<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Families for New York]]></title><description><![CDATA[Families for New York uses news, interviews, and the stories of everyday New Yorkers to help families and caregivers understand and debate the policies and issues impacting the future of New York's next generation.]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com</link><image><url>https://www.families4newyork.com/img/substack.png</url><title>Families for New York</title><link>https://www.families4newyork.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:23:12 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.families4newyork.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Danyela Souza Egorov]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[families4newyork@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[families4newyork@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Danyela Souza Egorov]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Danyela Souza Egorov]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[families4newyork@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[families4newyork@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Danyela Souza Egorov]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Catholic Schools Face a New Challenge—They’re Getting Bigger]]></title><description><![CDATA[And 50 ways to improve NYC]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/catholic-schools-face-a-new-challengetheyre</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/catholic-schools-face-a-new-challengetheyre</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:02:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7f2423d5-7ba8-418c-919b-298320575824_12000x8888.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Catholic schools&#8217; enrollment has been declining since the 1960s. COVID changed this with an influx of students. The next few years might also be another phase of growth. Demand for Catholic schools has been increasing even in states with no school choice program and with declining population - NY is a big outlier.</p><p>Read more about it in my article for City Journal Substack:</p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:222432488,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://cityjournal.substack.com/p/catholic-schools-face-a-new-challengetheyre&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6236832,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;City Journal Substack&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rO7N!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0aec2978-c0e6-4514-a875-f9c0535aa7b8_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Catholic Schools Face a New Challenge&#8212;They&#8217;re Getting Bigger&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;The Diocese of Venice in Florida has a problem that Catholic schools would have envied a decade ago: it needs more room for students. Enrollment in the diocese&#8217;s schools has increased 45 percent since 2021, making Venice the fastest growing Catholic school system in the country. Some of that growth is attrib&#8230;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-10-28T14:31:15.061Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:7,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:34350481,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Danyela Souza Egorov&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;families4newyork&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O530!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97ead609-ace1-4932-b431-5356058869ac_1176x1176.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Founder of Families for NY, Fellow at Manhattan Institute, Vice-President of CEC District2&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2023-09-15T19:59:11.963Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2023-10-06T11:43:53.604Z&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:1,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:1,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null},&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:2603158,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Families for New York&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://cityjournal.substack.com/p/catholic-schools-face-a-new-challengetheyre?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rO7N!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0aec2978-c0e6-4514-a875-f9c0535aa7b8_256x256.png"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">City Journal Substack</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">Catholic Schools Face a New Challenge&#8212;They&#8217;re Getting Bigger</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">The Diocese of Venice in Florida has a problem that Catholic schools would have envied a decade ago: it needs more room for students. Enrollment in the diocese&#8217;s schools has increased 45 percent since 2021, making Venice the fastest growing Catholic school system in the country. Some of that growth is attrib&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">8 hours ago &#183; 7 likes &#183; Danyela Souza Egorov</div></a></div><div><hr></div><h1><strong>50 Practical Ideas to Renew NYC&#8217;s Promise of Opportunity</strong></h1><p>My colleagues <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;John Ketcham&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:253731718,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MG7L!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F486334e8-26ab-4251-9338-bc2c8774e8d9_600x600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;801569d1-5449-4dcf-818b-6ac70e93f537&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> and <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Sean Speer&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:4283240,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c40e31e9-8278-43f9-a568-876b2b127027_200x200.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;ac76d134-0d7f-4d21-8cfb-26d7120cf775&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> released a <strong><a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/a-better-everyday-life-in-new-york-50-practical-ideas-to-renew-nycs-promise-of-opportunity">report with 50 concrete recommendations</a></strong> on how to improve NYC. It&#8217;s worth reading, and it includes a few suggestions for improving our public schools.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://manhattan.institute/article/a-better-everyday-life-in-new-york-50-practical-ideas-to-renew-nycs-promise-of-opportunity" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png" width="1456" height="479" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/be35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:479,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:105219,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://manhattan.institute/article/a-better-everyday-life-in-new-york-50-practical-ideas-to-renew-nycs-promise-of-opportunity&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/222506740?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BSQl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe35f3b4-1043-41d5-83b3-88e331f670c8_1476x486.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading </h2><p>I am reading with my son <strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mind-vs-Machine-Chess-Changed/dp/1250334764/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VgzcBJxpSfo9TlY6YD22BhgX66yAcKr0n1eVrI4N49C2ZPPZN-K_2r0v0sf2ahS0vk0C25mAhxPAGXvOg08nFvuj7VWisRn-YNFRdCqLoeSb1mql5zr3pjtfGIKGYKUj3sGOYMlFUF-0AqtTiTdTohlz3cRfyfwH_Q81um5sdbyCXWW-IxRr_yxsGA8K0Wq8uYDxDBXsCG1EA9HufuH7j9IXGbR6feS7ylLgbz8qarQ.3EAJPylkIkORCtEq5_t35Xa8Krery8pATmlC-n2bRQo&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=mind+vs.+machine&amp;qid=1793224298&amp;sr=8-1">Mind vs. Machine: The Chess Match That Changed the World</a>, </strong>a graphic novel about Garry Kasparov&#8217;s games against IBM&#8217;s computer called Deep Blue. It is a fun book and it made me an even bigger admirer of Kasparov. My kids were never into chess, but he enjoyed the book.</p><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/10/24/opinion/how-to-save-new-yorks-broken-school-system/">New York&#8217;s union-loving Board of Regents is wrecking our schools &#8212; let&#8217;s scrap it</a></strong> (NY Post)</p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://gothamist.com/news/after-being-booed-at-integration-forum-nyc-chancellor-praised-by-school-parent-leaders">After being booed at integration forum, NYC chancellor praised by school parent leaders</a></strong> (Gothamist)</p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.educationnext.org/trust-the-school-choice-market-not-its-regulators-universal-choice/">Trust the School Choice Market, Not Its Regulators</a> (Education Week)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/flock-cameras-automated-license-plate-readers-safety-crime">The Children Saved by Flock</a> (City Journal)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/schools-students-behavior-discipline">Correcting Incentives Can Restore School Order</a> (City Journal)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/10/24/opinion/lausds-priorities-lavish-union-deals-fewer-school-cops-and-bullies-running-wild/">LAUSD&#8217;s insane priorities: Lavish union deals, fewer school cops and bullies running wild</a></strong> (NY Post)</p><p></p></li></ul><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/catholic-schools-face-a-new-challengetheyre?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/catholic-schools-face-a-new-challengetheyre?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[NY opts in the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit]]></title><description><![CDATA[Governor Hochul chose kids over the teachers&#8217; union]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-opts-in-the-federal-scholarship</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-opts-in-the-federal-scholarship</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:56:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Friday, I was on my way to pick up my son from school when my phone started blowing up with messages and calls: Governor Hochul had <strong><a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-kathy-hochul-180">announced</a> </strong>that NY was officially opting into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program!</p><p>It is hard to overstate the importance of this! It will be the first time NY families have direct control over some resources to shape their kids&#8217; education. Depending on how many taxpayers donate, it could be more than $1 billion. That is still a small fraction of the $40 billion state education budget, but it is a start. Hopefully, at some point NY will join the more than 30 states that let families decide how to spend a bigger part of the education budget.</p><p>If you want to know more about this decision, read my <strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-new-york-kathy-hochul">article</a></strong> on City Journal.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-new-york-kathy-hochul" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png" width="1294" height="464" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:464,&quot;width&quot;:1294,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:696400,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-new-york-kathy-hochul&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/220531706?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Jw9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F010ff2f1-4cd0-4b70-8e06-cc6ca75abf99_1294x464.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-new-york-kathy-hochul&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-new-york-kathy-hochul"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>What impact will the federal tax credit have?</h2><p>This is an interesting debate at the Harvard 2026 Emerging School Models Conference between Kim Anderson (National Education Association), Derrell Bradford (50CAN), and Greg Nadeau (Ed3).</p><div id="youtube2-vRHcx9rh1ec" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;vRHcx9rh1ec&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vRHcx9rh1ec?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading </h2><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:220382577,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/what-is-a-school-for&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6228335,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;What Is a School For?&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;New York City, home to more Jews than any city in the world outside of Israel, is experiencing a rise in antisemitism on its streets, in its schools and in public statements and actions. Against this rising tide of hatred, Jewish groups of all types are rising to support and strengthen their community.&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-10-14T18:53:50.802Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:10,&quot;comment_count&quot;:1,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:394546516,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Ray Domanico&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;raydomanico&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/62c30859-7b3c-4a1d-8718-d4768cc6b210_144x144.png&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Long time observer and analyst of American education policy&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:null,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:null,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:null,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:null,&quot;subscriber&quot;:null}}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/what-is-a-school-for?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png" loading="lazy"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">The Bigger Apple</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">What Is a School For?</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">New York City, home to more Jews than any city in the world outside of Israel, is experiencing a rise in antisemitism on its streets, in its schools and in public statements and actions. Against this rising tide of hatred, Jewish groups of all types are rising to support and strengthen their community&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">12 days ago &#183; 10 likes &#183; 1 comment &#183; Ray Domanico</div></a></div><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/neuropsychologist-test-accomodations-kids?taid=6acee5bb50fc640001f041e7&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">No, Your Kid Probably Doesn&#8217;t Need Extra Time on Tests</a> (The Free Press)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-schools-declining-student-enrollment">D.C. Schools May Soon Have a Big Problem: Fewer Kids</a></strong> <strong>(The Washington Sun)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/opinion-margaret-spellings-and-arne-duncan-the-ed-agenda-we-can-agree-on/2026/10">Margaret Spellings and Arne Duncan: The Ed. Agenda We Can Agree On</a> (Education Week)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/make-the-governor-responsible-for-new-yorks-schools-2/">Make the Governor Responsible for New York&#8217;s Schools</a> (Vital City)</strong></p><p></p></li></ul><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-opts-in-the-federal-scholarship?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-opts-in-the-federal-scholarship?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My appearance on The Bigger Apple Podcast]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#8220;The technical term for this is: a mess&#8221;]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-bigger-apple-4ab</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-bigger-apple-4ab</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Danyela Souza Egorov]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:42:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/E1zDW8Du5kg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We joined <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:6228335,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;pub&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.substack.com/pub/biggerapplenewsletter&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;02c2e8e9-1b29-4909-904d-c344655733bf&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> podcast to talk about education. </p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:219308659,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/podcast-nikole-hannah-jones-essay&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6228335,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Podcast: Nikole Hannah-Jones&#8217; Essay, School Choice, and Accountability in NYC Schools&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;Mamdani ran on affordability, and schools are an affordability issue.&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-10-07T21:00:09.185Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:1,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:8943754,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Liena Zagare&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;lienazagare&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7c122945-41e4-4e85-bc76-ca72b718a470_638x750.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Fascinated by cities and curious about the policies shaping New York's future. Editor at @thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2024-10-10T17:27:58.215Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2024-10-10T17:18:27.932Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:6424803,&quot;user_id&quot;:8943754,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6228335,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;contributor&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:true,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:6228335,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;biggerapplenewsletter&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:&quot;thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute&quot;,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;Policy shapes New York. We help you navigate it. &quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:390223675,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:253731718,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#FF6719&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2025-09-08T19:07:57.146Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple &quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc.&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:null,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;newspaper&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:null}},{&quot;id&quot;:3566862,&quot;user_id&quot;:8943754,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3498939,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:false,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:3498939,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;The New York Editorial Board&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;nyeditorialboard&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:null,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;The New York Editorial Board is a group of veteran journalists interviewing candidates, elected and appointed officials, and other New York civic leaders.&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/28e01889-cb74-4e54-93b5-dee8ac629224_500x500.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:298059325,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:298059325,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#FF6719&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2024-12-10T19:35:07.653Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:&quot;The New York Editorial Board&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;The New York Editorial Board&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:null,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;newspaper&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:null}}],&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:null}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/podcast-nikole-hannah-jones-essay?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">The Bigger Apple</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title-icon"><svg width="19" height="19" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
