York City Public Schools Research Articles

Reconfiguring the Sanctions of Schooled Literacy Through Living Literacies

AbstractIn this article, the author argues that living literacies—relational, embodied forms of literacy engagement—are an integral component of literacy engagement and hold the potential to disrupt and reconfigure the power structures embedded within schooled literacy. Drawing on affect theory and rhizomatic theory, the author analyzes youths’ literacy engagement in a seventh‐grade English Language Arts and Reading classroom in a New York City public school. This research addresses how schooled literacy, constructed through a sanctioned educational system, potentially dehumanizes students who diverge from the idealized curricular norm, while a focus on living literacies challenges these limitations. Central to this study is the rhizomatic approach of tracing and mapping to analyze the complexities between imposed schooled literacy engagement and living literacies engagement. The author presents findings through two sections: (1) an analysis of the sanctioning power of schooled literacy and (2) an analysis of living literacies through youths’ in‐class literate engagement. Findings demonstrate how schooled literacy practices become normalized and sanction what types of literacy engagement are valued in the classroom—and, therefore, transfer value to students themselves. However, by mapping assemblaging moments of living literacies, including socially charged interactions and spontaneous peer assistance, findings provide insight into how embodied, interrelational forms of literacy engagement offer opportunities for reconfiguring the sanctions of schooled literacy. The author concludes by discussing implications for policy, practice, and research, advocating for a shift toward more humanizing, interrelational, and embodied forms of literacy engagement in school spaces.

Exploring teachers’ experiences of a professional learning community

ABSTRACT Our ability to structure professional learning opportunities in ways that teachers value and that support the implementation of the strategies and ideas contained therein are important considerations for improving teachers’ practice. Professional learning opportunities can be structured in many ways, including through the use of professional learning communities. This study explores a professional learning community focused on the teaching of mathematics for social justice in which seven New York City public high school teachers participated. Relying on survey and interview data, the study explores teachers’ beliefs and opinions about the professional development. The study examines those characteristics teachers valued such as working with peers, engaging in the opportunity voluntarily, and working over an extended period of time. Also considered are suggestions for improvement including the need for support through the implementation stage.

Who Really Represents Me? The Case of Afro-Latinx Bureaucratic Representation in New York City Public Schools

Who Really Represents Me? The Case of Afro-Latinx Bureaucratic Representation in New York City Public Schools

Harnessing transnational funds of knowledge through translanguaging pedagogy: Insights from an Asian migrant teacher

ABSTRACT Drawing on the concepts of translanguaging and transnational funds of knowledge, this qualitative study explored the multilingual and mobile life and pedagogical approaches of Ms. Tao, an Asian migrant teacher working in a New York City public school. The findings reveal that Ms. Tao’s vast linguistic, cultural, and migratory experiences have shaped her firm translanguaging stance and strong commitment to translanguaging pedagogy. She employs various bilingual and transnational resources to strategically and deliberately circumvent the school’s strict monolingual policies and foster everyday translanguaging for bilingual students in her classroom. The findings of this study provide valuable implications for teacher preparation, bilingual education, and future research explorations of translanguaging pedagogies among migrant teachers.

The origins and growth of the Meatless Monday movement.

