New Report: Rethinking the Meaning of Public Education in New York and At Large

NEW YORK, NY — Public school enrollment in the state of New York is down by over 200,000 students over the last two school years; in New York City alone, schools have lost over 80,000 students. However, this phenomenon cannot fully be explained as a Covid byproduct; enrollment declines in both the district and private and religious schools have pre-dated the pandemic, signaling a broader parental reckoning over the purpose of education. 

In a new Manhattan Institute report, senior fellow and director of education policy Ray Domanico looks at the history of the purpose of education in both New York City and the state and evaluates how it has changed over time. To do so, he considers several policy issues that predate Covid, that remain at the core of our collective beliefs about the purpose and nature of schooling, and that may warrant new approaches. These include: 

• The Board of Regents’ goal of college-readiness, which has changed New York’s state testing requirements and ultimately affected who receives a high school diploma; 

• Curriculum oversight with Orthodox Jewish schools; and 

• NYC’s Panel for Education Policy’s regulations on Community Education Councils. 

Domanico concludes with a specific set of recommendations for policymakers to fashion a more pluralistic and responsive school sector by: 

• Improving noncollege pathways for high school students; 

• Maintaining and growing access to accelerated learning opportunities for high-achieving students; 

• Adopting a cooperative and accommodating approach to private and religious schools; and 

• Strengthening the voices of parents in the governance of district-run schools. 

All New Yorkers concerned with the future of the city, inside or outside of the Adams administration, need to adjust their thinking about the nature of public and private education. Schools need to be more “customer” focused and dedicated to a high standard of responsiveness and service in order to retain young families and support the economic and social well-being of the city. 

Click here to view the full report.