Thread. The lack of competent leadership of @NYCSchools, the US's largest school district, is utterly appalling. It's Aug. 25, about 2 wks before NYC's usual 1st day of school, and we still don't know when school starts. The DOE calendar is 100% blank. schools.nyc.gov/calendar 1/
Just the other day the mayor said every school building would now have a nurse. When will they be hired? Where are all of these nurses coming from? There's already a nursing shortage. 2/
Only *yesterday* @NYCMayor announced that schools can now apply to do some teaching & learning outdoors. It's late August. Principals have spent the entire summer creating hybrid & blended learning models that lean on remote instruction. NOW they say we can go outdoors? NOW? 3/
What are the mayor and the @DOEChancellor doing for health screening/testing protocols, cleaning supplies & protocols, resources for outdoor learning like tents? And there's been ZERO direction for improving teaching & learning for students at all ages & levels. 4/
It was just announced that ventilation in schools would be assessed by September 1st. What's taking so long? How long and how much $ will it take to update ventilation systems to make them safer? 5/
The mayor and chancellor have had 6 months to figure out how to move forward with the NYC public schools. They've done almost nothing. This thread isn't close to a complete list of the shortcomings. 6/
We could spend all day, for example, looking at how flawed & inadequate the scheduling models are for the fall. Some students have the option of one day a week in person. Many have 100% remote instruction, only non-academic meetings like advisory in the building. It's a mess. 7/
De Blasio called the LA plan "very vague." The NYC plan is less than that. Parents, students, principals, and teachers citywide are stressed, frustrated, & worried. It's esp bad for underprivileged families. 8/
All of this adds up to, among other things, a pretty compelling argument for breaking the NYC DOE into multiple smaller districts - by borough and/or by level. Perhaps it's just too big to manage appropriately, adequately, and competently. 9/
I'd be very interested in seeing whether such an idea might gain some traction. There's a lot of innovation in education & #edtech, very little of it on display in a city that should by all rights be a beacon of innovation, smart thinking, & strong leadership in education. 10/
BTW I'm a former HS teacher & was tenured in an NYC public school. Many ppl don't understand how challenging running a big school system is. I get it. (I'm also a mom of an NYC public school student.) I don't usually rant, but I'm flabbergasted by what's happening here now. 11/11
@threadreaderapp please unroll! thank you