Meatless Monday is a global movement that encourages people to reduce meat in their diets for their own health and the health of the planet. We conducted a comprehensive review of primary and secondary sources and archival material documenting the origins, historical roots, and growth of Meatless Monday and simultaneous developments in public health. Sources for the paper included publications of the US Food Administration and articles and media identified using searches of ProQuest Historical Newspapers, Newspapers.com Academic, ProQuest US Newsstream, ProQuest Canadian Newstream, ProQuest International Newsstream databases, and Google.com. Meatless Monday was conceived by the advertising executive and public health advocate Sid Lerner in 2003, inspired by the meatless days observed during World War I and II. Meatless Monday grew steadily from 2003 to 2023 through advocacy by food writers, talk show hosts, and celebrity chefs, and through participation by schools, cities, restaurants, corporations, and institutions worldwide. School systems began to observe Meatless Monday, such as Baltimore City Public Schools in 2009 and New York City Public Schools in 2019. Meat-Free Monday campaign was launched by Paul McCartney and his daughters in 2009 in the United Kingdom. The Humane Society of the United States became an advocate for Meatless Monday and helped institute it in >200 US school systems. From 2003 to 2023, Meatless Monday spread to over 40 countries and was observed in public schools in countries such as Brazil, Ireland, and Belgium. Findings regarding high meat consumption and its adverse effects on health, high greenhouse gas production and environment degradation, and problems with animal welfare under conditions of industrial food animal production emerged during the same period and influenced many to advocate Meatless Monday. Meatless days of World War I and II were driven by patriotic motivations to provide food for the US troops and the Allies in Europe, whereas motivations for observing Meatless Monday were largely related to concerns regarding personal health, the environment, and animal welfare. Meatless Monday grew from relatively humble origins to a highly recognized worldwide movement with wide appeal as a way to begin reducing meat consumption for personal and planetary health.

The Effects of Grade Retention on High School Outcomes: Evidence from New York City Schools

This study examines the causal impact of grade retention on high school attainment outcomes. We use administrative data on New York City public school students and a regression discontinuity design based on test score cutoffs used to determine retention eligibility. For students scoring at the test score cutoff, grade retention reduces average high school credit accumulation and the likelihood of taking math and English Regents exams. For middle grade students at the test score cutoff, we also find that retention increases dropout and reduces the likelihood of completing Regents exam graduation requirements. We also explore potential mechanisms and find that retention increases placement into special education and makes future retentions of these students less likely.

The Curriculum and Community Environmental Restoration Science (STEM + Computer Science) Project – Attaining a STEM Mindset Through Improved Technological Ability

Increasing students’ confidence in their technological ability has been found to have a broader impact on their content knowledge in several subject areas, but most strikingly, in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). A sample of 513 students in grades 6 through 12 in the New York City public school system were questioned on their perceived technological ability after participating in The Curriculum and Community Environmental Restoration Science (STEM + Computer Science) Project, hereafter referred to as the CCERS STEM + C Project. Also explored was the students’ access to technology to determine if this would be a factor in student self-efficacy in technology ability. Analysis revealed that science self-efficacy and technology ability were both strengthened through participation in the project. Additionally, the study found that working alongside STEM professionals and exposure to STEM careers were also contributing factors. The study aims to determine if increased access to technology would, in turn, increase students’ self-efficacy in their technology knowledge and skills and have a positive effect on their self-confidence in STEM content. The results of the study contribute to the body of research that suggests greater access to technology may be an important factor in students’ self-agency and academic achievement.

Sex Ed in the City: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Students’ Experience

Since January 2012, New York City public schools have been mandated to provide sexual health education in middle and high school as part of comprehensive health education. Nonetheless, anecdotal reports from students suggest that their sex education was inadequate. Twenty-seven students in a large community college in New York City participated in individual structured interviews about their experience of sex education in the city’s public schools. Various students recalled the degree of comfort that many of their teachers had in teaching sexuality education, and several students found the course helpful. But some students found that while their courses covered the required material, it was often superficial and ineffective, and did not support their developing healthy, loving relationships. Confirming findings from previous research, many students felt their instruction was ‘too little, too late.’ Among the 24 high schools represented by study participants, it is clear that there is great variability in course content and delivery, and instructors may need more training, supervision, and support to effectively comply with the mandate for comprehensive sexuality education.