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  <path d="M21 19C21 19.5304 20.7893 20.0391 20.4142 20.4142C20.0391 20.7893 19.5304 21 19 21H18C17.4696 21 16.9609 20.7893 16.5858 20.4142C16.2107 20.0391 16 19.5304 16 19V16C16 15.4696 16.2107 14.9609 16.5858 14.5858C16.9609 14.2107 17.4696 14 18 14H21V19ZM3 19C3 19.5304 3.21071 20.0391 3.58579 20.4142C3.96086 20.7893 4.46957 21 5 21H6C6.53043 21 7.03914 20.7893 7.41421 20.4142C7.78929 20.0391 8 19.5304 8 19V16C8 15.4696 7.78929 14.9609 7.41421 14.5858C7.03914 14.2107 6.53043 14 6 14H3V19Z" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"></path>
</svg></div><div class="embedded-post-title">Podcast: Nikole Hannah-Jones&#8217; Essay, School Choice, and Accountability in NYC Schools</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">Mamdani ran on affordability, and schools are an affordability issue&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-cta-icon"><svg width="32" height="32" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
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</svg></div><span class="embedded-post-cta">Listen now</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">17 days ago &#183; 1 like &#183; 1 comment &#183; Liena Zagare</div></a></div><div><hr></div><h2>Empowering Parents with Governor Glenn Youngkin</h2><p>The Manhattan Institute and the Children&#8217;s Scholarship Fund hosted an event with Governor Glenn Youngkin to discuss the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit and his reflections on Virginia's education policies. </p><div id="youtube2-E1zDW8Du5kg" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;E1zDW8Du5kg&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/E1zDW8Du5kg?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading</h2><p>My son watched Martin Scorsese&#8217;s movie and would not stop talking about it, so I read the book &#8220;<strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Picador-Classics-Shusaku-Endo/dp/1250082242/ref=asc_df_1250082242?tag=bingshoppinga-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=80814314504569&amp;hvnetw=o&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvbmt=be&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=97480&amp;hvtargid=pla-4584413800581259&amp;psc=1&amp;hvocijid=9879007654122977126-1250082242-&amp;hvexpln=0">Silence</a></strong>&#8221; by Shusaku Endo. It is a novel about two Jesuit missionaries in Japan during the 17th century. It is beautifully written and combines historical events with fiction. </p><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/want-federal-tax-credit-money-for-public-schools-heres-what-to-do-now/">Want Federal Tax Credit Money for Public Schools? Here&#8217;s What to Do Now</a> (The74)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/policy/505269/washington-dc-segregated-schools-integration-academic-progress">How one city made gains on school integration without trying</a> (Vox)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://pluribusnews.com/news-and-events/shrinking-enrollment-pushes-states-to-rethink-school-funding/">Shrinking enrollment pushes states to rethink school funding </a>(PluribusNews)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/good-news-students-with-disabilities-are-overrepresented-in-private-school-choice-programs/">Students with Disabilities Are Overrepresented in Private School Choice Programs</a></strong> <strong>(AEI) </strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/trust-in-education-has-fallen-its-time-to-bring-back-strong-accountability/">Trust in Education Has Fallen. It&#8217;s Time to Bring Back Strong Accountability</a> (The74)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-bigger-apple-4ab?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-bigger-apple-4ab?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[NY School Choice Opportunity ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Married couples can now get a $3,400 federal tax credit to support scholarships]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-school-choice-opportunity</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-school-choice-opportunity</guid><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:18:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3245d815-5629-4b8e-91bb-d6907f225ee6_1406x418.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s been a long time since I last wrote here because life sometimes takes over&#8230; I spent a lot of time going on long walks with my kids this summer, and I am now convinced that the best way to parent a teenager is to go on long walks. Everybody is calmer after some exercise, and it&#8217;s the best way to have a conversation - like the best way to talk to a little kid is when putting them to sleep. If you have any advice on raising teenage boys, send it my way!</p><p>Last week the Treasury Department released the regulations for the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, and there is great news for parents. I wrote about it at City Journal:</p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-new-york-school-choice-kathy-hochul">&#8220;The new regulations contain several pieces of good news for parents. First, married couples filing jointly can now redirect up to $3,400 of their federal tax liability to scholarship-granting organizations. Second, the regulations clarify that states opting in to the program cannot impose requirements on scholarship-granting organizations in addition to the federal law. That means governors won&#8217;t be able to limit eligibility.&#8221;</a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-new-york-school-choice-kathy-hochul&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-new-york-school-choice-kathy-hochul"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>It&#8217;s the unions and the lack of school accountability!</h2><p>Nicole Hannah-Jones&#8217; essay about her experience sending her daughter to a low-performing school in NYC has generated <strong><a href="https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/comprehensive-list-responses-nikole-hannah-jones-article">more than 80 responses</a>.</strong> I wrote on <strong><a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/cityjournal">City Journal Substack</a></strong> that the lack of accountability and the absurd regulations created by union contracts drive much of the dysfunction her daughter experienced.</p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:217387620,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://cityjournal.substack.com/p/the-unmentioned-villain-in-nikole&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6236832,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;City Journal Substack&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rO7N!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0aec2978-c0e6-4514-a875-f9c0535aa7b8_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The Unmentioned Villain in Nikole Hannah-Jones&#8217;s Story&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;Nikole Hannah-Jones&#8217;s regret at her decision to enroll her daughter in a low-performing public school, recently detailed in a long essay in the New York Times magazine, is probably a surprise to her. But among black New Yorkers, Hannah-Jones is the outlier. Over the past 20 years, as overall K-8 enrollment in New York City sch&#8230;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-25T14:31:22.796Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:49,&quot;comment_count&quot;:8,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:34350481,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Danyela Souza Egorov&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;families4newyork&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O530!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97ead609-ace1-4932-b431-5356058869ac_1176x1176.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Founder of Families for NY, Fellow at Manhattan Institute, Vice-President of CEC District2&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2023-09-15T19:59:11.963Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2023-10-06T11:43:53.604Z&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:1,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:1,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null},&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:2603158,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Families for New York&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://cityjournal.substack.com/p/the-unmentioned-villain-in-nikole?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rO7N!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0aec2978-c0e6-4514-a875-f9c0535aa7b8_256x256.png"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">City Journal Substack</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">The Unmentioned Villain in Nikole Hannah-Jones&#8217;s Story</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">Nikole Hannah-Jones&#8217;s regret at her decision to enroll her daughter in a low-performing public school, recently detailed in a long essay in the New York Times magazine, is probably a surprise to her. But among black New Yorkers, Hannah-Jones is the outlier. Over the past 20 years, as overall K-8 enrollment in New York City sch&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">a month ago &#183; 49 likes &#183; 8 comments &#183; Danyela Souza Egorov</div></a></div><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading </h2><p>I finished another Russian book my husband recommended: <strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Be-Preserved-Forever-Lev-Kopelev/dp/0397011407/ref=sr_1_1_so_ABIS_BOOK?crid=1PU2HVHTBETT3&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xAItp_sxyGMS951PsbyXiRAM5MFzV85msk0AoFPBaL8.fLnTYi5Q7oncj2_IcbETgrYd6KwL1_JW6Eo_xOOoUrw&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=to+be+preserved+forever&amp;qid=1791286153&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=to+be+preserved+forever%2Cstripbooks%2C94&amp;sr=1-1#">&#8220;To be preserved forever&#8221;</a></strong> by Lev Kopelev. The author was a major in the Soviet Army during WW2 and became one of the victims of Stalin&#8217;s purge. Kopelev fights the unfair accusations until the end while still believing in the Communist Party. Unfortunately the book is out of print but you can find used copies on Amazon.</p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:217424062,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/stop-spending-money-on-smaller-classes&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:35345,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Noahpinion&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l14h!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04281755-2cd6-42e5-a496-e69153abebb2_281x281.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Stop spending money on smaller classes&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;I&#8217;m a little late to this story, but New York Times columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote a very complex and interesting post about sending her daughter to a crappy New York City public school. She was motivated by egalitarian impulses, but it turned out to be bad for her daughter, and later she felt guilty about making her child pay the cost of her own s&#8230;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-28T22:27:25.724Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:432,&quot;comment_count&quot;:98,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:8243895,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Noah Smith&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;noahpinion&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/89fd964a-586f-461a-9f5a-ea4587d45728_397x441.png&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Econ blogger&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2021-04-20T04:22:21.972Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2022-11-30T18:41:46.880Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:258809,&quot;user_id&quot;:8243895,&quot;publication_id&quot;:35345,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:true,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:35345,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Noahpinion&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;noahpinion&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:&quot;www.noahpinion.blog&quot;,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;Economics and other interesting stuff&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/04281755-2cd6-42e5-a496-e69153abebb2_281x281.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:8243895,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:8243895,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#6B26FF&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2020-03-28T03:32:51.086Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:&quot;Noahpinion&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Noah Smith&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:&quot;Founding Member&quot;,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;enabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:null,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:null}}],&quot;twitter_screen_name&quot;:&quot;Noahpinion&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:10000,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:10000,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:1,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;bestseller&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:10000},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null}}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/stop-spending-money-on-smaller-classes?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l14h!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04281755-2cd6-42e5-a496-e69153abebb2_281x281.png" loading="lazy"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">Noahpinion</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">Stop spending money on smaller classes</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">I&#8217;m a little late to this story, but New York Times columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote a very complex and interesting post about sending her daughter to a crappy New York City public school. She was motivated by egalitarian impulses, but it turned out to be bad for her daughter, and later she felt guilty about making her child pay the cost of her own s&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">a month ago &#183; 432 likes &#183; 98 comments &#183; Noah Smith</div></a></div><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:218862001,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://governingright.substack.com/p/does-education-reform-have-regrets&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:2617491,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Governing Right&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gIWz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75094962-a7af-4b55-8c7f-c6760d439dfc_831x831.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Does Education Reform Have Regrets?&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;I recently wrote an essay for The Dispatch about the wave of regret washing over America&#8217;s political left&#8230;and the wave of regret building offshore of the political right.&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-10-06T08:01:50.720Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:4298947,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Andy Smarick&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;andysmarick&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6271059c-1ddd-43a8-a67d-76a682405668_1347x1459.