24 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • NOVEMBER 24, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com New city law gives foster children a voice regarding their care BY AWURA AMA BARNIE-DUAH [email protected]/@QNS Teenagers in foster care will be able to provide feedback about their care to the city through legislation signed last week by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The bill, sponsored by City Councilman Donovan Richards, requires the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to give foster kids, ages 13 and older, an annual survey that asks for their experiences in foster care. The youths will be able to take the survey in a location other than than their foster home. The survey will ask a variety of questions pertaining to: access to food and clothing, religious practices, relationships with foster families, biological families and friends, personal allowances, education and extracurricular activities, internet and phone access. The bill would also require ACS to report the data collected to the City Council and post it on their website every year. “After I participated in the City Council’s Foster Shadow program last year, it became clear that we need to do more as a city to protect and improve the lives of our foster children,” Richards said. “It is truly heartbreaking to hear the stories of foster youth being denied the simple things most children take for granted.” He hopes the survey will help us ensure that foster children have a voice in the system. Photo courtesy of City Councilman Donovan Richards Mayor Bill de Blasio signs a law requiring that the Administration for Children’s Services survey foster children about the care they receive. Record number of NYC high school grads are going to college: report BY ALEXIS RAMOS [email protected]/@QNS More New York City public high school graduates are moving on to college than ever before, according to a report the Department of Education (DOE) released last week. Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced fi ndings in the 2015- 16 School Quality Reports which indicated that 55 percent of New York City’s Class of 2015 enrolled in a two- or a four-year college, vocational program, or public service program after graduation. This percentage is higher from the previous year by 2 percentage points and by 4 percentage points from Class of 2013. College readiness, an indicator for high school students graduating on time and meeting CUNY’s standards for college preparedness in English and math, also improved. Among graduates, the percentage of students meeting college readiness standards rose to 51 percent, a 2 percent difference from 2015. By 2026, the DOE anticipates that two-thirds of graduates will be college-ready, and 80 percent of students will graduate on time. “I am excited to see that the hard work of our educators is paying off with more students than ever before enrolling in college, and more students than ever before ready for college - but it’s clear there’s so much work to do,” Fariña said. “Our commitment to Equity and Excellence for All is about strengthening instruction, support, and innovation at all our public schools so that every child has a path to college, careers, and a successful adult life. We are working tirelessly to improve every child’s education, and i look forward to the progress we make together.” Not only are there increases in college enrollment and readiness, the 2015-16 School Quality Report results for elementary and middle school also show increases in overall student achievement. Students met profi ciency standards by 38 percent in English, which is an 8 percent increase from 2015. kids & education Celebrate Haitian culture at the Queens Library Through the end of the year, Queens Borough Public Library is hosting a six-week exhibit of artists celebrating the rich culture of Haiti in their worlds. The “Festival an Koulè (Festival of Colors)” runs through Dec. 31 and is presented in partnership with the Friends of Queens Library. In all, 20 established and emerging Haitian artists — many of them Queens locals — will display their works at the Cambria Heights, Rochdale Village, St. Albans and South Hollis libraries — the four library locations that serve the large and vibrant Haitian community of southeast Queens. The exhibit’s artwork will include paintings, drawings, sculpture, photographs, mixed media and more. “Festival an Koulè” kicked off on Saturday, Nov. 19, with special events at three of the host locations, where patrons got a fi rst look at the exhibit, learned more about Haitian culture and met several of the participating artists. To download the Festival an Koulè brochure, visit www.queenslibrary. org.
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