{"id":275514,"date":"2021-06-15T23:47:54","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T20:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-nyc-has-failed-black-public-school-students-in-queens\/"},"modified":"2021-06-15T23:47:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T20:47:54","slug":"how-nyc-has-failed-black-public-school-students-in-queens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-nyc-has-failed-black-public-school-students-in-queens\/","title":{"rendered":"#How NYC has failed black public school students in Queens"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#How NYC has failed black public school students in Queens<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

A growing legion of black parents in Queens say the Department of Education has failed their kids through mismanagement and neglect \u2014 fueling an exodus out of the public school system.<\/p>\n

Fed-up families in District 29 \u2014 a primarily black area which includes Hollis, Rosedale, and Cambria Heights \u2014 said the DOE has long tolerated abysmal math and English proficiency rates, despite high per-student spending.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of black middle-class homeowners here,\u201d said local activist Michael Duncan of the newly formed Students Improvement Association. \u201cThese are successful people, successful families. The results in our schools are not reflective of the community. Something is wrong here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duncan said many families \u2014 including his own \u2014 have been forced to pay out of pocket for private schools in recent years due to DOE dysfunction.<\/p>\n

Duncan and the grassroots SIA have begun collecting and analyzing district statistics and promoting awareness among local parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of parents knew that it was bad,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they didn\u2019t know it was this bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Activist
Activist Michael Duncan says the Department of Education is not utilizing its financial resources efficiently for students.
\n<\/figcaption>
Michael Duncan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite spending roughly $27,000 per student, PS 134 in Hollis saw only 6 percent of 5th graders pass their 2019 state math proficiency test and 17 percent hit that minimal mark in English.<\/p>\n

The DOE spent nearly the same amount at PS 156 in Laurelton \u2013 but only 21 percent of 5th graders were proficient in math and English that year<\/p>\n

The agency expended $25,000 per student at PS 118, where only 22 percent of 5th graders were proficient in English and 12 percent in math.<\/p>\n

\"District
District 29 in Queens has previously dealt with the city\u2019s highest rates of student-reported fighting.
\n<\/figcaption>
Google Maps<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Overall, just 37 percent of black District 29 students in grades 3 -8 passed their 2019 English state exams while 28 percent were proficient in math.<\/p>\n

Duncan asserted that the DOE and some public officials cast troubled schools as \u201cunder-resourced\u201d to provide cover for mismanagement and mediocrity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just simply not true,\u201d he said, \u201cLook at what is being spent. Where is this money going? Successful Catholic schools don\u2019t spend anywhere near that. Small private schools in this district charge far less in tuition and are doing much better. There are public schools next door in District 28 that spend much less per student and are doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Students
Students Jeremiah Timmons (left) and Marcus Duncan protest the Department of Education\u2019s failure to educate black students in Queens District 29.
\n<\/figcaption>
Brigette Stelzer<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to DOE figures, District 29 enrollment has dipped each of the past four years, dropping from 28,174 in the 2016-2017 school year to 24.612 this year \u2014 a decrease of 12.6 percent.<\/p>\n

SIA member and District 29 community activist Raymond Dugue echoed Duncan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DOE\u2019s first priority is employment,\u201d he contended. \u201cTo keep the employment cycle going. In our district, a black district, whether teaching is done or not is secondary. The poor results we see for black children are not a function of funding. It\u2019s not caring and not teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PS
PS 156 Laurelton in 137th Avenue, Queens.
\n<\/figcaption>
Ellis Kaplan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He contended that school employees can count on their salaries and pensions \u2014 while kids often emerge from their classrooms with little of tangible value.<\/p>\n

A DOE spokesperson said the agency was prioritizing engagement with area parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll students deserve a rigorous education that sets them up for success in school and life, and we have met with parent leaders in District 29 to hear their feedback and discuss their priorities,\u201d said spokesperson Sarah Casasnovas.<\/p>\n

\"Community
Community activist Raymond Dugue claims the Department of Education are not employing good teachers in Queens District 29.
\n<\/figcaption>
Brigette Stelzer<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Duncan \u2013 who organized a parent protest in front of District 29 offices Friday \u2014 said that principals have been allowed to preside over failing schools for years, despite minimal signs of progress and even regression.<\/p>\n

He also highlighted that the DOE has tapp<\/a>ed principals from troubled schools to serve as superintendents for the district.<\/p>\n

Former District 29 superintendent Lenon Murray was fired from his post in 2017 after being sued for sexual harassment by an underling.<\/p>\n

Current Superintendent Beverly Mitchell, who was accused in a subsequent lawsuit of backing Murray amid his troubles, ran an underperforming school in the district for years, Duncan said.<\/p>\n

\"Lorraine
Lorraine Gittens-Bridges and activist Michael Duncan (right) speak at the Student Improvement Association\u2019s press conference at 191st Street in Hollis, Queens, NY on June 11, 2021.
\n<\/figcaption>
Brigette Stelzer<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIf you want to improve a district, one would think that you would find a leader with a track record of achievement and turning things around,\u201d he argued. \u201cBut instead, the DOE rewards those who have failed. We feel that it\u2019s intentional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dugue argued that similar hiring patterns would not happen in more affluent areas of the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would not even be contemplated in a white neighborhood,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

State Sen. Leroy Comrie warned in 2019 that many middle-class black parents and high-achieving kids were fleeing the area\u2019s public schools due to classroom disorder and urged the DOE to tackle disciplinary issues.<\/p>\n

\"Activist
Activist Raymond Dugue shows off poor state math proficiency test score results reported in Queens District 29.
\n<\/figcaption>
Brigette Stelzer<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Parent Keisha Ellis, a warehouse manager, said her local principal told her that her son had unique talents \u2014 and advised her to take him out of his public school to realize his potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said he is a good student but you have to take him out because the school is failing,\u201d Ellis said at Friday\u2019s protest. \u201cWe\u2019re here and we\u2019re in this together and we need change. That\u2019s why we are here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Casasnovas said that District 29 has seen improved metrics in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur continued investments in our school communities have led to record-high graduation rates, record-high college enrollment rates, and record-low dropout rates, and we will work closely with the district to strengthen the progress we\u2019ve seen in student achievement,\u201d she said.\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“#How NYC has failed black public school students in Queens” A growing legion of black parents in Queens say the Department of Education has failed their kids through mismanagement and neglect \u2014 fueling an exodus out of the public school system. Fed-up families in District 29 \u2014 a primarily black area which includes Hollis, Rosedale,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":275515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/06\/SIA5.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[109416,70643,74212,11247,47212,109513],"class_list":["post-275514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-6-15-21","tag-department-of-education","tag-public-schools","tag-queens","tag-teachers","tag-test-scores"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}