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Andy Smarick has worked in eight government roles, written or edited four books, and helped launch three nonprofits. He is a dad, husband, guitarist, novelist, and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2024-05-12T19:23:48.114Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2024-08-07T15:15:50.340Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:2652536,&quot;user_id&quot;:4298947,&quot;publication_id&quot;:2617491,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:true,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:2617491,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Governing Right&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;governingright&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:null,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;On public leadership from inside the system&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/75094962-a7af-4b55-8c7f-c6760d439dfc_831x831.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:4298947,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:4298947,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#E8B500&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2024-05-12T19:24:56.558Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:null,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Andy Smarick&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:&quot;Founding Member&quot;,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;enabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;magaziney&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d8a987ba-ff8b-4af6-bc1b-bdb95d0fe128_638x166.png&quot;}},{&quot;id&quot;:7070994,&quot;user_id&quot;:4298947,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6928519,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:false,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:6928519,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Community Day&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;communityday&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:null,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;A Novel by Andy Smarick&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e274ddc1-b22c-4298-8680-6258a8a36e0f_648x648.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:4298947,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:null,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#FF6719&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2025-11-15T20:56:04.833Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:null,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Andy Smarick&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:&quot;ARS Fiction Supporter&quot;,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;enabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;newspaper&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/354b3fc1-2dd4-4195-9341-3111fa8c2a0d.tif&quot;}}],&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:null,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:null,&quot;subscriber&quot;:null}}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://governingright.substack.com/p/does-education-reform-have-regrets?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gIWz!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75094962-a7af-4b55-8c7f-c6760d439dfc_831x831.png" loading="lazy"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">Governing Right</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">Does Education Reform Have Regrets?</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">I recently wrote an essay for The Dispatch about the wave of regret washing over America&#8217;s political left&#8230;and the wave of regret building offshore of the political right&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">22 days ago &#183; 2 likes &#183; Andy Smarick</div></a></div><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:216948600,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://edadvance.substack.com/p/americas-high-achievers-are-doing-surprisingly-well-on-pisa&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:989502,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;ADVANCE&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zM_x!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F253c69f5-82ef-43eb-8a11-92b07db2897d_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;America&#8217;s high achievers are doing surprisingly well on PISA&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;The latest PISA results were mostly grim. The Program for International Student Assessment&#8212;the leading international test of fifteen-year-olds&#8217; academic performance, given in dozens of countries around the world&#8212;showed average scores falling to their lowest levels ever in reading, math, and science. The U.S. results were better, but not by much: Reading&#8230;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-23T14:25:40.466Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:1,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:97844316,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Brandon Wright&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;edadvance&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/52d67e7a-639e-4c96-b3dc-3dcc921d0c86_2574x2574.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Editorial Director of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, and editor and lead writer of our \&quot;Advance\&quot; Substack that monitors the progress of advanced education (a.k.a. &#8220;gifted&#8221; education) in America.&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2022-07-05T05:12:20.224Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2023-02-24T03:46:28.376Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:934229,&quot;user_id&quot;:97844316,&quot;publication_id&quot;:989502,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:true,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:989502,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;ADVANCE&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;edadvance&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:null,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;The ongoing progress of advanced education (a.k.a. \&quot;gifted\&quot; education) in America.&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/253c69f5-82ef-43eb-8a11-92b07db2897d_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:97844316,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:97844316,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#45D800&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2022-07-05T05:14:45.172Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:&quot;ADVANCE&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Brandon L. Wright&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:&quot;Founding Member&quot;,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;magaziney&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:null}}],&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:1,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:1,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null}}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://edadvance.substack.com/p/americas-high-achievers-are-doing-surprisingly-well-on-pisa?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zM_x!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F253c69f5-82ef-43eb-8a11-92b07db2897d_600x600.png" loading="lazy"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">ADVANCE</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">America&#8217;s high achievers are doing surprisingly well on PISA</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">The latest PISA results were mostly grim. The Program for International Student Assessment&#8212;the leading international test of fifteen-year-olds&#8217; academic performance, given in dozens of countries around the world&#8212;showed average scores falling to their lowest levels ever in reading, math, and science. The U.S. results were better, but not by much: Reading&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">a month ago &#183; 2 likes &#183; 1 comment &#183; Brandon Wright</div></a></div><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/09/28/these-states-show-how-reverse-decline-us-test-scores/">These states show how to reverse the decline in U.S. test scores</a> (The Washington Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/telluride-association-summer-program-students">Can Nerd Camp Be Saved?</a> (City Journal)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.educationnext.org/the-solution-nikole-hannah-jones-didnt-take-school-choice-charter-schools/">The Solution Nikole Hannah-Jones Didn&#8217;t Take</a> (Education Next)</strong></p><p></p></li></ul><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-school-choice-opportunity?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-school-choice-opportunity?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Son May Be Your Child’s Teacher This Year – Why That Should Worry You]]></title><description><![CDATA[Alina Adams explains the perverse impact of the class size law]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-son-may-be-your-childs-teacher</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-son-may-be-your-childs-teacher</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Alina Adams]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:33:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Families for New York is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>My son is an </span><a href="https://teachnyc.net/pathways-to-teaching/nyc-teaching-fellows/application"><span>NYC Teaching Fellow</span></a><span>. This September, he is teaching special education middle school math in the Bronx.</span></p><p><span>My son has a Bachelor&#8217;s Degree in math from one of America&#8217;s top STEM universities. My son is working on his Master&#8217;s of Science for Teachers in Math (grades 7-12)  and Special Ed, and taking separate graduate courses in math on top of that.</span></p><p><span>My son is passionate about his subject and, as someone who </span><a href="https://edpost.com/my-son-taught-his-own-damn-self-and-got-into-college/"><span>left high school to educate himself</span></a><span>, believes that schools must exist to serve the needs of students, not teachers, administration, or parents. He deliberately chose to use his degree to teach underserved 7th and 8th graders rather than &#8220;making rich people richer or helping AI destroy the planet.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>My son completed his seven weeks of training over the summer &#8211; working as an assistant teacher at a Washington Heights high school for their Regents Algebra sections &#8211; and passed his first set of mandatory exams, including Educating All Students; Mathematics; and Multi-Subject: Secondary Teachers (Grade 7&#8211;Grade 12): Literacy and English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Arts and Sciences (the latter with a perfect score).</span></p><p><span>My son did everything that was asked of him with dedication and commitment. And yet, there is no way that my son will be the teacher his students deserve.</span></p><p><span>Because he doesn&#8217;t yet possess the most important piece of being an effective educator: Experience.</span></p><p><span>Programs like Teach for America and various charter school networks are regularly excoriated over </span><a href="https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/charter-school-teacher-turnover-and-retention"><span>putting inexperienced teachers</span></a><span> in the classroom.</span></p><p><span>And yet public schools are doing the exact same thing.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg" width="1456" height="1941" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1941,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11079617,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/216328909?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wBEy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9135ab58-1b4a-4992-a23d-dbe2643d7b7e_6936x9248.jpeg 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>To add insult to injury, these most inexperienced of teachers aren&#8217;t being put in Specialized High Schools where the students </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/adams-have-we-been-misled-all-this-time-about-what-new-york-citys-gifted-talented-and-specialized-hs-exams-really-measure/"><span>basically teach themselves</span></a><span> (one of the primary reasons why </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/a-students-view-from-one-of-new-york-citys-top-high-schools-to-homeschooling-in-a-single-marking-period/"><span>my son dropped out of Stuyvesant</span></a><span>), or in wealthy elementary and middle schools where parents regularly </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/adams-a-math-problem-no-one-talks-about-why-does-the-number-of-low-performing-kids-at-good-schools-always-equal-the-number-who-receive-free-lunch/"><span>pick up the educational slack</span></a><span>.</span></p><p><span>They are being sent to low-income, underperforming schools. The teacher shortage there is so great that there is even a </span><a href="https://nycteachingfellows.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/23305860736027-Learn-more-about-the-Bronx-Cohort"><span>financial bonus</span></a><span> for being willing to work in the Bronx.</span></p><p><span>What this means is that the students who need effective teachers the most are the ones least likely to get them.</span></p><p><span>New York City&#8217;s latest </span><a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026/08/07/nyc-students-reading-test-scores-decline-amid-literacy-instruction-changes/"><span>state test scores</span></a><span> show a 6-point drop in reading proficiency for grades 3 through 8, while math scores for the same level remain flat.</span></p><p><span>Some </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/07/us-news/900-nyc-schools-failing-students-amid-grade-inflation-lax-accountability/"><span>43 percent of NYC kids</span></a><span> attend schools where most students are not performing at grade level.</span></p><p><span>Collective teacher efficacy </span><a href="https://visible-learning.org/2018/03/collective-teacher-efficacy-hattie/"><span>has been repeatedly proven</span></a><span> to be a more important factor in explaining student achievement than socioeconomic status. Student poverty is the </span><a href="https://peoplesworld.org/article/aft-s-weingarten-school-reformers-ignore-elephant-in-the-room/"><span>excuse most often given</span></a><span> to explain away NYC&#8217;s lowest-performing schools and absolve teachers of responsibility for them.</span></p><p><span>I am not blaming teachers. I am, however, blaming a system that puts the least competent &#8211; no matter how well-educated or enthusiastic &#8211; in front of students who are in desperate need of being instructed by the very best. This problem is getting worse annually as more </span><a href="https://www.nctq.org/research-insights/the-class-size-paradox-how-shrinking-class-sizes-could-hurt-new-york-citys-high-need-schools/"><span>brand new teachers</span></a><span> are hired to comply with the class size law.</span></p><p><span>No, I do not believe that teachers should be forced to work where they don&#8217;t want to be. That&#8217;s a recipe for disaster. (Though, for those who insist that integration is the sole key to solving America&#8217;s education crisis, I would like to go ahead and see students from low-performing schools moved into high-performing General Ed schools, where it will quickly become clear that it&#8217;s not a case of those schools having &#8220;better&#8221; curriculum &#8211; curriculum is mostly uniform across NYC public schools, with some exceptions &#8211; or more efficient teachers, but that it&#8217;s families with the means to pay for their </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/adams-the-surprising-numbers-behind-which-new-york-city-schools-actually-educate-students/"><span>children to be tutored outside of school</span></a><span> who are doing the heavy high-achievement lifting.)</span></p><p><span>I do, however, think that the same incentives currently being used to entice brand-new NYC Teaching Fellows to work at high-needs schools in the Bronx, should be employed for traditionally trained public school teachers. (This was </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/nyregion/nyc-teachers-union-contract.html"><span>attempted</span></a><span> by the de Blasio administration in 2018. Subsequent contract agreements shifted toward universal retention payments for all United Federation of Teachers members rather than isolated stipends)</span></p><p><span>Currently, some teachers are </span><a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026/08/18/nyc-uft-teacher-class-size-bonuses-eligibility/"><span>eligible for a $8,500 dollar bonus</span></a><span> if their class size exceeds the agreed upon cap, compliance with which has been kicked down the road for two more years. But since the most popular and highest-performing schools are the ones most likely to host overflowing classrooms, this bonus will do nothing for low-performing schools. In fact, it&#8217;s likely to exacerbate inequity, as experienced teachers leave undersubscribed, low-performing schools for wealthier, better-paying ones.</span></p><p><span>If we want more effective, more experienced, more skilled teachers in the neediest classrooms, we have to be willing to reward them for it.</span></p><p><span>One day, NYC Teaching Fellows like my son may be among that hallowed, effective cohort. Until then, they should hone their skills on those who need them the least, so that they might become good enough to work with those who require them the most.