Building Up Our Students' Education...Not Tearing It Down

Statement

The decision by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to phase-out or replace "failing or underperforming" schools shows that underserved communities will continue to be overlooked. While I share the legitimate concerns about performance levels in Paul Robeson High School and M.S. 571, this is as an opportunity to build up, not tear down. We all aspire to set our children on the right track academically. We need to address the real problems that lie at the heart of our struggling education system. On the other hand, we cannot expect our children to grow and succeed if we don't give them the nessecary resources to do so. Resources like text books, proper nutrition, computers, other technology and competitive programs. How can we expect institutions to excel without the opportunity to improve? I urge the DOE to engage teachers, students, parents/guardians, community leaders, and education stakeholders to identify common sense solutions and innovative ways to adequately and immediately reform our educational system. We must teach our children to work hard, persevere, and become engaged community members. Our children will someday become our leaders. With the proper tools, I look forward to this generation of American students surpassing us and ushering in a new era of civic engagement.

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