Thread by @arthur_samuels

This is sad, but while it is new for district 15, a comparatively white, wealthy, district, this is a trend that has been long coming and is bigger than COVID. CAUTION: PROBABLY TOO LONG THREAD 1/X

https://twitter.com/daniela127/status/1428815002144751624

For years, lower-income districts have been losing school enrollment due to gentrification and competition from charters. Of the 12 school districts in Brooklyn, 9 had lower enrollment in 18-19 than in 13-14. In 7 of those districts, the decline was double figures. 2/X

District 16 (Bed Stuy) had an enrollment decline of 27%. District 32 (Bushwick) had a decline of 26%. The only districts to see an increase were 15 (which includes Park Slope/Cobble Hill), 20 (Sunset Park/Bay Ridge) & 21 (Bensonhurst). 3/X

Gentrification is an enormously complex and difficult issue. Clearly played a huge role in enrollment declines in 16 and 32, as well as in 14 (Williamsburg, down 12%) 17 (Crown Heights, down 16%) & likely all the others. Probably not much the DOE could have done about that. 4/X

Competition is another story. The incredible podcast School Colors by @GriffithMW and @maxfreedperson notes that a lot of DOE folks just hadn’t thought about competing for kids. Kids just got sent to you. 5/X

I don’t blame individual Principals. That’s not the system they grew up in. But the DOE itself got sclerotic. UFT’s approach was to bash charters (usually Eva), accuse hedge funds of being behind the whole thing, and try to cut off access for families. 6/X

At one point, they tried to make it harder for families to even learn about charters. Pro tip: when your main strategy is to hope people don’t find out about your completion, that doesn’t exactly scream confidence in your product. bit.ly/3xZDWJW 7/X

When he ran for mayor, @billdeblasio said “It’s time for Eva Moskowitz to stop having the run of the place.” But he never talked about why parents, particularly those who had been failed by the system for generations, should choose district schools over charters, incl. SA. 8/X

He threw a ton of money at some of the lowest-performing ones, but never acknowledged that all those Success (and other charter) parents were looking for something they weren’t getting from DOE. 9/X

When @RichardACarran2 became chancellor, he suggested that it was a marketing problem. Parents were getting seduced by sparkling facilities. Couldn’t be that families with fewer resources thought they were getting a better education for their children bit.ly/3k9enkJ 10/X

I’ve yet to see a value proposition from UFT leadership or some of the more prominent anti-charter voices in. politics and education about why parents, particularly low-income parents, should choose district schools. Just anti-charter. But no "here's why we're good." 11/X

“Progressives,”—people who are supposed to support better opportunities for all people, regardless of income--instead, decry “corporatization.” Even as they send their own children to private or screened schools. Too many examples to list, but you can @ me if you want. 12/x

@ewarren, whom I in many ways adore adore, suggested it was the responsibility of poor parents to fix their own public schools, “help the custodians and cafeteria staff.” Can you imagine saying that to a private school parent (which she was)? bit.ly/383tQ0a 13/X

The drop in enrollment at schools like 118 is new, because parents who look and sound like me aren’t used to being taken for granted. When they are, they look for other options. Because they’re parents. 14/X

But news flash, much of the leadership in NYC education has taken parents who *don’t* look and sound like me for granted for generations. And those parents also looked for other options. Because they’re parents. [checks mic]: ALL PARENTS WANT THE BEST FOR THEIR KIDS. 15/X

Like it or not, an education marketplace exists. It always has for the rich and connected. Until the pandemic hit, @UFT could make nice with them, fight against choice for everyone else, and it worked out fine for them (not for kids, though). 16/X

But they became so used to taking parents for granted that they forgot how to be responsive to them. First rule of any business, don’t take your customers for granted. And now, schools will contract and teachers will be excessed. 17/X

Will the new administration be more responsive to families? @ericadamsfornyc’s track record is promising. For the sake of our kids and of our public schools, let’s hope he’s paying attention and learning the right lessons. Thans for following if you're still here. END.