</span></p><p><em><br><span>Alina Adams is the author of &#8220;Getting Into NYC Kindergarten&#8221; &amp; &#8220;Getting Into NYC High School&#8221; and the upcoming &#8220;Admit None: An NYC School Secrets Mystery&#8221;. You can contact her at </span><a href="http://www.nycschoolsecrets.com/"><span>www.NYCSchoolSecrets.com</span></a></em></p><p></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Families for New York is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[New video of our report “An Education Agenda for New York City” ]]></title><description><![CDATA[And the new NY state test scores]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/new-video-of-our-report-an-education</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/new-video-of-our-report-an-education</guid><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:42:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/mtCizfCGkC8" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last month we released our report <strong><a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/an-education-agenda-for-new-york-city">&#8220;An Education Agenda for New York City</a></strong>&#8221; - if you don&#8217;t have the time to read the report, here is a video with the key takeaways:</p><div id="youtube2-mtCizfCGkC8" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;mtCizfCGkC8&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mtCizfCGkC8?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div><hr></div><h2>More than half of NY 3rd-5th graders can&#8217;t read proficiently</h2><p>I wrote with my colleague<strong> <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Jennifer Weber&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:271948278,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fb98138e-f1f4-4c65-81aa-d1696a020527_2522x2522.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;b66152a1-7742-4613-a0a7-640c314ae98a&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> </strong>about the new state test scores on the NY Post:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/opinion/our-children-are-failed-by-an-education-system-that-doesnt-care/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp" width="928" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:928,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:93548,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/opinion/our-children-are-failed-by-an-education-system-that-doesnt-care/&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/210584202?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mqC7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a7ef616-8520-4bed-846f-9c2c8aebcc89_928x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/opinion/our-children-are-failed-by-an-education-system-that-doesnt-care/&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/opinion/our-children-are-failed-by-an-education-system-that-doesnt-care/"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><p>I am still following my husband&#8217;s recommendations and read &#8220;<strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moscow-2042-Vladimir-Voinovich/dp/0156621657">Moscow 2042</a>,</strong>&#8221; a hilarious and absurd book about an exiled Soviet writer who travels to the future and sees what communism has become. The author, Vladimir Voinovich, smuggled the book &#8220;Life and Fate&#8221; out of the Soviet Union so it could be published - Life and Fate is one of my favorite books. The KGB then tried to poison Voinovich, but he survived and moved to West Germany.</p><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/note-to-democrats-supporting-unions-isnt-the-same-as-supporting-education/">Note to Democrats: Supporting Unions Isn&#8217;t the Same as Supporting Education</a></strong> <strong>(The74)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/09/us-news/ethics-complaint-given-to-hubby-of-woke-new-york-times-writer-behind-1619-project/">Woke NY Times&#8217; &#8216;1619 Project&#8217; writer&#8217;s husband hit with ethics complaint for plugging family biz during public education meeting</a><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/07/opinion/the-costs-of-mamdanis-free-day-care-keep-getting-higher/"> </a>(NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/us-news/mamdani-taps-israel-hating-anti-cop-radicals-for-nyc-school-board/">Mamdani taps Israel-hating, anti-cop radicals for NYC school board</a></strong> <strong>(NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/07/nyregion/nyc-student-reading-scores-drop.html">Reading Scores Drop for N.Y.C. Students Amid Revamp of Literacy Program </a></strong><em><strong>(NYT)</strong></em></p><p></p></li></ul><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/new-video-of-our-report-an-education?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/new-video-of-our-report-an-education?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[$1 billion for NY students]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thank Governor Hochul for opting in to the Federal Tax Credit Program]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/1-billion-for-ny-students</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/1-billion-for-ny-students</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:27:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Governor Hochul has said she intends to opt in to the <strong><a href="https://www.irs.gov/government-entities/federal-state-local-governments/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-fstc"><span>Federal Scholarship Tax Credit</span></a></strong> program, which could bring more than $1 billion from the federal government straight into the hands of NY low- and middle-income families.</p><p><strong><span>You can help this effort by </span><a href="https://scholarshiptaxcredit.org/new-york-opt-in/"><span>clicking here</span></a><span> to send her an email expressing your support.</span></strong> If NY doesn&#8217;t opt in, the <strong><a href="https://www.federationforchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/New-York-EFTC-Fact-Sheet.pdf">almost 3M federal taxpayers from NY </a></strong>will still be able to donate, and the money will go to kids in other states.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://scholarshiptaxcredit.org/new-york-opt-in/&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;One-click to thank Governor Hochul&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://scholarshiptaxcredit.org/new-york-opt-in/"><span>One-click to thank Governor Hochul</span></a></p><p>It&#8217;s really important to show your support because the teachers&#8217; union has launched a vicious campaign to flip Governor Hochul. They have <strong><a href="https://buffalonews.com/eedition/page_e56912d6-ce1c-5779-98b3-96bda5469c50.html"><span>ads</span></a></strong> that misinform the public and call the program a voucher. IT IS NOT A VOUCHER PROGRAM. </p><p>Public school students can use the funds to pay for tutoring, after-school activities, special education services, and other educational expenses. The majority of the <strong><a href="https://www.federationforchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/New-York-EFTC-Fact-Sheet.pdf">2.7 million eligible students</a></strong> in NY are enrolled in public schools.</p><p>I wrote with my colleague<strong> <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;John Ketcham&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:253731718,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MG7L!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F486334e8-26ab-4251-9338-bc2c8774e8d9_600x600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;4f436521-f633-4f10-bb45-dad863236098&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> </strong>about this on the NY Post:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/opinion/teacher-unions-shady-tactics-bully-hochul-into-hurting-nys-kids/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost_opinion" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg" width="1206" height="1414" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1414,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:245893,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/opinion/teacher-unions-shady-tactics-bully-hochul-into-hurting-nys-kids/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost_opinion&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/210203636?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3pI7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94eba9c6-1d21-4b81-b9b3-738b4500eb4a_1206x1414.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/opinion/teacher-unions-shady-tactics-bully-hochul-into-hurting-nys-kids/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost_opinion&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/opinion/teacher-unions-shady-tactics-bully-hochul-into-hurting-nys-kids/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost_opinion"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:209969736,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://cityjournal.substack.com/p/free-child-care-wont-keep-families&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6236832,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;City Journal Substack&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rO7N!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0aec2978-c0e6-4514-a875-f9c0535aa7b8_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Free Child Care Won&#8217;t Keep Families in New York&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;This week, 2,000 New York families opened their inboxes to learn that their toddlers had won seats in the city&#8217;s first free childcare program for two-year-olds. &#8220;Their lives will change forever,&#8221; Governor Kathy Hochul said. The program, launched with $73 million in state funding, part of a $1.2 billion state increase f&#8230;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-08-06T14:28:25.772Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:6,&quot;comment_count&quot;:4,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:271948278,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Jennifer Weber&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;jdweber&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:&quot;Dr. Jennifer Weber&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fb98138e-f1f4-4c65-81aa-d1696a020527_2522x2522.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Ph.D. | Fellow, Manhattan Institute| Writing on education, behavior, and culture.&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2024-09-29T01:39:21.474Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2025-02-28T15:50:57.950Z&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:1,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:1,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null},&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:3094192,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Every Action Builds&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://jdweber.substack.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://jdweber.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://cityjournal.substack.com/p/free-child-care-wont-keep-families?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rO7N!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0aec2978-c0e6-4514-a875-f9c0535aa7b8_256x256.png" loading="lazy"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">City Journal Substack</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">Free Child Care Won&#8217;t Keep Families in New York</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">This week, 2,000 New York families opened their inboxes to learn that their toddlers had won seats in the city&#8217;s first free childcare program for two-year-olds. &#8220;Their lives will change forever,&#8221; Governor Kathy Hochul said. The program, launched with $73 million in state funding, part of a $1.2 billion state increase f&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">3 months ago &#183; 6 likes &#183; 4 comments &#183; Jennifer Weber</div></a></div><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://fee.org/articles/who-decides-what-makes-a-good-school/">Who Decides What Makes A &#8220;Good&#8221; School?</a></strong> <strong>(Foundation for Economic education)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/07/opinion/the-costs-of-mamdanis-free-day-care-keep-getting-higher/">The costs of Mamdani&#8217;s &#8216;free&#8217; day care keep getting higher </a>(NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/success-builds-in-the-south-bronx-8b971734?mod=commentary_article_pos10">Success Builds in the South Bronx</a></strong> <strong>(WSJ)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/reading-crisis-changing-conversation">The reading crisis is changing the conversation</a></strong> <strong>(Flypaper)</strong></p></li></ul><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/1-billion-for-ny-students?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/1-billion-for-ny-students?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mamdani asked every agency to save 2.5% of their budget]]></title><description><![CDATA[Here is how to cut the largest agency: The Department of Education]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-asked-every-agency-to-save</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-asked-every-agency-to-save</guid><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:57:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3woI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3e73942-a563-4c58-873a-5e5c9a89bc2f_1206x1014.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Mayor Mamdani has <strong><a href="https://www.amny.com/news/mamdani-agencies-savings-multibillion-gap/"><span>asked</span></a></strong> every city agency to find an additional 2.5% in savings in the current fiscal year as NYC&#8217;s budget situation worsens.</p><p>The largest agency is the Department of Education, which accounts for 1/3 of the city&#8217;s budget.</p><p>I wrote with my colleague <strong><a href="http://"><span>Jennifer Weber</span></a></strong> on<strong><span> </span><a href="http://"><span>City Journal</span></a></strong> about how the Mayor can cut the Department of Education.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/mamdani-new-york-education-budget" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3woI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3e73942-a563-4c58-873a-5e5c9a89bc2f_1206x1014.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3woI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3e73942-a563-4c58-873a-5e5c9a89bc2f_1206x1014.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3woI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3e73942-a563-4c58-873a-5e5c9a89bc2f_1206x1014.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3woI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3e73942-a563-4c58-873a-5e5c9a89bc2f_1206x1014.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3woI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3e73942-a563-4c58-873a-5e5c9a89bc2f_1206x1014.jpeg" width="1206" height="1014" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a3e73942-a563-4c58-873a-5e5c9a89bc2f_1206x1014.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1014,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:151409,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/mamdani-new-york-education-budget&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/209767786?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3e73942-a563-4c58-873a-5e5c9a89bc2f_1206x1014.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/mamdani-new-york-education-budget&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/mamdani-new-york-education-budget"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><p>I am almost done with Whitaker Chambers&#8217; memoir &#8220;<strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Cold-Classics-Whittaker-Chambers/dp/162157296X"><span>Witness</span></a></strong>&#8221;. He had an adventurous life, joining the Communist Party in his 20s, running an underground espionage ring in DC, then leaving the party and becoming a Time magazine editor and a witness in the Alger Hiss trial.</p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:208075709,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thenext30years.substack.com/p/if-children-were-angels&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3492834,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Next 30 Years&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HvZW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a60564c-7b43-43eb-90e3-8e68a5b9c27e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;If Children Were Angels&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;&#8220;If men were angels,&#8221; James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 51, &#8220;no government would be necessary.&#8221; The same might be said of student discipline. If children were naturally orderly, patient, truthful, and inclined to subordinate their impulses to the common good, discipline would scarcely be required. Yet a persistent strain of educational thought&#8212;from &#8230;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-24T11:30:40.155Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:63,&quot;comment_count&quot;:9,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:3024781,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Robert Pondiscio&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;robertpondiscio&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/eec48ae0-4d90-456e-bd72-5c3cd879cf6b_1600x1600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Robert Pondiscio is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on K&#8211;12 education, curriculum, teaching, school choice, and charter schooling. He began his education career as a South Bronx public school teacher. &quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2024-07-13T11:14:53.633Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2024-04-15T00:24:13.525Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:3560290,&quot;user_id&quot;:3024781,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3492834,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:true,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:3492834,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;The Next 30 Years&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;thenext30years&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:null,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;A platform seeking to bridge the gaps between education practice, policy, and research.