Today we had another EL Thursday (as described last week here) and I was assigned eight students to take to a policy forum run by the Center for New York City Affairs. The focus of the forum was on a new report released concerning the connection of poverty and its associated risk-factors on attendance and therefore achievement in New York City schools. The report outlines specific recommendations that would help combat these factors and improve schools for all. While I had not known about the report or the meeting I was excited to attend as this topic is close to my heart.
My coworker Christine had orchestrated everything but I was the only chaperone to attend so I connected with Kim Nauer, the Education Project Director, so that she would engage our students after the forum.
My coworker Christine had orchestrated everything but I was the only chaperone to attend so I connected with Kim Nauer, the Education Project Director, so that she would engage our students after the forum.
Run as a panel discussion with a keynote address from Deputy Mayor Buerry, it was truly interesting and somewhat inspiring to hear what the panelists had to say regarding the recommendations. Of course everyone agreed that poverty was linked to attendance issues but not everyone agreed on the potential solutions therein. The report demonstrated some fascinating issues including the specific risk factors that are associated with these issues as well as a calendar of a year with connection to attendance in low- and high-income neighborhoods.
It was truly engaging and our students were visibly excited when reading through the report later on. They were supposed to analyze the conversation they heard and connect it to the information they had been studying. Upon return to school I had some of the most high level conversations of education policy in my recent history. I look forward to more of this work in the future!
It was truly engaging and our students were visibly excited when reading through the report later on. They were supposed to analyze the conversation they heard and connect it to the information they had been studying. Upon return to school I had some of the most high level conversations of education policy in my recent history. I look forward to more of this work in the future!
RSS Feed