How does the use of evidence in policy narratives change during crises? A comparative study of New York City's pandemic school shutdowns

AbstractNarratives play an essential role in fast‐paced policy making that occurs during crises. The COVID‐19 pandemic brought numerous disruptions of normality, including school closures, which were intensely debated in narratives by many policy actors. Two shutdowns of New York City's public school system affected over 1.1 million students. This article investigates how scientific evidence was used in the narratives surrounding the school shutdowns in NYC by analyzing around 160 policy narratives with the Narrative Policy Framework. We ask whether and how the growing certainty of evidence on the new Coronavirus was reflected in the policy narratives in the second compared to the first shutdown. While there is increased use of scientific evidence in the second shutdown stage, this does not reflect an increased evidence base: The evolving use of evidence in policy narratives is mainly reflected in its strategic uses to support a certain policy solution within a blame‐avoidance strategy.

The Alignment of P–3 Math Instruction

Preschool through third grade (P–3) alignment is regularly named as a key aspect of early childhood education and the transition to formal schooling. However, little is known about P–3 alignment in practice. Using data from 265 observations of math instruction in preschool, kindergarten, first-, and third-grade classrooms in New York City public schools, we explore P–3 instructional alignment as it would be experienced sequentially, over time and across grades, by students. We examine the continuity of developmentally appropriate instructional environments and high-quality pedagogical practices, as well as the progression of P–3 mathematics content coverage. We find notable discontinuities in instructional environments and some pedagogical practices, particularly across preschool and kindergarten. We also find both progression and repetition in math content coverage. Results suggest that, on some dimensions, kindergarten may be poorly aligned with both preschool and the early elementary grades.

Differential Prediction for Disadvantaged Students and Schools: The Role of High School Characteristics

Validity studies of college admissions tests have found that, on average, students who are Black or Hispanic earn lower freshman grade-point averages (FGPAs) than predicted by these test scores. This differential prediction is used as a measure of bias. These studies, however, conflate student and school characteristics. The differential prediction affecting minoritized groups may arise in part because they attended high schools in which college enrollees, regardless of race, perform worse than predicted. Using data on students who graduated from New York City public high schools in 2011 and enrolled in the City University of New York, we examined this using college admissions and high school test scores. There was no differential prediction based on race/ethnicity among students within high schools when school characteristics were accounted for. Instead, overprediction of FGPA was associated with the school proportion of enrolled Black and Hispanic students. Overprediction was larger in models with high school test scores.

Gentrification and childhood obesity: Evidence from New York City public school students in public housing.

The study objective was to determine the effect of gentrification on the weight outcomes of New York City public school students living in public housing. In a prospective cohort of 19,022 New York City public school students in public housing followed during 2009-2017, weight outcomes of students living in public housing buildings in gentrified neighborhoods were compared to those living in consistently low-socioeconomic-status neighborhoods; assignment was quasi-random in each borough. Among the 42,182 student-year observations, gentrification did not increase weight outcomes significantly, for BMI z scores (0.037; 95% CI: -0.012 to 0.086), obesity (0.6 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI: -0.9 to 2.1), or overweight (1.3 pp; 95% CI: -0.7 to 3.2). However, heterogeneous effects by borough were found, where the gentrification in Manhattan increased students' BMI z scoresby 0.19 (95% CI: 0.09-0.29), obesity by 3.4 pp (95% CI: 0.03-6.5), and overweight by 9.2 pp (95% CI: 6.3-12.1). No heterogeneity by race and ethnicity, gender, or age was found. With strong internal validity, this study shows that neighborhood gentrification differentially influenced children's health through obesity, based on borough of residence. Such findings could inform policies or interventions focused on subpopulations and geographies.