&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6a60564c-7b43-43eb-90e3-8e68a5b9c27e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:3024781,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:3024781,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#FF6719&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2024-12-09T19:37:42.338Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:null,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Robert Pondiscio&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:null,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;newspaper&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/15960d6d-0ebc-49b5-8678-908790520d7a_1100x220.jpeg&quot;}}],&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:5,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:5,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null}}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://thenext30years.substack.com/p/if-children-were-angels?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HvZW!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a60564c-7b43-43eb-90e3-8e68a5b9c27e_600x600.png"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">The Next 30 Years</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">If Children Were Angels</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">&#8220;If men were angels,&#8221; James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 51, &#8220;no government would be necessary.&#8221; The same might be said of student discipline. If children were naturally orderly, patient, truthful, and inclined to subordinate their impulses to the common good, discipline would scarcely be required. Yet a persistent strain of educational thought&#8212;from &#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">3 months ago &#183; 63 likes &#183; 9 comments &#183; Robert Pondiscio</div></a></div><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://read.nxtbook.com/ncea/momentum/spring_2025/a_choice_opportunity_for_parents_whose_time_has_come_sister_dale.html">A Choice Opportunity for Parents Whose Time Has Come</a></strong> <strong>(Momentum)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/opinion/texas-schools-book-list-bible-reading.html">The Most Radical Thing About Texas&#8217; Book List Isn&#8217;t the Bible</a> (NYT)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2026/07/30/mission-high-uc-berkeley-admissions-dropout/?taid=6a6b9213d247b30001e6c93d&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">Mission High leads California in UC Berkeley admissions. But many don&#8217;t graduate</a> (The SF Standard)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-million-dollar-talent-wars-for-20-something-math-geniuses-5cc5a757">The Million-Dollar Talent Wars for 20-Something Math Geniuses</a> (WSJ)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/school-discipline-student-behavior-prison">Students Need Consequences, Not &#8220;Restorative Justice&#8221;</a> (City Journal)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-asked-every-agency-to-save?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-asked-every-agency-to-save?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The School System Built for a City That No Longer Exists]]></title><description><![CDATA[And the NYT article about the Manhattan Institute's New York-focused wonks]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/the-school-system-built-for-a-city</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/the-school-system-built-for-a-city</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:45:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UdXv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01217677-1675-4465-b3e5-e72adb2d7a82_1119x2015.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Earlier this month we launched a report <strong><a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/an-education-agenda-for-new-york-city"><span>An Education Agenda for New York City</span></a><span> </span></strong><span>with an analysis of </span>the main trends in spending, enrollment, and academic results, and how to fix the structural inefficiencies in the system.</p><p><strong><span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Jennifer Weber&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:271948278,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fb98138e-f1f4-4c65-81aa-d1696a020527_2522x2522.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;7c7b9a53-6892-4585-bc94-777fe9e92d2d&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span></strong> and I have a <strong><a href="https://searchlight.citizensunion.org/the-school-system-built-for-a-city-that-no-longer-exists/">new article</a></strong> on Searchlight with a summary from our report.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://searchlight.citizensunion.org/the-school-system-built-for-a-city-that-no-longer-exists/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UdXv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01217677-1675-4465-b3e5-e72adb2d7a82_1119x2015.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UdXv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01217677-1675-4465-b3e5-e72adb2d7a82_1119x2015.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UdXv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01217677-1675-4465-b3e5-e72adb2d7a82_1119x2015.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UdXv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01217677-1675-4465-b3e5-e72adb2d7a82_1119x2015.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UdXv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01217677-1675-4465-b3e5-e72adb2d7a82_1119x2015.jpeg" width="1119" height="2015" 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2>&#8220;But it means that you need to not be an idiot.&#8221;</h2><p>The NYT has an <strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/nyregion/mamdani-manhattan-institute-affordability.html">article</a></strong> about the<strong> <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Manhattan Institute&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:390223675,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/086c1e38-00ef-4080-87da-3192b66c5779_400x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;9275b1c3-0f6b-475a-a341-7066f8de2f68&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span></strong> where I am blessed to be a fellow. I have been there for a short time but have really enjoyed the collaboration with other people who are also very focused on making NYC better. </p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this month</h2><p>Kids are at camp which means I am reading a lot - and eagerly checking the camp app for pictures :)</p><p>My husband has the best Russian literature recommendations and I just finished &#8220;<strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/One-Day-Life-Ivan-Denisovich/dp/0451228146"><span>One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich</span></a></strong><span>&#8221; by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. It&#8217;s a short book that really takes you inside one &#8220;good day&#8221; in the gulags in the 1950s. It was the first book published about the gulags in the Soviet Union. </span></p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:207691560,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/nyc-school-attendance-crisis-shsat&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6228335,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Who Are NYC&#8217;s 300,000 Chronically Absent Students?&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;Whenever debates over educational equity erupt in New York City, the conversation inevitably turns to the city&#8217;s specialized high schools.&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-23T16:06:10.352Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:17,&quot;comment_count&quot;:3,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:8943754,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Liena Zagare&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;lienazagare&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:&quot;liena&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7c122945-41e4-4e85-bc76-ca72b718a470_638x750.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Fascinated by cities and curious about the policies shaping New York's future. Editor at @thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2024-10-10T17:27:58.215Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2024-10-10T17:18:27.932Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:6424803,&quot;user_id&quot;:8943754,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6228335,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;contributor&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:true,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:6228335,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;biggerapplenewsletter&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:&quot;thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute&quot;,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;Policy shapes New York. We help you navigate it. &quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:390223675,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:253731718,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#FF6719&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2025-09-08T19:07:57.146Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple &quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc.&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:null,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;newspaper&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:null}},{&quot;id&quot;:3566862,&quot;user_id&quot;:8943754,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3498939,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:false,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:3498939,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;The New York Editorial Board&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;nyeditorialboard&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:null,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;The New York Editorial Board is a group of veteran journalists interviewing candidates, elected and appointed officials, and other New York civic leaders.&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/28e01889-cb74-4e54-93b5-dee8ac629224_500x500.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:298059325,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:298059325,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#FF6719&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2024-12-10T19:35:07.653Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:&quot;The New York Editorial Board&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;The New York Editorial Board&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:null,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:&quot;newspaper&quot;,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:null}}],&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:null}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/nyc-school-attendance-crisis-shsat?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png" loading="lazy"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">The Bigger Apple</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">Who Are NYC&#8217;s 300,000 Chronically Absent Students?</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">Whenever debates over educational equity erupt in New York City, the conversation inevitably turns to the city&#8217;s specialized high schools&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">3 months ago &#183; 17 likes &#183; 3 comments &#183; Liena Zagare</div></a></div><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://fortune.com/2026/07/26/why-dont-college-students-read-amherst-college/">I&#8217;ve been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book</a></strong> <strong>(Fortune)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://buffalonews.com/opinion/editorial/article_82c3de59-700c-49b4-8e62-2fe682061401.html">Hochul: Don&#8217;t delay education tax credit</a> (Buffalo News)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-answer-to-the-academic-achievement-gap-is-obvious-7c0f2f3a?st=ksYtYq&amp;reflink=article_imessage_share">The Answer to the Academic Achievement Gap Is Obvious</a> (WSJ)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/in-diary-fauci-bragged-of-role-in-school-closures-at-hearing-he-took-the-5th/">In Diary, Fauci Bragged of Role in School Closures. At Hearing, He Took the 5th</a> (The74)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/52-million-u-s-kids-eligible-for-new-scholarships-but-california-hasnt-opted-in/">52 Million U.S. Kids Eligible for New Scholarships</a> (The74)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/the-school-system-built-for-a-city?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/the-school-system-built-for-a-city?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The SHSAT crisis starts in kindergarten]]></title><description><![CDATA[And how to fix NYC public school problems]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/the-shsat-crisis-starts-in-kindergarten</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/the-shsat-crisis-starts-in-kindergarten</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:30:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ff35a0e3-d6f7-4e1f-8d30-70ec6ad08473_1206x825.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The latest stats for the SHSAT schools were published, and we are seeing the same coverage that we always see: not enough students of color in these schools because the test is racist. </p><p>I wrote for<strong> <a href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/">The Bigger Apple</a></strong> about how we can&#8217;t understand the results of the SHSAT without considering the racial disparities in the absenteeism problem, which starts in kindergarten. </p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:207061108,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/the-shsat-crisis-starts-in-kindergarten&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6228335,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:2603158,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The SHSAT Crisis Starts in Kindergarten&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;Each year, when the NYC Department of Education releases admissions data for specialized high schools, the press and elected officials highlight the low enrollment of Black and Hispanic students. Just yesterday, the New York Times published a story titled &#8220;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-15T14:26:11.813Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:18,&quot;comment_count&quot;:9,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:34350481,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Danyela Souza Egorov&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;families4newyork&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:&quot;Danyela Egorov&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O530!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97ead609-ace1-4932-b431-5356058869ac_1176x1176.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Founder of Families for NY, Fellow at Manhattan Institute, Vice-President of CEC District2&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2023-09-15T19:59:11.963Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2023-10-06T11:43:53.604Z&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:1,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:1,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null},&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:2603158,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Families for New York&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/the-shsat-crisis-starts-in-kindergarten?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=2603158"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">The Bigger Apple</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">The SHSAT Crisis Starts in Kindergarten</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">Each year, when the NYC Department of Education releases admissions data for specialized high schools, the press and elected officials highlight the low enrollment of Black and Hispanic students. Just yesterday, the New York Times published a story titled &#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">3 months ago &#183; 18 likes &#183; 9 comments &#183; Danyela Souza Egorov</div></a></div><div><hr></div><h2>Our New Report on NYC public schools</h2><p>I have a <strong><a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/an-education-agenda-for-new-york-city">new report</a></strong> with my colleagues Jennifer Weber and Ray Domanico on the NYC public schools and our recommendations on how to improve the system. </p><p>We analyzed the main trends in spending, enrollment, and academic results, and wrote about the structural inefficiencies in the system and how to fix them.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://manhattan.institute/article/an-education-agenda-for-new-york-city" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg" width="1206" height="2294" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2294,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:432969,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://manhattan.institute/article/an-education-agenda-for-new-york-city&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/208673833?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TNxG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c6d8dee-19bd-49da-b7c3-94d85a2b7593_1206x2294.