown community with the former stating that “lowering standards” and not counting the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) would leave many of their students out in the cold.
Black and Brown students make up more than 65% of public-school students, but 20% of specialized high school students. According to InsideSchools.org, 71% of Stuyvesant High School students are Asian. Five percent of the school’s students are Black and Brown. Banks’ process sounds like the results of the 2019 School Advisory Group put together by the previous mayor. The group that included mayor-appointed parents, students, academics and advocates, recommended eliminating gifted and talented programs and replacing them with non-selective magnet schools. Banks’ summed it up when he commented on New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ desire to keep schools under mayoral control. When commenting on the fear of mayoral accountability being left out of the budget, the schools chancellor said, “The amount of inter-agency coordination to make this happen is only made possible because of mayoral accountability, which has been the case for our pandemic response as well. Mayoral accountability is the foundation of our school system and I’m disappointed that politics are disrupting the security, certainty, and responsible inter-agency planning that our families deserve now more than ever.” Adams added, “The bottom line is that we should be proactively supporting our children by giving them the certainty they need as soon as possible— particularly after the trauma they’ve experienced over the past two years.”
Global G.L.O.W. and The Bronx Academy of Letters helping Black girls be seen By M’NIYAH LYNN Special to the AmNews The risks impacting girls don’t receive enough attention from society, such as policy makers and researchers, according to a study by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies. The Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters offers middle and high school girls the opportunity to get support and mentorship through G.L.O.W. Club, the school’s after school program in partnership with Global Girls Leading Our World (G.L.O.W.). The club, which is both girl-informed and girl-led, helps turn girls from students to advocates for themselves and their communities. The Bronx Academy of Letters’ G.L.O.W. Club uses curriculum to educate girls of color about their history and factors that could be affecting them on a day to day basis. During Black History Month, the girls learned Empathy Across America, a curriculum that al-
lowed girls to explore their shared history. “Essentially, we brought those tough conversations up and built empathy and solidarity at the same time,” Global G.L.O.W.’s Program Manager Binta Freeman said. She designs the curriculum. Through the program, girls at The Bronx Academy of Letters, ages 11 to 18, also cover mental health strategies, self-discovery and community service, to name a few points. “One of the things that we do focus on is community engagement and making sure that we make the Bronx better, not worse,” Frances Herrera, teacher and overseer of the program, said. To turn girls into advocates, Herrera said she tries to present the girls with impactful opportunities. She introduces the girls to role models, such as businesswomen that have their own establishments and involves them in efforts to volunteer. “We introduced the idea of advocacy by starting with the self. Understanding yourself, increasing self-awareness and know-
ing your boundaries helps you navigate yourself and voice if those boundaries are crossed. This will naturally trickle down into the community,” Freeman said. Girls of color face and confront risks like their male counterparts. According to Black Girls Matter by Kimberlé Crenshaw, “despite evidence that they, too, face barriers that undermine their overall well-being, Black girls seemingly remain invisible within the White House’s signature gender- and race-targeted initiatives.” Also, not only may girls of color experience some of the same challenges that affect the life chances of boys of color, but they face unique challenges, “Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced, and Underprotected,” the study released by the AAPF and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies, said. “For example, when it comes to disciplinary measures such as suspension and expulsion, Black girls face a higher level of racial disparity than their male counterparts,” Crenshaw said the study revealed.
Girls are G.L.O.W.’s target audience. Boys are welcomed to participate, when applicable, for advocacy days. However, Freeman said women and girls are marginalized in different ways, so it’s important to G.L.O.W. that girls have a safe space to learn and share in their program. Herrera grew up in Harlem. She said she can identify with and relate to the students she’s connecting with. As a native New Yorker, Freeman can identify with the students too. “Growing up in Harlem it wasn’t easy. I remember a lot of violence and drugs. I remember a lot of things that weren’t the best, so when I went into teaching, I wanted to make sure that regardless of teaching in an urban area, there would be support,” Herrera said. Global G.L.O.W. is an international nonprofit that was founded in 2012. It currently operates in about 27 countries. The organization creates and operates programs to mentor girls. G.L.O.W. received special consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) in 2020.
