By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks on Monday unveiled their vision for the future of the City’s public schools with the launch of “NYC Solves,” a major citywide initiative to raise math achievement so all students graduate with strong math skills.
Through NYC Solves, Adams said, schools will take a collaborative problem-solving approach that encourages students to explore multiple strategies and make connections between current and past solutions, fostering deeper understanding and independence in learning to fight a persistent problem: fear of math. This fall, 93 middle schools in eight districts and 420 high schools across the city will use the Illustrative Math curriculum, supported by intensive teacher coaching.
The Adams administration on Monday also announced the creation of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL). Long-time Chief of Special Education Christina Foti will be elevated to deputy chancellor to lead this new division. Under her leadership, this new division will focus on supporting multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Reflecting Mayor Adams’ commitment to serving all students and families, this new division will build holistic educational experiences for every student — no matter their background or ability — that equip them to graduate on a pathway to a rewarding career and long-term economic security.
NYC Solves
Building off the work that began with NYC Reads, NYC Solves aims to address inequities using evidence-based curriculum combined with intensive educator coaching. Historically, student performance in higher grade math has been stagnant, especially for Black and Brown students. Statewide, only 47.8 percent of middle school students meet proficiency standards on state math exams, with a 37-point gap between white and Black students, and a 34-point gap between white and Latino students in New York City. Despite this, last year under the Adams administration, math proficiency rates increased by 12 percentage points and today’s announcement builds on this unprecedented increase in math achievement by focusing next year on middle school math while extending the city’s work on 9th grade algebra. Later phases will extend to the remaining high school grades, as well as elementary and a District 75 schools.
Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning
This first-of-its-kind divisional structure will offer a bold vision that furthers the Adams administration’s commitment to ensuring that multilingual learners and students with disabilities — who have been underserved for decades — finally get consistent, top-quality instruction with the support they need to excel. Under Deputy Chancellor Foti’s leadership, DIAL’s over $750 million budget and approximately 1,300 staff members will advance work, programs, and opportunities to support these students. DIAL will expand inclusive programs, such as bilingual programs and programs for students with autism; streamline the process for getting specialized services to students; and build skills of all of the city’s public school educators to bring improved curriculum and instruction to this population of students. Effective programs like, Autism Nest, Horizon, and Path — which boast a 95 percent graduation rate for participants — will continue under these offices. DIAL will also be instrumental in supporting NYC Reads and NYC Solves by working alongside the Division of School Leadership to ensure all teachers develop the skills needed to support the diverse needs of all learners. Efforts will remain under two separate workstreams as the Office of Special Education, under interim Chief Suzanne Sanchez, and the Office of Multilingual Learners, under Chief Mirza Sánchez-Medina. As part of this new divisional work, the Office of Multilingual Learners will launch a new advisory council to support the design of a long-term vision for immigrant students and their families, generate recommendations for improving educational opportunities and outcomes for multilingual learners, and build awareness of the programs and resources available to this population of students.
“New York City has never had a mayor and a chancellor who know what it is like to come up through our city’s modern school system, but our efforts are already changing our public schools for the better, and today, we’re taking our efforts even further with investments in our young people for years to come,” Adams said. “Our new Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning will focus on supporting multilingual learners, and students with disabilities so every student can excel academically, be prepared for a rewarding career, and economic security — no matter their background or needs. And ‘NYC Solves’ will transform how we are teaching math in New York City and continue our track record of improving math scores by double digits. As someone who suffers from dyslexia, I can empathize with any student who struggles with school. But the equation we’re announcing today is simple: when you take good policy and multiply it by hard work, the net result will always be positive. Over the past two years, we have built a long record of accomplishments, but we are only just beginning to create a brighter future for our students and families.”
The Adams administration on Monday also celebrated two years of core education accomplishments with key successes, including:
- Implemented major literacy initiative through NYC Reads, which has adopted curriculum based in the science of reading to half of the city’s elementary schools and 90 percent of early childhood programs.
- Instituted nation-leading dyslexia support through mandating dyslexia screening for all students and opened first-ever public school dedicated to supporting students with dyslexia and other print-based learning disabilities.
- Expanded accelerated learning opportunities for more students by adding 57 Gifted and Talented programs and increasing the number of students participating by 2,400 for a total of 16,500 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade
- Announced the opening of nine new schools for the 2024-2025 school year alone, and added over 26,000 classroom seats through major construction and modernization projects — a record number.
- Helped 8,662 students secure a total of 23,000 job placements, resulting in students earning a cumulative $8.2 million from paid work experiences at top companies through FutureReadyNYC.
- Cemented new labor contracts that keep the city’s public schools competitive for talent nationwide, helping to increase the teacher retention rate to 95 percent.
- Invested over $600 million in new funding to protect critical programs that were funded with temporary stimulus dollars.
- Increased early childhood enrollment with over 114,000 children enrolled this year, stabilized the system by reducing the payment timeline to vendors from approximately 60 to 90 days to an average of 12 days, and strengthened quality with over 90 percent of programs and schools implementing a singular curriculum.
- Won mayoral accountability of schools twice in three years and achieved an increase in enrollment for the first time in eight years, while investing $180 million to implement a comprehensive class size reduction plan.