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this month</h2><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/michaela-community-school-london">Miracle: A British School That Works</a></strong> <strong>(City Journal)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/us-news/city-promotes-nearly-100-of-students-in-grades-3-8/">NYC promotes nearly 100% of students in grades 3-8 despite 40% of them failing standardized tests</a> (NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/americas-trillion-dollar-school-system-5-trends-explain-where-the-money-goes/?utm_source=Updates+from+50CAN&amp;utm_campaign=b3ffb59459-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_07_24_03_19&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_-b3ffb59459-495379554">America&#8217;s Trillion-Dollar School System: 5 Trends Explain Where the Money Goes</a> (The74)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/26/us-news/dsa-targeting-nyc-public-school-kids-in-radical-takeover/">DSA targets NYC public school kids in radical takeover</a> (NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-hidden-factor-in-student-success-family-structure-a19003c1?msockid=0e8c4668c67466773e5655b8c2746829">The Hidden Factor in Student Success: Family Structure </a>(WSJ)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/the-shsat-crisis-starts-in-kindergarten?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/the-shsat-crisis-starts-in-kindergarten?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[World Cup and edu news]]></title><description><![CDATA[NYC budget and teachers' union lawsuit against NY families]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/world-cup-and-edu-news</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/world-cup-and-edu-news</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:28:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have been spending way too much time watching soccer games with my boys, which explains the few newsletters I&#8217;ve sent over the past month. My husband is still amazed at how Brazilians stop their lives every 4 years to watch soccer and I am afraid I have now taught our sons to do the same&#8230;</p><p>But I want to share two articles that I wrote for <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;City Journal&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:105217759,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/01af5017-0953-4bd6-b38b-24e8b7db1a90_800x627.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;0337d00e-80ec-46e7-bf57-0903aa543512&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> last week.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-teachers-unions-charter-schools-lawsuit">I wrote about how the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) are using lawfare</a></strong> to prevent the opening of innovative charter schools that cater to families impacted by the childcare affordability crisis.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-teachers-unions-charter-schools-lawsuit" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg" width="1206" height="837" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:837,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:129944,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-teachers-unions-charter-schools-lawsuit&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/206844792?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JGnK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99e0edbb-36e7-4800-be2e-722b8afa5017_1206x837.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-city-budget-education-spending-schools">I also wrote about the latest NYC education budget</a></strong> which is the definition of insanity: funding more of the same things that are not educating our kids. This year budget has an increase of $894 million, bringing the total to $38.6 billion, while the DOE projections show a 4.2% <strong><a href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/the-cost-of-compliance-why-nyc-education?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web">decline</a></strong> in enrollment for the coming school year. The Washington Post also <strong><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/ripple/2026/07/09/new-york-city-budget-education-spending-schools/?utm_source=webview&amp;utm_campaign=tt_2510:control;rct:1:0:0:20260701&amp;no_nav=true&amp;utm_medium=referral_home">republished</a></strong> this article.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-city-budget-education-spending-schools" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg" width="1206" height="772" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:772,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:114918,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-city-budget-education-spending-schools&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/206844792?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7W6F!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58047fd-e316-405a-a8f8-78230e673d4a_1206x772.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this month</h2><p>I just finished &#8220;<strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Road-Serfdom-Documents-Definitive-Collected/dp/0226320553">Road to Serfdom</a></strong>&#8221; by Friedrich Hayek, a book published in 1944 about the dangers of a state controlled economy and its role on nazism and socialism. It&#8217;s a short book and still very relevant for our times.  </p><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/texas-has-theory-education">Texas has a theory of education</a></strong> <strong>(Fordham Institute)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2026/06/28/the_condition_of_education_in_the_us_is_worse_than_we_thought_1191357.html">The Condition of Education in the U.S. is Worse Than We Thought </a>(EdWeek)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618/">The End of Reading is Here</a> (The Atlantic)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/06/us-news/nyc-school-bosses-changed-f-grade-in-advanced-placement-class-then-targeted-teacher-who-exposed-the-scheme-lawsuit/">NYC school bosses changed F grade in advanced placement class, then targeted teacher who exposed the scheme: lawsuit </a>(NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/07/us-news/900-nyc-schools-failing-students-amid-grade-inflation-lax-accountability/">Staggering 900 NYC public schools failing students amid grade inflation, lax accountability</a> (NY Post)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/world-cup-and-edu-news?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/world-cup-and-edu-news?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[There are not enough G&T seats in NYC]]></title><description><![CDATA[Alina Adams runs the numbers and shows how NYC lacks seats for advanced students]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/there-are-not-enough-g-and-t-seats</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/there-are-not-enough-g-and-t-seats</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Alina Adams]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:34:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Last week, New York City families found out if &#8211; and where &#8211; their children had been offered a place in one of the public elementary school </span><a href="https://youtu.be/p6Gigq-uu_0?si=miTVZAI4wrXgcVbR"><span>citywide or district Gifted &amp; Talented programs</span></a><span>. The process used to select students at this grade level is notorious for </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/nycs-new-gifted-talented-admissions-bring-chaos-and-disregard-the-research/"><span>going against the documented science</span></a><span> on how it should be done.</span></p><p><span>But it&#8217;s also more or less moot. Very few spots are available for entry in grades 1 through 4. The majority of public school </span><a href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/no-matter-when-theyre-identified"><span>G&amp;T seats are allocated at the Kindergarten level</span></a><span>, using a different process than the one for higher grades.</span></p><p><span>Not that the K process is any better. In my 20+ years of working as a </span><a href="http://www.nycschoolsecrets.com/"><span>school consultant</span></a><span>, I have tried to explain to parents just how badly the odds are against them, no matter how &#8220;gifted&#8221; their child is.</span></p><p><span>To help drive the point home, I&#8217;ve broken it down by the numbers:</span></p><p><span>Even if you assume that intelligence testing for a 4/5 year old is valid (I don&#8217;t, and I have the </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/in-arguing-over-the-right-age-for-gifted-testing-gt-gatekeepers-miss-the-point/"><span>research to back it up</span></a><span>), then 1 percent of NYC kids would score in the 99th percentile.</span></p><p><span>In a city where some 70,000 students apply to every grade level, that means 700 kids. (That&#8217;s in theory, in practice over </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/nyc-has-a-gifted-education-crisis-amid-calls-to-expand-and-diversify-testing-a-more-shocking-stat-78-percent-of-kids-who-qualify-are-denied-seats-at-top-schools/"><span>twice that amount tested in the top percentile</span></a><span>, when compared to national norms.)</span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/HwaQcbQE73k?si=RoQs94OQ9EuY3L3l"><span>Hunter College Elementary School</span></a><span> only accepts 50 Kindergarteners. In all five of the public citywide, accelerated schools (i.e. Anderson, Nest+M, TAG, BSI and 30th Ave), there are about 300 seats total at the entry level.</span></p><p><span>Throw in the &#8220;Divine Dozen&#8221; of &#8220;top tier&#8221; (another term I don&#8217;t like) private schools for an additional 600 or so seats, and you&#8217;ve got under 1000 possibilities. (And that doesn&#8217;t take into account that you probably won&#8217;t be able to travel to all of them, and that some of the private schools are single-sex, so not available to you.)</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2391487,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/202431806?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1UH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5369401-b394-4d62-903c-d66486bf3ac1_5014x2821.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>But even Hunter CES moves </span><a href="https://epicenter-nyc.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-applying-to-hunter-college-elementary-school-for-2024/"><span>the top 2 percent</span></a><span> to their second round. So now you are talking about 1400 &#8220;highly gifted&#8221; NYC kids. Citywide G&amp;T&#8217;s used to accept the top 3 percent, so a theoretical 2100.</span></p><p><span>Back when there was a test for public school G&amp;T, the top 10 percent of applicants were eligible for district gifted program seats. So that&#8217;s 7000 &#8220;gifted&#8221; students competing for only 2500 public school spots citywide.</span></p><p><span>Now, with no test, just a teacher or parent nomination, over </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/nyc-teachers-believe-many-kids-are-gifted-talented-why-doesnt-the-district/"><span>10,000 qualify</span></a><span>... for the same 2500 placements in public school.</span></p><p><span>Whenever I talk to parents, they hem and they haw, and then, eventually, they come out with, &#8220;I know every parent thinks this, and I know every parent says this, but I really believe that my child is advanced -- and their teachers agree!&#8221;</span></p><p><span>My standard response is, &#8220;I believe you. I believe that the majority of NYC kids are </span><a href="https://edadvance.substack.com/p/all-students-deserve-a-gifted-education"><span>capable of doing work at a higher level than what public schools offer</span></a><span>. I believe that if you are spending the time and money to speak to me, your child has been parented well enough to qualify as &#8220;gifted&#8221; based on the tests we have available. Yes, they are advanced. But, the problem is, so are many of their peers. The good news is, whichever school you land at, odds are, most of your child&#8217;s peers will be equally &#8220;gifted&#8221; so you don&#8217;t have to worry about them feeling different or like the odd man out. The bad news is, if you have your heart set on a particular school, know that, yes, your child is likely perfectly qualified for it. But so are </span><a href="https://edadvance.substack.com/p/how-to-prevent-gifted-kid-burnout"><span>1000s of other children</span></a><span>.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>And, when it comes to private schools, if Admissions has a choice between a child in the 99th percentile needing financial aid, and a child in the 98th percentile who can pay full, whom do you think they will select? Is that 1 point on a meaningless test really worth giving up tens of thousands of dollars that can be used to keep the lights on for all students?</span></p><p><span>&#8220;But, that&#8217;s not fair!&#8221; the parents I speak to protest.</span></p><p><span>They&#8217;re right. It&#8217;s not.</span></p><p><span>But here is the problem: It&#8217;s unfair to everyone, not just you.</span></p><p><span>As long as parents focus only on getting the best education available for their child, and ignore the fact that the majority of children could benefit from an &#8220;accelerated&#8221; curriculum, they will be hurting all students.</span></p><p><span>I was born in the former Soviet Union. I am about as far away from a Marxist as it is possible to be. And, yet, if anything will get me to admit that ol&#8217; Karl might have had a teeny, tiny point about one thing, it is this: The people in charge ARE pitting families against each other, as a way to hoard privilege for themselves.</span></p><p><span>They do it when they pit </span><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/adams-when-nyc-honors-classes-gifted-talented-and-tracking-started-to-disappear-so-did-black-kids-from-the-citys-top-high-schools-coincidence/"><span>Asian immigrant families against Black and Hispanic families</span></a><span> over Specialized High School admissions.</span></p><p><span>They do it when they </span><a href="https://edadvance.substack.com/p/new-york-city-middle-school-gifted-gap"><span>remove middle school honors programs</span></a><span> in the name of &#8220;equity&#8221; and call anyone who doesn&#8217;t agree racist. (And if you&#8217;re a person of color who doesn&#8217;t agree, then you&#8217;re brainwashed. Or a tool.)</span></p><p><span>And they do it at the very earliest level, by imposing an artificial scarcity on &#8220;gifted&#8221; programming, despite their own metrics suggesting the majority of students would benefit from it, so that families will be kept busy fighting over scraps, instead of demanding an overhaul of the entire public school educational system.</span></p><p><span>We shouldn&#8217;t be arguing over what qualifies as &#8220;gifted&#8221; or who should have access to the pathetic programming that NYC deems as &#8220;advanced.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>We should be fighting to raise the bar for all children, at all schools. And give every child the education they need &#8211; and deserve.</span></p><p><br><em>Alina Adams is the author of &#8220;Getting into NYC Kindergarten&#8221; and &#8220;Getting into NYC High School,&#8221; and a <strong><a href="https://nycschoolsecrets.com/about/">school admissions consultant</a></strong>. Got questions for her about your child&#8217;s gifted education options - or anything else? Join her &#8220;Ask Me Anything (About NYC Schools)&#8221; workshop on Wednesday, June 24th. RSVP<strong> <a href="https://nycschoolsecrets.com/zoom-meetings/ask-me-anything-about-nyc-schools-june-2026/">here</a><span data-color="rgb(34, 34, 34)" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">.</span></strong></em></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Families for New York is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[NYC prioritizes politics over students]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why New York Public Schools Spend So Much to Achieve So Little]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/nyc-prioritizes-politics-over-students</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/nyc-prioritizes-politics-over-students</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:08:30 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This year I have travelled a lot for education conferences and gatherings and I always get the same question: &#8220;How does NYC spend so much in education if its results are so bad for kids?&#8221;</p><p>I explain this on my latest article for<strong> <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:6228335,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;pub&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.substack.com/pub/biggerapplenewsletter&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;0a371862-2942-425c-8a72-e1128f25eb9b&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span></strong>:</p><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:201630239,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/the-cost-of-compliance-why-nyc-education&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6228335,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:null,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Why New York Public Schools Spend So Much to Achieve So Little&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;A common question from education professionals outside New York is how the city can manage to spend over $42,000 per student while roughly half of its students fail to meet basic reading and math benchmarks. The answer is that the city is wasting a massive amount of money because it prioritizes politics over the needs of stude&#8230;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-06-11T23:30:13.786Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:14,&quot;comment_count&quot;:1,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:34350481,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Danyela Souza Egorov&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;families4newyork&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:&quot;Danyela Egorov&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O530!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97ead609-ace1-4932-b431-5356058869ac_1176x1176.