{"id":590,"date":"2013-01-15T04:51:51","date_gmt":"2013-01-15T04:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/labs.council.nyc\/press\/?p=590"},"modified":"2016-12-12T04:52:53","modified_gmt":"2016-12-12T04:52:53","slug":"speaker-quinn-outlines-bold-vision-for-building-21st-century-school-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/2013\/01\/15\/590\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaker Quinn Outlines Bold Vision For Building 21st Century School System"},"content":{"rendered":"

Read the speech<\/a><\/p>\n

Quinn: \u201cIf we want to keep NYC a place of opportunity for middle class families, and if we want to make it a place where people can realize the American Dream, moving their family into the middle class, we need a public education system that prepares every student for the jobs of the 21st century\u201d<\/p>\n

New York, NY – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn today presented a series of proposals for improving New York City\u2019s schools. The Speaker\u2019s proposals were part of a bold four-point strategy that will seek to build on positive changes in public education while fixing what isn\u2019t currently working in schools. She announced plans to implement a number of forward-thinking policies and ideas, including:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Establishing the nation\u2019s most intensive literacy support program
\n\u2022 Appointing a Deputy Mayor for Education and Children
\n\u2022 Creating a mentor teacher program
\n\u2022 Extending the school day
\n\u2022 Launching a new online resource to support and educate parents
\n\u2022 Replacing textbooks with tablets
\n\u2022 Eliminating field testing
\n\u2022 Taking the best practices of successful schools and implementing them system wide<\/p>\n

Speaker Quinn\u2019s proposals were presented in a speech delivered at the New School, hosted by Clara Hemphill, the founder of Insideschools.org and editor for the Center for New York City Affairs.<\/p>\n

Best Practices, Better Schools
\nRecognizing that New York City has a great number of successful schools, Speaker Quinn proposed seeking new ways of using their success to improve other schools citywide. Under the Speaker\u2019s proposal, a Systemwide Success Study will identify successful practices from the city\u2019s best-performing schools. The city will then work with schools, students, families, and communities to implement them in schools that need extra support.<\/p>\n

Red Alert System for Struggling Schools
\nSpeaker Quinn also proposed taking action to help struggling schools well before they fail. The Speaker presented a new \u201cred alert\u201d system in which schools in danger of failing are identified years before they\u2019re slated to close and are provided the help and support they need in order to improve.<\/p>\n

Mentor Teacher Program
\nIn order to help ensure the city\u2019s classrooms are staffed by the best teachers possible, the Speaker proposed the creation of a new program that will allow some of the city\u2019s best educators to leave the classroom for two years and serve as mentors to help train, guide and teach the newest teachers in the city.<\/p>\n

Parents Matter
\nSpeaker Quinn\u2019s speech outlined steps the city can take to recognize parents as true partners in their children\u2019s education. By providing parents with additional tools and by engaging them in important ways, the system will be one where learning continues in every home and students have significantly more support.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents are the single most important factor in a child\u2019s development. Yet too often we treat them as an afterthought. Three decades of research has shown that engaging families leads to better attendance, higher grades and test scores, and improved behavior,\u201d said Speaker Quinn<\/p>\n

CompStat for Parent 311
\nTracking data on the amount of time it takes for a family\u2019s concerns to be resolved will provide transparency to an important system and let parents know their concerns are being heard and problems are being solved. Making this information public will provide even further accountability.<\/p>\n

Parent University
\nA new online resource will provide concise, informative video courses on everything from developing school-readiness skills, to making the transition to middle school, to helping children get organized. Additionally, the Speaker announced an expansion of the College Readiness Initiative, which helps parents know what their children need to prepare for college and careers and keep them on track for success.<\/p>\n

School Matching
\nSpeaker Quinn announced a partnership with InsideSchools that will create a new online tool that will greatly simplify the school choice process by matching students with the best schools for their individual needs. Parents will simply enter basic information about their child\u2019s academic history and what they\u2019re looking for in a school, and will be provided with a list of schools that may be a good fit.<\/p>\n

Learning 24\/7
\nRecognizing the positive effects of extended learning time, Speaker Quinn presented her vision to increase the number of hours students spend in a structured education program, and use creative scheduling to make the best use out of all the hours in the school day.<\/p>\n

Extended Learning Time
\nSpeaker Quinn proposed extending learning time until 6pm, five days a week for the children in the 100 schools with the highest percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch.<\/p>\n

Community Schools
\nThe Community Schools model of education provides a more comprehensive approach to the educational system, and has achieved great success in other cities. By expanding this model in a coordinated, citywide effort, hundreds of service providers will reach countless more children in dozens of city neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Deputy Mayor for Education and Children
\nThe Speaker proposed a new office of the Deputy Mayor for Education and Children. This office would oversee all agencies that work directly with children and better coordinate important services.<\/p>\n

Innovate to Educate
\nIn order to truly prepare students for college and careers in the 21st century, Speaker Quinn noted, the City must create an innovative curriculum that goes beyond basic core classes. This requires re-examining the metrics of success and seeking new innovations in teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo prepare students for college and careers, we need an innovative curriculum that focuses on the needs of individual students. We need to start with the fundamentals, but we also need to recognize that the middle class jobs of the 21st century require more than just Math and English Language proficiency,\u201d said Speaker Quinn. <\/p>\n

Reduce the Emphasis on Testing
\nWith a system that is so reliant on testing, students do not have time to learn all the skills they need to succeed in college and beyond. The Speaker called for the expanded use of portfolio assessments as an alternative to standardized testing. Additionally, she called for the immediate elimination of field testing.<\/p>\n

Computer Science
\nThe Speaker called for including computer science in the new Common Core Standards and for computer science classes to be offered at all New York City public high schools. <\/p>\n

Literacy Support
\nThe Speaker also proposed the creation of the most intensive literacy support program in the country that focuses on starting strong through an integrated pre-k through 3rd grade approach, incorporating literacy instruction in all subject areas, and providing extra support for those students that need it.<\/p>\n

Replace Textbooks with Tablets
\nSpeaker Quinn proposed moving to a system of online textbooks by providing every student in New York City with a tablet. This will allow for teachers to incorporate videos and interactive multimedia assignments that better engage students, as well as provide a new way for teachers to share cutting edge teaching materials with their colleagues. This can be done for the same cost that is currently being spent on textbooks each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking together we\u2019ll build an education system where having choice doesn\u2019t mean competing for scarce resources, where having autonomy doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re on your own, a system where our leaders have the authority to make bold decisions \u2013 and families have a voice in their child\u2019s education,\u201d said Speaker Quinn.<\/p>\n

The proposals outlined are estimated to cost less than $300 million. Speaker Quinn said these initiatives can be funded by making better use of existing resources, like the $1.2 billion the Department of Education spends each year on contracts and consultants.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read the speech<\/a><\/p>\n

Quinn: \u201cIf we want to keep NYC a place of opportunity for middle class families, and if we want to make it a place where people can realize the American Dream, moving their family into the middle class, we need a public education system that prepares every student for the jobs of the 21st century\u201d<\/p>\n

New York, NY –<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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