Mayor Bill de Blasio this week announced that the city would invest $150 million to transform nearly 100 failing public schools. Photo courtesy of Rob Bennett/Mayoral Photography Office
In a move that seems to further establish an educational policy philosophy that is in sharp contrast to that of the 108th mayor of the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday unveiled the School Renewal Program, a new strategy aimed at turning around the Big Apple’s most challenged public schools.
Unlike his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, who sought to cut the city’s losses by phasing out or shuttering failing institutions, de Blasio said the SRP will invest $150 million into changing the direction of and accelerating progress in 94 struggling schools, 12 of which are in Queens. The plan would build each school’s education capacity across the elements of the Schools Chancellor’s Capacity Framework: rigorous instruction, supportive environment, collaborative teachers, effective school leadership, strong family-community ties, and trust.
“We believe in strong public schools for every child. Getting there means moving beyond the old playbook and investing the time, energy and resources to partner with communities and turn struggling schools around,” de Blasio said. “We’re going to lift up students at nearly one hundred of our most challenged schools. We’ll give them the tools, the leadership, and the support they need to succeed—and we’ll hold them accountable for delivering higher achievement.”
According to de Blasio, each Renewal School will transform into a Community School, “knitting together new services that support children’s families, as well as their mental health and physical well-being.” And each Renewal School will provide an extra hour every day of extended instruction and could offer additional after-school, weekend and summer learning opportunities, as needed. Additionally, each will receive more resources for academic intervention and professional development to create a better learning environment for students.
The Department of Education will develop tailored implementation plans, closely track every school’s progress, and hold schools accountable to meeting strict goals over the next three years. Schools that do not meet targets for each academic year, de Blasio indicated, would face a leadership and faculty change, as needed, and possible reorganization.
Possible modes of reorganization include combining schools, splitting large schools into smaller academies, or closing and replacing schools. But, de Blasio said, school reorganization will only occur when necessary to best meet the needs of students and the school community.
“With the right leadership, rigorous instruction, community partnerships, family engagement, and ongoing support, every school can be great,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina. “We will ensure our school communities are anchored in trust, and with the cooperation of all major stakeholders, we will support our schools—our students deserve no less, and I’m determined to get this right.”
The SRP is partially underway at 23 schools, and all 94 schools will develop their school-specific plans by the spring. The schools will be expected to employ the community schools model for the beginning of the 2015–2016 school year.
Additionally, beginning in the 2015–2016 school year, the DOE will consider additional schools for the School Renewal Program based on performance across the six elements of the Schools Chancellor’s Capacity Framework.
By Michael V. Cusenza