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Founder of Families for NY, Fellow at Manhattan Institute, Vice-President of CEC District2&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2023-09-15T19:59:11.963Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2023-10-06T11:43:53.604Z&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:1,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:1,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null},&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:2603158,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Families for New York&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/the-cost-of-compliance-why-nyc-education?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">The Bigger Apple</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">Why New York Public Schools Spend So Much to Achieve So Little</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">A common question from education professionals outside New York is how the city can manage to spend over $42,000 per student while roughly half of its students fail to meet basic reading and math benchmarks. The answer is that the city is wasting a massive amount of money because it prioritizes politics over the needs of stude&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">4 months ago &#183; 14 likes &#183; 1 comment &#183; Danyela Souza Egorov</div></a></div><div><hr></div><h2>The NY Daily News Editorial Board calls for full repeal of Class Size Law</h2><p><strong><a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/06/05/class-size-law-delay-should-lead-to-full-repeal/">The NY Daily News had an excellent editorial</a></strong> outlining all the problems with the Class Size Law and calling for a full repeal of this law. Unfortunately I can&#8217;t imagine this happening with the current elected officials that we have in Albany - but it is important to highlight how this law is damaging our public schools and the city&#8217;s finances. </p><p>The only result of this law will be higher taxes, a more expensive DOE, and fewer seats at our best public schools. And, of course, higher revenues for the UFT which was the primary goal of the law.</p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:201664604,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://nataliewexler.substack.com/p/the-growth-vs-proficiency-debate&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:443300,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:null,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Minding the Gap&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c_T2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee9a0617-bc09-4ff7-ae9a-fb02fa56dd27_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The Growth vs. Proficiency Debate&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-06-12T16:27:04.504Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:83,&quot;comment_count&quot;:5,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:13823451,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Natalie Wexler&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;natwexler&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fd093bc1-29dd-455b-90ac-64e17f0b9b2b_1272x1575.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Author, Beyond the Science of Reading and The Knowledge Gap; co-author (with Judith Hochman), The Writing Revolution. Host of Season 1 of the Knowledge Matters Podcast.&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2021-04-29T15:07:46.244Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2022-03-18T22:36:30.086Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:369177,&quot;user_id&quot;:13823451,&quot;publication_id&quot;:443300,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:true,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:443300,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Minding the Gap&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;nataliewexler&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:null,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;A newsletter about education, cognitive science, and fairness from Natalie Wexler, author of The Knowledge Gap.&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ee9a0617-bc09-4ff7-ae9a-fb02fa56dd27_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:13823451,&quot;primary_user_id&quot;:13823451,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#EA82FF&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2021-08-13T21:45:29.720Z&quot;,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:null,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Natalie Wexler&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:null,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false,&quot;homepage_type&quot;:null,&quot;is_personal_mode&quot;:false,&quot;logo_url_wide&quot;:null}}],&quot;twitter_screen_name&quot;:&quot;natwexler&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:5,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:5,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;subscriber&quot;:null}}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://nataliewexler.substack.com/p/the-growth-vs-proficiency-debate?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c_T2!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee9a0617-bc09-4ff7-ae9a-fb02fa56dd27_1280x1280.png" loading="lazy"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">Minding the Gap</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">The Growth vs. Proficiency Debate</div></div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">4 months ago &#183; 83 likes &#183; 5 comments &#183; Natalie Wexler</div></a></div><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/a-surprising-sliver-of-hope-in-new-naep-scores-for-the-lowest-performing-kids/">A Surprising Sliver of Hope in New NAEP Scores for the Lowest-Performing Kids</a> (The74)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://fordhaminstitute.org/ohio/commentary/fact-check-traditional-public-schools-arent-open-everyone">Fact check: Traditional public schools aren&#8217;t open to everyone</a></strong> <strong>(Fordham Institute)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.educationnext.org/tough-times-for-an-education-budget-hawk/">Tough Times for an Education Budget Hawk</a> (EdWeek)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/nyc-prioritizes-politics-over-students?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/nyc-prioritizes-politics-over-students?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My appearance on the Schooled podcast]]></title><description><![CDATA[Speaking with friends about all things NY education and why I am hopeful about the future of our country's education]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-schooled-podcast</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-schooled-podcast</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Danyela Souza Egorov]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:55:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a381bae267780757f195d4a9f" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had the pleasure of talking to old and new friends at the <strong><a href="https://placenyc.org/schooled-podcast/">Schooled</a></strong> podcast.  We talked about the problems in NYC with declining enrollment and the class size law, but also about what makes me excited about the future of education in our country: expansion of school choice and all the innovation that it is unleashing.</p><iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a381bae267780757f195d4a9f&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The Impending Enrollment Apocalypse&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Krosstown Studios&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/58CWDe5Xge0CnSX5fBKcON&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false,&quot;isVideo&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/58CWDe5Xge0CnSX5fBKcON" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/schooled-inside-the-nations-largest-school-district/id1867030244?i=1000771151694&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Listen to the Podcast&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/schooled-inside-the-nations-largest-school-district/id1867030244?i=1000771151694"><span>Listen to the Podcast</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:199492280,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/nyc-charter-students-spend-hundreds&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:6228335,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:null,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Bigger Apple&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;NYC Charter School Students Spend Hundreds More Hours in Class. It Shows.&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;Charter schools and DOE schools operate under the same state law, in the same neighborhoods, and serve broadly similar student populations, yet produce strikingly different results.&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-06-01T15:17:56.471Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:11,&quot;comment_count&quot;:8,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:271948278,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Jennifer Weber&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;jdweber&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:&quot;Dr. Jennifer Weber&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fb98138e-f1f4-4c65-81aa-d1696a020527_2522x2522.jpeg&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Ph.D. | Fellow, Manhattan Institute| Writing on education, behavior, and culture.&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2024-09-29T01:39:21.474Z&quot;,&quot;reader_installed_at&quot;:&quot;2025-02-28T15:50:57.950Z&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;status&quot;:{&quot;bestsellerTier&quot;:null,&quot;subscriberTier&quot;:1,&quot;leaderboard&quot;:null,&quot;vip&quot;:false,&quot;badge&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;subscriber&quot;,&quot;tier&quot;:1,&quot;accent_colors&quot;:null},&quot;paidPublicationIds&quot;:[1376077,1524130,260347],&quot;subscriber&quot;:null},&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:3094192,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Every Action Builds&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://jdweber.substack.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://jdweber.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:null}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM"><a class="embedded-post" native="true" href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/nyc-charter-students-spend-hundreds?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web"><div class="embedded-post-header"><img class="embedded-post-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lRZ!,w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb56378f7-c034-4722-8843-bbf77883f597_256x256.png"><span class="embedded-post-publication-name">The Bigger Apple</span></div><div class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div class="embedded-post-title">NYC Charter School Students Spend Hundreds More Hours in Class. It Shows.</div></div><div class="embedded-post-body">Charter schools and DOE schools operate under the same state law, in the same neighborhoods, and serve broadly similar student populations, yet produce strikingly different results&#8230;</div><div class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div class="embedded-post-meta">5 months ago &#183; 11 likes &#183; 8 comments &#183; Jennifer Weber</div></a></div><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/diminishing-power-teacher-unions">The diminishing power of teacher unions</a> (Flypaper)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://junipercivic.com/news/when-the-police-teach-kids-there-are-no-consequences">When the Police Teach Kids There Are No Consequences</a> (Juniper)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/supreme-court-religious-freedom-first-amendment-oklahoma-florida-iowa">These States Are Leading on Restoring Religious Freedom</a> (CityJournal)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/02/us-news/powerful-uft-snags-teacher-pay-bumps-of-up-to-9-5k-in-deal-to-delay-nyc-class-size-law/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_medium=social">Powerful UFT snags teacher pay bumps of up to $9.5K in compromise deal to delay NYC class size law</a></strong> (NYPost)</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-schooled-podcast?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-schooled-podcast?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My appearance on Freedom to Learn podcast]]></title><description><![CDATA[Speaking with Ginny Gentles about NYC education and the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-freedom-to-learn</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-freedom-to-learn</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Danyela Souza Egorov]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 14:44:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/y1HsgG4bdHw" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had the opportunity to talk to<strong> <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Ginny Gentles&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:5371331,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1a206268-1a56-4dc7-b173-6845921cb7df_732x732.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;7e4ef721-4c1a-448f-8d7f-14927bfa65e5&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span></strong> about NYC public schools, the huge opportunity available with the Federal tax Credit Scholarships and chronic absenteeism. <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1HsgG4bdHw">Watch</a></strong> or <strong><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/danyela-souza-egorov-on-new-york-citys-soaring-spending/id1778776059?i=1000769940585">listen</a></strong> to the podcast!</p><div id="youtube2-y1HsgG4bdHw" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;y1HsgG4bdHw&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/y1HsgG4bdHw?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/danyela-souza-egorov-on-new-york-citys-soaring-spending/id1778776059?i=1000769940585&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Listen to the Podcast&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/danyela-souza-egorov-on-new-york-citys-soaring-spending/id1778776059?i=1000769940585"><span>Listen to the Podcast</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><p>This is one of those essays that are really worth your time. I couldn&#8217;t stop thinking about this quote:</p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know why he stopped developing, and I&#8217;ve found it&#8217;s best not to think about it. We now have the world&#8217;s biggest three-year-old, we like to say. Whenever I get angry at God about that, I quickly remind myself that this is also how we learned our most important life lesson: As George Will once put it with respect to his own son (who has Down&#8217;s Syndrome), a less-than-perfect life is still very much worth living.&#8221;</p></div><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/05/22/judsons_last_ride_154150.html">Judson&#8217;s Last Ride</a> (RealClearPolitics)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-freedom-to-learn?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-freedom-to-learn?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[NAEP expansion is great news]]></title><description><![CDATA[But there is a catch: governors have to opt in to get state level data]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/naep-expansion-is-great-news</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/naep-expansion-is-great-news</guid><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 13:22:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The National Assessment Governing Board <strong><a href="https://www.nagb.gov/content/dam/nagb/en/documents/newsroom/press-releases/2026/release-board-meeting-actions-051526.pdf">announced</a></strong> that it will start publishing National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) state-level data on 12th-grade math and reading and eighth-grade science, and will add an eighth- and 12th-grade civics exam.</p><p>But there is a catch: governors have to opt in to get the state level data.</p><p>We should celebrate this NAEP expansion, given that education is usually 1/3 of state/ city expenses but occupies a small part of news coverage. I explain this on my <strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/naep-nations-report-card-math-reading-science-civics">latest article</a></strong> for <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;City Journal Substack&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:6236832,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;pub&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.substack.com/pub/cityjournal&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0aec2978-c0e6-4514-a875-f9c0535aa7b8_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;9f61b9fc-5624-4ae7-93e2-bf0c34d358a5&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span>:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/naep-nations-report-card-math-reading-science-civics" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg" width="1206" height="807" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:807,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:120428,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/naep-nations-report-card-math-reading-science-civics&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/199459294?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FVF2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47b94170-3c21-47b4-9829-06a6dd90e7f9_1206x807.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.city-journal.org/article/naep-nations-report-card-math-reading-science-civics&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/naep-nations-report-card-math-reading-science-civics"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/in-nyc-schools-suspensions-are-down-why-are-assaults-rising">In NYC Schools, Suspensions Are Down. Why Are Assaults Rising? </a>(Washington Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/opinion/grades-school-test-scores.