The longitudinal association between asthma severity and physical fitness by neighborhood factors among New York City public school youth

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the association between asthma severity and one-year lagged fitness in New York City Public school youth by neighborhood opportunity. MethodsUsing the Child Opportunity Index 2.0 and individual-level repeated measures NYC Office of School Health (OSH) fitness surveillance data (2010–2018), we ran multilevel mixed models stratified by neighborhood opportunity, adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, grade level, poverty status, and time. Asthma severity was based on a physician-completed Asthma Medication Administration Form (MAF) from each school year and drawn from the Automated Student Health Record (ASHR). ResultsAcross all youth in grades 4–12 (n = 939,598; 51.7 % male; 29.9 % non-Hispanic Black, 39.3 % Hispanic; 70.0 % high poverty), lower neighborhood opportunity was associated with lower subsequent fitness. Youth with severe asthma and very low and low neighborhood opportunity had the lowest 1-year lagged fitness z-scores − 0.24 (95 % CI, −0.34 to −0.14) and − 0.26 (95 % CI, −0.32 to −0.20), respectively, relative to youth with no asthma and very high opportunity. ConclusionsAn inverse longitudinal relationship between asthma severity and subsequent fitness was observed. Study findings have implications for public health practitioners to promote physical activity and improved health equity for youth with asthma, taking neighborhood factors into account.

Associations Between Neighborhood Opportunity and Indicators of Physical Fitness for New York City Public School Youth.

Background: Fewer than 1/4th of US children and adolescents meet physical activity (PA) guidelines, leading to health disparities that track into adulthood. Neighborhood opportunity may serve as a critical modifiable factor to improve fitness attainment and reduce these disparities. We drew data from the Child Opportunity Index to examine associations between neighborhood indicators of opportunity for PA and multiple fitness indicators among New York City public school youth. Methods: Multilevel generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate the overall and sex-stratified associations between neighborhood indicators (green space, healthy food, walkability, commute time) and indicators for physical fitness [curl-ups, push-ups, Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER), sit-and-reach] using the New York City FITNESSGRAM data set. Results: The analytic sample [n = 299,839; median (interquartile range) age = 16 (12-17)] was 50.1% female, 37.5% Hispanic, 26.2% non-Hispanic Black, and most (69.5%) qualified for free/reduced price school meals. Neighborhood indicators were positively associated with higher values of indicators for physical fitness. The strongest associations were observed between walkability and both BMI and PACER, and commute time with BMI, push-ups, and PACER. For example, walkability had the greatest magnitude of effects for BMI and muscular strength and endurance (BMI: β: -0.75, 95% confidence interval, CI: -1.01 to -0.49; PACER: β: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.59 to 2.37), and particularly for girls compared with boys (BMI, girls: β: -0.91, 95% CI: -1.22 to -0.66); BMI, boys: β: -0.56, 95% CI: -0.86 to -0.25); PACER, girls: β: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.68 to 2.54; push-ups, boys: β: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.31 to 2.12). Conclusion: Neighborhood indicators were associated with multiple measures of youth fitness. Continued research on neighborhood opportunity and youth fitness may better inform place-based public health interventions to reduce disparities.

Working Memory and Automaticity in Relation to Mental Addition among American Elementary Students

This study investigated the effects of working memory load (WML) and automaticity on mental addition through an examination of both task and individual characteristics within the framework of cognitive load theory. Seventy-three fourth-grade students in New York City public schools completed the Digit Span-Backward task of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition, the Math Fluency subtest of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition, and a 24-item computer-assisted addition task. Results showed that working memory load, automaticity, and their interaction had significant effects on mental addition. Automaticity had a differential effect on response time under low and high WML conditions. Results also showed that working memory, math fluency, and their interaction could predict a significant portion of variance in accuracy. However, math fluency was the only significant predictor for mental addition on the measure of response time. The study confirmed the interaction effect between working memory and automaticity and underscored the importance of automaticity in arithmetic learning.

The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science Curriculum: ITEST Program Impacts on NYC School Student Scientific Identity

The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor with New York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported initiative that involves multiple stakeholder collaborations and is led by Pace University. Within Pace, the initiative crosses over three different schools and colleges and across multiple departments. Pace University’s NSF project of focus in this article is the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. The purpose is to increase student motivation and preparation for pursuing STEM careers. This article presents results of programming to increase student scientific identity. Findings revealed that students in the 11th grade had the highest level of scientific identity compared to other high school grades. These findings indicate that 11th grade may be an ideal timeframe for interventions to improve scientific identity. Moreover, project participants had higher levels of engagement in STEM-related activities, were more likely to watch videos made by scientists, and read articles written by scientists than those in the control group.

