Jessica Gould

2 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Jessica Gould

It’s a common experience for many New York City parents. They sit down to help their kids with math homework, only to be totally flummoxed. Part of the reason is math instruction has undergone a generational shift. New math curricula being rolled out in the city’s school system prioritize more hands-on work using real-life examples, like recipes, often before students are explicitly taught exactly how to figure out the answer.

2 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Jessica Gould

Attorney General Letitia James and 12 other attorneys general are suing to block the Trump administration’s plans to withhold funds for districts that don’t ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at schools. The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it considers DEI programs to be discriminatory and a breach of federal civil rights law. Officials said any district that does not sign a document pledging to ban DEI could risk losing federal education funding.

3 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Jessica Gould

Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday the next phase of his signature literacy initiative will be extended to more than 100 middle schools, though one much-criticized curricula was notably absent. Adams, who is dyslexic, has made improving literacy his top educational priority and championed an effort to streamline curricula in both reading and math. He said students’ persistently low test scores in reading and math – hovering around 50% – have shown that a course-change was urgently needed.

4 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Jessica Gould

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday pledged to increase and extend New York City's investment in free preschool, after tussling with parents over funding for early-childhood education for his first years in office. Adams announced a proposal to include $167 million for seats for 3-year-olds and students with disabilities in the city’s next fiscal budget, which is due at the end of June.

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Ben Feuerherd |Jessica Gould |Ramsey Khalifeh

A Columbia University student and vocal pro-Palestinian advocate was arrested by immigration authorities when he went to sit for a naturalization interview Monday, according to his attorneys. Mohsen Mahdawi, a permanent United States resident and green card holder who emigrated from the West Bank, was arrested by immigration authorities in Vermont, where his permanent residence is located, one of his attorneys told Gothamist.