By Tessa Langston
Mayor Eric Adams and Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos kicked off the new school year by ushering in over a million New York City public school students, and by marking the occasion with a bit of ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the first historically Black college and university (HBCU) Early College Prep High School in Queens, as reported by NYC’s Mayoral Office. They weren’t shy about highlighting the transformative educational initiatives that the Adams administration has pushed, with public schools across the city set to benefit from expanded programs and new tech policies.
“We are ringing in the school year with more investments to prepare our students for bold futures… investing in our students and families,” Mayor Adams said in a statement obtained by the Mayoral Office’s newsroom. As part of the gung-ho educational reform, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos brightened up the scene with words of hope, “I am beyond proud to lead New York City Public Schools in this groundbreaking work, and I can’t wait to see our students thrive throughout this new school year.” Despite the buzz around the school year commencement, an error crept into the announcement, misquoting the number of new schools opened.
The HBCU Early College Prep High School is welcoming over 100 ninth-grade students on its history-making first day. According to the Mayoral Office’s announcement, this tuition-free program is in partnership with Delaware State University and allows students to pursue up to 64 college credits for an associate degree in Liberal Arts. Dr. Asya Johnson, who is an HBCU alumnus herself, leads the new institution.
In typical back-to-school fashion, New York City Public Schools rolled out seven new schools across the boroughs on Staten Island, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, further benefiting students with accelerated programs and career readiness endeavors. In midst an environment of academic rigor, another development hit the floors — the implementation of a new cell phone and electronic device policy.
At the same time, the school year begins with good tidings on the academic front, as the Adams administration and New York City Public Schools celebrated a notable increase in reading and math scores among public school children. To top off the basket of educational goodies, 186 schools are also integrating the NYC Reads and NYC Solves programs for the first time this year, per the Mayoral Office’s announcement.
