Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks unveil their vision for the future of the city’s public schools with the launch of NYC Solves. | Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
As New York City’s first openly dyslexic mayor, I know what it is like not to have the support I needed in school growing up. The school was often difficult for me. I was scared of being called on by the teacher, and my fellow students made fun of me. I know how important it is that our children have a bright start and the support they need for a bold future.
That is why this administration invests in upstream solutions in our education system, creating conditions that improve outcomes for all our students. We don’t want our children to fall behind because they learn differently; we want them to start ahead. This week, we are taking another big step forward with two major initiatives: a new vision for special education and a new math curriculum, “NYC Solves.”
“NYC Solves” is a major citywide initiative to make mathematics more accessible for all students—no matter where they go to school or what language they speak at home. This new program will revolutionize how algebra is taught in schools and ensure that all our students have foundational math skills and are encouraged to excel in mathematics at every level.
We are also creating the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL), which will be led by Christina Foti, the new Deputy Chancellor for DIAL. This new division will utilize a $750 million budget and 1,300 staff to support multilingual learners and students with disabilities so that every student, regardless of background or ability, can be prepared for a rewarding career and long-term economic security.
External voices will guide DIAL’s work through a new advisory council charged with helping shape support systems for immigrant students and their families so that we can improve educational opportunities and outcomes for every student.
These two new initiatives build on the generational investments we have already made in public education.
In just two years, our administration had implemented a significant initiative, “NYC Reads,” to fundamentally change how students learn to read literacy as the core focus and priority of New York City’s public schools. We have also invested over $600 million to protect critical programs funded with temporary stimulus dollars, including arts funding, teacher recruitment efforts, restorative justice programming, computer science programs, “Civics for All,” school social workers and psychologists, and much more. Our mandated universal dyslexia screening for all students is helping us get students the support they need early on, and we have created the first-ever public school dedicated to supporting students with dyslexia and related learning disabilities.
“We are committed to helping students enter the workforce with programs like FutureReadyNYC, which connects our students to apprenticeships that lead to good-paying careers. This work has resulted in students earning a cumulative $8.2 million from paid work experiences at top companies over the past two years alone.”
We have also offered over 42,000 students a 3-K seat—an increase of 300 percent in the last five years—and are continuing to work to ensure that every child who wants an early childhood education seat will have access to one. Through major construction and modernization projects, we have added 57 Gifted and Talented programs citywide and over 26,000 classroom seats. I am also pleased to report that nine new schools will open in the coming school year, including a new high school focused on health care.
Because we know that learning doesn’t only take place in the classroom and during the school year, we have expanded popular programs like Summer Rising to bring 110,000 students to summer programming. We are committed to helping students enter the workforce with programs like FutureReadyNYC, which connects our students to apprenticeships that lead to good-paying careers. This work has resulted in students earning a cumulative $8.2 million from paid work experiences at top companies over the past two years alone.
Our New York City Public Schools chancellor, David Banks, and I are both graduates of the New York City school system, and we are committed to continuing our city’s legacy of excellence in public education. We will not allow another Eric to sit in the classroom, hoping not to be called on. We ensure every student has access to the support and resources they need. We are lifting our young people, putting them on a pathway to a bright future, and ensuring that our education system remains unmatched anywhere in this nation.
