EDUCATION
Meet the new NYC
Schools Chancellor
David Banks talks specialized schools,
year-round education and more
BY STEPHEN WITT
Eagle Academy Founder and CEO
David Banks was recently appointed
by Mayor-elect Eric Adams
to become the New York City
Schools Chancellor in January.
Banks is a pioneering educator with
decades of experience in the New York
City school system. After working as
an assistant principal at PS 191, he cofounded
the Bronx School of Law, Government,
and Justice before founding
Eagle Academy, a network of district
schools that serve low-income Black
and Latino boys in grades six through
12. Eagle Academy schools currently
have a campus in each borough and
consistently outperform other City
schools.
Schneps Media recently had the opportunity
to interview Banks on his
plans for running the nation’s largest
school system.
SM: Mayor-elect Adams has mentioned
on the campaign trail more of
a year-round school year. Do you have
any ideas on how you would like to see
the school year change – for example
four days a week instead of fi ve during
the school year and institute that
as year-round schooling?
DB: Again, it’s still an idea that has
to be developed and we have not developed
it as of yet. What we are saying is
that we want to be taking full advantage
of all the time that we possibly can. It’s
going to be critically important. That
means what do you do after three o’clock
for the use of extended learning time, or
use Saturday, something that we do at
the Eagle Academy. A lot of our boys
come to school on Saturday, as well. And
then there is summertime. For many of
our kids that’s a dead zone where there’s
nothing going on for two months. We
want to take advantage of that. It’s really
important. That’s something that came
to light with what’s been happening with
COVID where so many of our kids have
really fallen even further behind.
SM: The needs of special needs kids
are pretty broad, but what will be your
immediate initiatives for kids with special
needs in public schools?
DB: Access to services is so critically
important. I can’t say what would
be the thing most immediately needed,
but I’m literally just coming from visiting
COURTESY ADAMS TRANSITION
David Banks will become the city’s
Schools Chancellor in January
the Windward School on the Upper
East Side. It’s the preeminent but private
school in New York State for kids with
dyslexia. So I think one of the fi rst things
we’re going to be doing is screening to
identify the many kids in our system that
have never been identifi ed with these
learning disabilities.
We’re going to have to develop a level
of professional development and training
for each student where they’re able to
help provide a level of deeper context for
the teaching of reading.
SM: What common ground with the
United Federation of Teachers union
would you point out as a starting point
to working with them in partnership
to improve city schools?
DB: I think the UFT as a union should
be focused on how to provide the best
experience for the teachers. I want the
teachers to have that joy of teaching, and
you get a joy of teaching when you have a
level of success.
The UFT currently has a bill that
they’ve been promoting on reducing
class size. I don’t know that we’ll be able
to do that for the entire system, but in
areas of the greatest level of overcrowding,
we can work very closely with the
teachers union on that. .
Read the full interview at politicsny.
com.
16 December 16, 2021 Schneps Media