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Dec. 20-26, 2019
A ‘DEFINING’ MOMENT
City Council, NAACP announce $1 million technology grant for three public schools in Jamaica
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Three public schools in southeast
Queens will receive laptops and tech
support under a new initiative spearheaded
by NAACP New York State
Conference President Hazel Dukes.
On Monday, New York City Council
Speaker Corey Johnson, along with
City Councilman Daneek Miller and
Dukes, announced a $1 million pilot
program at P.S./I.S. 116, located at 107-
25 Wren Place in Jamaica, that will
give students in communities of color
access to laptops and state-of-the-art
learning programs to boost literacy
and math skills.
The first-of-its-kind NAACP program
is named the Hazel Dukes Education
Initiative.
“The NAACP New York State Conference
is dedicated to eliminating the
severe inequities that too often continue
to plague our education system,”
Dukes said. “We are committed to increasing
resource equity by targeting
efforts to assist students most in need.
The funding provided by Speaker
Johnson to support this program will
allow the NAACP to work directly
with the Department of Education and
ensure our students are provided the
resources they need.”
The Council designated $1 million
in this year’s budget for the NAACP to
purchase more than 1,300 Dell Technology
Chrome notebooks, which will
be used in the schools, and together
City Councilman Daneek Miller (fourth from left) with P.S./I.S. 116 Principal Debra
Farrow, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and NAACP New York State Conference
President Hazel Dukes. Photo courtesy of Emil Cohen/New York City Council
with KneoWorld technology-based
learning programs and tech supported
platforms that maximize pupil engagement
and give educators advanced
and powerful tools to help students
succeed. These educational solutions
will engage all learners and provide
students with new ways to master concepts
and skills.
“This opportunity here allows our
students to connect to purpose,” said
DOE Representative John Herrera. “It
is a moment that is defining the way
we look at education, especially STEM
education.”
The four participating schools
include:
• Catherine & Count Basie Middle
School 72 (133-25 Guy R. Brewer
Blvd., Jamaica)
• Richard S. Grossley (J.H.S. 8)
(108-35 167th St., Jamaica)
• P.S./I.S. 116 William C. Hughley
(107-25 Wren Place, Jamaica)
• P.S. 1 The Courtlandt School
(Bronx)
“We need 21st century resources
for our 21st century students and this
partnership will make sure that these
Queens and Bronx Schools will get the
technology and support students need
to thrive,” Johnson said. “We know that
we have to do better and communities of
color have faced obstacle after obstacle
in getting the equity that they need,
and today we’re hoping to right some
of those past wrongs. We can’t afford to
leave any student behind.”
Miller, co-chair of the Black, Latino,
and Asian Caucus, said, “the effort represents
the Council’s commitment to
ensuring that students of color receive
access to cutting-edge, software-based
learning that prepares them for the job
market and beyond. We are so grateful
to our partners and hopeful that the Hazel
Dukes Education Initiative and pilot
program will continue with the support
of the Council and expanded over the
years.”
City Councilwoman Adrienne Adams
noted the importance of always
looking for opportunities to provide students
in the southeast Queens community
with access to the technology they
need to further facilitate learning.
“Making sure that our children
are learning with current technology
is essential to ensuring that they are
prepared to compete in the economy of
tomorrow,” Adams said. “I would like
to thank the NAACP for this generous
technology grant that will be a gamechanger
for local students.”
Vol. 7 No. 51 48 total pages
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