COVID-19 vaccines for children: Racial and ethnic disparities in New York City

Vaccination is an indispensable tool to reduce negative outcomes due to COVID-19. Although COVID-19 disproportionately affected lower income and Black and Hispanic communities, these groups have had lower population-level uptake of vaccines. Using detailed cross-sectional data, we examined racial and ethnic group differences in New York City schoolchildren becoming fully vaccinated (two doses) within 6 months of vaccine eligibility. We matched school enrollment data to vaccination data in the Citywide Immunization Registry, a census of all vaccinations delivered in New York City. We used ordinary least squares regression models to predict fully vaccinated status, with key predictors of race and ethnicity using a variety of different control variables, including residential neighborhood or school fixed effects. We also stratified by borough and by age. The sample included all New York City public school students enrolled during the 2021–2022 school year. Asian students were most likely to be vaccinated and Black and White students least likely. Controlling for student characteristics, particularly residential neighborhood or school attended, diminished some of the race and ethnicity differences. Key differences were also present by borough, both overall and by racial and ethnic groups. In sum, racial and ethnic disparities in children's COVID-19 vaccination were present. Vaccination rates varied by the geographic unit of borough; controlling for neighborhood characteristics diminished some disparities by race and ethnicity. Neighborhood demographics and resources, and the attributes, culture and preferences of those who live there may affect vaccination decisions and could be targets of future efforts to increase vaccination rates.

The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science Curriculum: STEM+C Summer Institute Experiential Learning

The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor with New York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported initiative and collaboration led by Pace University. One of Pace University’s NSF projects is STEM+C (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics plus Computing) designed to work with teachers and students in New York City public schools. This article presents results of a study conducted on the STEM Summer Institute at Pace University in Summer 2022. The purpose was to engage both teachers and students in harbor restoration and experiential learning in New York City including learning about vital ecology projects related to New York’s harbor such as oyster restoration, which is critical to cleaning pollutants in the New York Harbor. Findings revealed that students indicated improved oyster knowledge and restoration skills, scientific skills, collecting and analyzing data, and knowledge about STEM careers. Participating teachers indicated a positive impact on their knowledge of content and harbor restoration, pedagogical knowledge used to engage students in hands-on scientific learning, and methods of engaging and motivating their own students. Moreover, teachers indicated a positive outcome for exposing their students to STEM career options.

A Chance at the Arts: Assessment of NYC Department of Education’s ArtsCount as a Violation of Title VI Implementing Regulation

A Chance at the Arts: Assessment of NYC Department of Education’s ArtsCount as a Violation of Title VI Implementing Regulation

Becoming Culturally Responsive: Equitable and Inequitable Translations of CRE Theory into Teaching Practice.

Research on Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) to date has mostly focused on identifying the aspects of education that already work for Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color. Building on this important literature base, this qualitative study examines the implementation, rather than the identification, of CRE practices. The seven New York City public schools that participated in the study were making school-wide changes for CRE as part of a program for Competency-Based Education (CBE) for personalizing learning for students. Both CRE and CBE are employed in schools to address common issues associated with educational inequities such as irrelevant lessons, teacher biases, one-size-fits-all instruction, and systemic racism. Based on interviews with teachers at the study schools, our findings demonstrated that teachers translated CRE theory into their CBE practice in three key ways: (1) deficit practices, where instructional choices were treated as neutral; (2) access practices, where instruction was differentiated but was not culturally responsive; and (3) transformative practices, where student agency challenged traditional structures. We argue that for schools and educators to meaningfully grapple with the issues of power they seek to address by engaging in CRE, they must embrace and nurture a more radical CRE imagination that leads to deeper school transformation.