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lVA.cXdo.lDvV393CWTL1&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share">It&#8217;s Becoming Impossible to Know How Your Kid Is Doing in School </a>(NYT)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/22/opinion/when-will-taxpayers-revolt-over-the-obscene-tragedy-of-nyc-schools/?utm_campaign=nypost_opinion&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social">When will taxpayers revolt over the obscene tragedy of NYC schools?</a> (NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/how-teachers-unions-became-political">How Teachers&#8217; Unions Became Political Big Spenders</a> (The Free Press)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-reading-scores-are-awful-can-teaching-history-help/2026/05">Reading Scores Are Awful. Can Teaching History Help?</a> (EdWeek)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/naep-expansion-is-great-news?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/naep-expansion-is-great-news?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Where are the students?]]></title><description><![CDATA[NYC schools are losing 4% of its students next year. The budget is growing 8%.]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/where-are-the-students</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/where-are-the-students</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 13:37:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last year the NYC Department of Education projections for school year 25-26 totaled 766,730 students. The school year 26-27 projections have a total of 734,551 students.<br><br>This is a 4.2% enrollment drop.<br><br>But the 26-27 proposed budget for the DOE has a $3 billion, or 8% increase.</p><p>I explained how NYC and other cities can&#8217;t afford this disconnect between enrollment and budget on my <strong><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-ghost-classrooms-haunting-americas-education-system?row=0&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay">latest article</a></strong> for the DailyWire:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-ghost-classrooms-haunting-americas-education-system?row=0&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg" width="1206" height="729" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:729,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:132663,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-ghost-classrooms-haunting-americas-education-system?row=0&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/198258017?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wMhI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dad777e-c208-4d36-9f13-45ebf855058e_1206x729.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-ghost-classrooms-haunting-americas-education-system?row=0&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-ghost-classrooms-haunting-americas-education-system?row=0&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><p>Unfortunately our Mayor still hasn&#8217;t realized that this is financially unsustainable and bragged on a <strong><a href="https://x.com/nycmayor/status/2054255351340421585?s=46">video</a></strong> that he didn&#8217;t follow the advice that my colleagues and I provided in our <strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/06/opinion/how-to-cut-nycs-insane-38b-school-budget-down-to-size/">articles</a></strong> in the NY Post. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://x.com/nycmayor/status/2054255351340421585?s=46" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7v-N!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff33789c1-e010-4026-ae0a-1b292ff8420f_1206x675.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7v-N!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff33789c1-e010-4026-ae0a-1b292ff8420f_1206x675.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7v-N!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff33789c1-e010-4026-ae0a-1b292ff8420f_1206x675.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7v-N!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff33789c1-e010-4026-ae0a-1b292ff8420f_1206x675.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7v-N!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff33789c1-e010-4026-ae0a-1b292ff8420f_1206x675.jpeg" width="1206" height="675" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f33789c1-e010-4026-ae0a-1b292ff8420f_1206x675.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:675,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:148590,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/nycmayor/status/2054255351340421585?s=46&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/198258017?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2cf0e7a7-295f-41df-a2b4-75ee0ad78ab5_1206x2224.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" 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pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Instead, he used gimmicks to &#8220;balance&#8221; the budget and is putting our city in a dangerous fiscal trajectory as <strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/mamdani-closes-12-billion-new-york-city-budget-gap">Eric Kober explains</a></strong>.</p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p><em>&#8220;Enough uncertainty exists for New Yorkers to be concerned at Mamdani&#8217;s blithe confidence that he can keep spending more than the city takes in, balancing the budget with one-shots, borrowing, and tax hikes.&#8221;</em></p></div><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-rapid-growth-low-proficiency/">America&#8217;s fastest-improving school system still falls short</a> (The Hechinger Report)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/3rd-grade-retention-isnt-really-about-kids-its-about-adults-who-teach-them/">3rd-Grade Retention Isn&#8217;t Really About Kids &#8212; It&#8217;s About Adults Who Teach Them</a> (The74)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/us-news/nyc-dumping-record-43b-into-public-schools-at-whopping-44k-per-pupil-despite-plummeting-enrollment-poor-test-results/?utm_source=Updates+from+50CAN&amp;utm_campaign=b5ed8a196c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_05_16_02_33&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_-b5ed8a196c-495379554">NYC dumping record $43B into public schools &#8212; at a whopping $44K per pupil &#8212; despite plummeting enrollment, poor test results</a> (NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/gop-governors-higher-education-reform">How GOP Governors Can Rescue Higher Education</a> (City Journal)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/upshot/test-scores-school-districts-us.html">Why U.S. Test Scores Are in a &#8216;Generation-Long Decline&#8217;</a> (NYT)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/where-are-the-students?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/where-are-the-students?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Too many schools for fewer and fewer kids]]></title><description><![CDATA[My new report discuss the challenges created by declining enrollment]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/too-many-schools-for-fewer-and-fewer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/too-many-schools-for-fewer-and-fewer</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Danyela Souza Egorov]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 13:22:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Today my new report for the Manhattan Institute was published: <strong><a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/what-to-do-about-nycs-empty-schools?utm_source=press_release&amp;utm_medium=email">What to Do About NYC&#8217;s Empty Schools</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://manhattan.institute/article/what-to-do-about-nycs-empty-schools?utm_source=press_release&amp;utm_medium=email" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png" width="1456" height="553" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cYLR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4d59da5-ecc4-41d6-b709-8f4fbd76e190_1684x640.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The report shows how enrollment is declining across the country and discuss the impact of this trend in NYC public schools. The city has an increasing number of schools that are too small to be financially viable and the report offers recommendations on how the district can develop a plan to close and merge these schools.</p><div><hr></div><h1>Mamdani keeps bankrolling failure in NYC&#8217;s schools</h1><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/11/opinion/mamdani-keeps-bankrolling-failure-in-nycs-schools/">Here </a></strong>is my latest article on the NY Post on how the Mayor, the Chancellor, and the PEP are avoiding the hard decisions that our city needs: close under enrolled and underperforming schools, expand the schools that are in high demand.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/11/opinion/mamdani-keeps-bankrolling-failure-in-nycs-schools/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png" width="1456" height="426" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hwxx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09c3d62c-b786-45f1-9a0f-35f43ece3287_1564x458.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/mamdani-can-make-moms-into-millionaires-4a02840d">Mamdani Can Make Moms Into Millionaires</a> (WSJ)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/habits-for-humanity-in-the-age-of-ai-8d6aa2d9?mod=Searchresults&amp;pos=1&amp;page=1">Habits for Humanity in the Age of AI </a>(WSJ)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/05/06/city-parenting-has-become-a-financial-flex?giftId=MzMxY2JmZWItYjk2MC00MDU5LWEwOTctZjQzODk3NzlhOGEz&amp;utm_campaign=gifted_article">City parenting has become a financial flex</a></strong> <strong>(The Economist)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/kathy-hochul-new-york-scholarship-granting-organizations">Hochul Chooses Kids Over Unions</a> (City Journal)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-teachers-unions-activism-collective-bargaining">New York&#8217;s Teachers&#8217; Unions Are So Progressive, They&#8217;re Even Alienating Teachers</a> (City Journal)</strong></p><p></p></li></ul><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/too-many-schools-for-fewer-and-fewer?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/too-many-schools-for-fewer-and-fewer?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[US K-12 system now spends more than $1 trillion. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Schools Received More Money Than Ever. Parents Aren&#8217;t Seeing The Results.]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/us-k-12-system-now-spends-more-than</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/us-k-12-system-now-spends-more-than</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 13:52:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In 2024, for the first time in history, the American K-12 public school system passed the $1 trillion mark in spending.</p><p>It is a remarkable amount and a reminder that the biggest problem of our education system is not a lack of resources, but how the money is spent. Unfortunately, most of the resources are being used to hire staff despite declining enrolment.</p><p>I explained how the 4 largest states in the country are choosing to spend their education dollars on my <strong><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/were-spending-more-than-ever-on-education-is-it-getting-us-anything?author=Danyela+Souza+Egorov&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News">first article</a></strong> at the DailyWire:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/were-spending-more-than-ever-on-education-is-it-getting-us-anything?author=Danyela+Souza+Egorov&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg" width="1206" height="944" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:944,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:152122,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.dailywire.com/news/were-spending-more-than-ever-on-education-is-it-getting-us-anything?author=Danyela+Souza+Egorov&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/196538255?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8F8e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F053176ae-6a60-4dea-ad07-a5f249f1d266_1206x944.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.dailywire.com/news/were-spending-more-than-ever-on-education-is-it-getting-us-anything?author=Danyela+Souza+Egorov&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/were-spending-more-than-ever-on-education-is-it-getting-us-anything?author=Danyela+Souza+Egorov&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/nyregion/upper-west-side-nyc-schools.html?unlocked_article_code=1.flA.fLx-.TJ_XhQkaEe_D&amp;smid=url-share">As Enrollment Shrinks, a Clash Between the Have- and Have-Not Schools</a> (NYT)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/03/opinion/proof-nycs-education-leaders-put-kids-last/">Proof NYC&#8217;s education leaders put kids last</a> (NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-children-school-closures-neighborhoods">As the School Goes, So Goes the Neighborhood</a> (City Journal)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/us-k-12-system-now-spends-more-than?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/us-k-12-system-now-spends-more-than?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[NY Senators turn their back on low-income parents and children]]></title><description><![CDATA[Schumer and Gilibrand work to kill the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit that wont cost anything to NY State and help thousands of kids]]></description><link>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-senators-turn-their-back-on-low</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-senators-turn-their-back-on-low</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:58:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Tax Day 30 Democratic Senators led by Mark Kelly introduced a bill to repeal the <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/federal-scholarship-granting-organizations-private-schools-new-york">Federal Scholarship Tax program</a> approved as part of the Big Beautiful Bill.</p><p>A low <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/kathy-hochuls-political-pickle-union-power-vs-nys-kids/">estimate</a> is that the program would generate $500 million to NY low-income kids to use on education: scholarships, enrichment, books, tutors - public schools students are eligible.</p><p>Why are NY Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gilibrand against this needed support for NY kids while it wont cost anything the NY state?</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.amny.com/opinion/new-yorks-senators-turn-back-parents-children/">Here</a></strong> is my article about this today on amNY:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.amny.com/opinion/new-yorks-senators-turn-back-parents-children/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg" width="1206" height="1074" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1074,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:154343,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.amny.com/opinion/new-yorks-senators-turn-back-parents-children/&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/i/195856912?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bDS0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa236658e-97e3-40f2-a898-0918f7782ef2_1206x1074.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.amny.com/opinion/new-yorks-senators-turn-back-parents-children/&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.amny.com/opinion/new-yorks-senators-turn-back-parents-children/"><span>Read Here</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>What I am reading this week</h2><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/24/opinion/how-nycs-elite-high-schools-discriminate-on-mayors-orders/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nypost_opinion">How NYC&#8217;s elite high schools discriminate &#8212; on mayor&#8217;s orders</a> (NY Post)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/new-york-city-schools-budget/686971/?taid=69f0b9e59e11680001e65b43&amp;utm_campaign=WigwamQuan&amp;utm_content=edit-promo&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">A Mediocre Public-School Education for Just $40,000 a Pupil</a> (The Atlantic)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://thebiggerapple.manhattan.institute/p/nycs-school-calendar-is-a-labor-agreement?r=4hwsmu&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;triedRedirect=true">NYC&#8217;s School Calendar Is a Labor Agreement</a> (The Bigger Apple)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/anti-racism-schools-achievement-gap/686912/?taid=69eb81f27f2a6a0001b17f31&amp;utm_campaign=WigwamQuan&amp;utm_content=edit-promo&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">The Self-Defeating Condescension of an Anti-Racist Education </a>(The Atlantic)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/poisoned-ivies-elise-stefanik-universities">An Antidote to Ivy League Decay</a> (City Journal)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Please share this newsletter with your friends and families. </p><p>Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png" width="1456" height="270" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:270,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11272,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-d9-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85299928-f1a2-45f2-9983-97d1a10666c3_1456x270.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-senators-turn-their-back-on-low?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-senators-turn-their-back-on-low?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.families4newyork.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Families for New York! 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