Being a chancellor for all our children
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 6-MARCH 12, 2020 17
You may know me as the
leader of New York City’s
public school system—it’s
my most public role, and one
that is the subject of much
discussion in Queens and
beyond.
But you may not know
that long before I was Chancellor,
I was a social studies
and music teacher, and then
a principal. And underlying
these professional callings is
my most important role: being
a father.
Being an educator and
a parent makes me understand
on the most profound
level that families want what
is best for their children—
because I want that, too.
I know that some Queens
families are concerned
about the intention and impact
of our work. It’s my job
to listen to you, and to clarify
our approach and the ways it
serves your children. And I
think it’s healthy to be frank
and apologize whenever I
come up short, like I did in
January after a particularly
contentious District 26 Community
Education Council
meeting.
Policy disagreements are
inevitable in a city as large
and proudly committed to
education as ours, but I believe
that the most important
things—our values—
are in sync.
We all want our children
to have the high-quality education
that will set them up
for success, from their earliest
years in school to college
and beyond.
The DOE has set a bold
agenda for the future of the
city’s public schools in order
to get this done. We call
it Equity and Excellence
for All because we believe
that every child deserves to
graduate with the academic
and social-emotional skills
they need to thrive in the
21st century.
Some students need
more support than others,
and Mayor de Blasio and I
are committed to providing
them, and opening up opportunities
to these student
communities that have been
profoundly underserved for
decades.
We are focused on students
who are part of what
we call the “opportunity
gap,” which includes an intersection
of students from
every racial and ethnic background.
It includes students
with disabilities. Students
who are homeless. Students
who are living in poverty.
Students who are English
language learners. Students
who identify as a part of the
LGBTQ community. Students
who have less access
to the kinds of opportunities
that lead to academic and
life success. Yes, the reality
in this city is these students
are more often black and
Hispanic, but they are also
Asian and white.
We will never champion
a policy that would include
some students and exclude
others from reaching their
full potential.
So when we talk about
the Specialized High School
test, or Gifted and Talented
programs, or promoting diversity,
we are talking about
expanding opportunities
for more students, many of
whom never historically
ever had them.
We are not talking about
taking things away. And we
are committed to moving forward
in a way that respects
the voices of our families.
We have learned a great
deal from families in Queens
about ways to ensure they
are seen and heard. We are
making real changes to how
we empower our school communities
to contribute their
voices.
Discussions about expanding
opportunity can be
uncomfortable. However, it
can have profoundly positive
results. Consider what challenging
the status quo and
creating more opportunity
has already meant for the
city’s families: hundreds of
thousands more kids in free,
full-day, high-quality pre-K;
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graduation rates at an all-time high;
AP for All and Computer Science for
All giving kids a jumpstart into college
and careers; and much more.
The hallmark of this work is that
it applies to every student, no matter
their zip code. That’s because I am
Chancellor for all 1.1 million public
school students, millions of parents,
and all 150,000-plus educators across
1,800 schools.
In a system this large, it’s inevitable
that not everybody will agree on every
idea. My job is to steer the power of the
largest school system in the country, in
the greatest city in the world, to serve
every student.
I depend on partnerships with families
to do that. And I will always remain
available to the people we serve:
to listen, to learn from any missteps we
may make, to ensure families are part
of the decision-making process.
Because in spite of our differences,
I believe we share the same belief that
every single child, in every classroom,
in every New York City public school,
deserves a rigorous, inspiring, and
nurturing learning journey.
And we share the same bright vision:
to graduate students who are exceptional—
as scholars, professionals
and, most importantly, as New Yorkers.
I look forward to working with our
1.1. million families to bring this vision
to life.
Richard Carranza is the New
York City Schools Chancellor.
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