<![CDATA[Families for New York]]>https://www.families4newyork.comhttps://www.families4newyork.com/img/substack.pngFamilies for New Yorkhttps://www.families4newyork.comSubstackMon, 15 Jun 2026 01:43:14 GMT<![CDATA[My appearance on the Schooled podcast]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-schooled-podcasthttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-schooled-podcastThu, 04 Jun 2026 12:55:32 GMTI had the pleasure of talking to old and new friends at the Schooled 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.

Listen to the Podcast

What I am reading this week

The Bigger Apple
NYC Charter School Students Spend Hundreds More Hours in Class. It Shows.
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…
Read more
13 days ago · 11 likes · 8 comments · Jennifer Weber

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]]><![CDATA[My appearance on Freedom to Learn podcast]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-freedom-to-learnhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-freedom-to-learnThu, 28 May 2026 14:44:29 GMTI had the opportunity to talk to about NYC public schools, the huge opportunity available with the Federal tax Credit Scholarships and chronic absenteeism. Watch or listen to the podcast!

Listen to the Podcast

What I am reading this week

This is one of those essays that are really worth your time. I couldn’t stop thinking about this quote:

“I don’t know why he stopped developing, and I’ve found it’s best not to think about it. We now have the world’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’s Syndrome), a less-than-perfect life is still very much worth living.”

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]]><![CDATA[NAEP expansion is great news]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/naep-expansion-is-great-newshttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/naep-expansion-is-great-newsWed, 27 May 2026 13:22:25 GMTThe National Assessment Governing Board announced 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.

But there is a catch: governors have to opt in to get the state level data.

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 latest article for :

Read Here

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[Where are the students?]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/where-are-the-studentshttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/where-are-the-studentsMon, 18 May 2026 13:37:31 GMTLast 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.

This is a 4.2% enrollment drop.

But the 26-27 proposed budget for the DOE has a $3 billion, or 8% increase.

I explained how NYC and other cities can’t afford this disconnect between enrollment and budget on my latest article for the DailyWire:

Read Here

Unfortunately our Mayor still hasn’t realized that this is financially unsustainable and bragged on a video that he didn’t follow the advice that my colleagues and I provided in our articles in the NY Post.

Instead, he used gimmicks to “balance” the budget and is putting our city in a dangerous fiscal trajectory as Eric Kober explains.

“Enough uncertainty exists for New Yorkers to be concerned at Mamdani’s blithe confidence that he can keep spending more than the city takes in, balancing the budget with one-shots, borrowing, and tax hikes.”

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[Too many schools for fewer and fewer kids]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/too-many-schools-for-fewer-and-fewerhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/too-many-schools-for-fewer-and-fewerTue, 12 May 2026 13:22:11 GMTToday my new report for the Manhattan Institute was published: What to Do About NYC’s Empty Schools

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.

Mamdani keeps bankrolling failure in NYC’s schools

Here 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.

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[US K-12 system now spends more than $1 trillion. ]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/us-k-12-system-now-spends-more-thanhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/us-k-12-system-now-spends-more-thanTue, 05 May 2026 13:52:26 GMTIn 2024, for the first time in history, the American K-12 public school system passed the $1 trillion mark in spending.

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.

I explained how the 4 largest states in the country are choosing to spend their education dollars on my first article at the DailyWire:

Read Here

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[NY Senators turn their back on low-income parents and children]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-senators-turn-their-back-on-lowhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-senators-turn-their-back-on-lowWed, 29 Apr 2026 13:58:51 GMTOn Tax Day 30 Democratic Senators led by Mark Kelly introduced a bill to repeal the Federal Scholarship Tax program approved as part of the Big Beautiful Bill.

A low estimate 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.

Why are NY Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gilibrand against this needed support for NY kids while it wont cost anything the NY state?

Here is my article about this today on amNY:

Read Here

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[What happens when families can choose their schools?]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/what-happens-when-families-can-choosehttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/what-happens-when-families-can-chooseFri, 17 Apr 2026 17:35:20 GMTI have been fascinated with the expansion of school choice in Florida. I think it provides important insights about what families really value for their kids’ education.

My latest article examines the choices Florida families are making.

The first lesson is that good public schools are thriving: the most popular choices are charter schools and open enrollment (public schools that are not the one your kid was assigned to).

Second, huge interest in “a la carte” learning with more and more families enrolling in hybrid and micro schools, selecting specialty classes - all thanks to the Education Savings Account program.

Third, a huge increase in religious schools, with particular growth of special needs students enrolling in catholic schools.

Here is my article about this today on City Journal:

Read Here

Calling all fifth grade parents!

Now that the results are in, we are trying to crowdsource information from this year’s NYC District 2 Middle School admissions process in order to help other families in future years better understand their likelihood of acceptance into specific middle schools ahead of the lottery process.

If you’re willing to pay it forward, would you please complete this 6-question google form. All info will be kept anonymous.

We will be crunching the data similar to what is done for the NYC HS admissions lottery, as you can read here. Thank you for helping other families navigate the all-too-complicated process!

Complet Survey

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[My appearance on The Grade podcast]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-grade-podcasthttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/my-appearance-on-the-grade-podcastTue, 14 Apr 2026 13:07:15 GMTEducation never receives enough attention from the media despite representing 30 to 40% of NYC city’s budget.

I had the opportunity to discuss media coverage of NYC public schools with on his podcast . We talk about class size law, the over coverage about G&T and SHSAT schools, and the lack of accountability on spending vs results.

Alexander Russo's The Grade
What's missing from NYC schools coverage?
A self-described angry mom who ran for office and sends her kids to NYC public schools, Danyela Souza Egorov is now a fellow at the Manhattan Institute whose work often appears in City Journal…
Listen now
2 months ago · 6 likes · Alexander Russo

Listen to the podcast

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[Mamdani can't afford to not cut the DOE budget]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-cant-afford-to-not-cut-thehttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-cant-afford-to-not-cut-theTue, 07 Apr 2026 12:38:22 GMTThe Mayor and the City Council are on a battle on how to balance the city’s budget. The Department of Education accounts for 30% of the city’s budget and has been growing non-stop despite huge enrollment declines.

In my article today on the NY Post I write about this:

Read Here

A Reflection on Mayor Mamdani’s First 100 Days in Office: The Future of NYC’s Kids

Last month the Manhattan Institute organized an event to reflect on Mayor Mamdani’s first 100 days in office. Here is our full panel “The Future of NYC’s Kids” with Jennifer Weber and Sydney Altfield.

Here is our full panel “The Future of NYC’s Kids”:

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]]><![CDATA[Educational Redlining in New York]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/educational-redlining-in-new-yorkhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/educational-redlining-in-new-yorkWed, 11 Mar 2026 14:56:02 GMTThis week, Tim DeRoche from Available to All released an important report that should spark a conversation about which schools are offered to which families in NY.

The report shows that some school zones map directly to the old redlining maps. This has created a situation in which schools very close to each other have completely different demographics and outcomes for kids.

I wrote about the report and how we should address this problem by expanding the schools we know are delivering for kids in NY and offering school choice to all families.

The Bigger Apple
Educational Redlining in New York
New York likes to tell itself a story about progress. But a new report from the nonprofit Available to All argues that the state’s school maps, which shadow the old redlining maps that once helped restrict access to housing in mostly minority areas, remain a major obstacle to equal educational opportunity…
Read more
3 months ago · 15 likes · 8 comments · Danyela Souza Egorov

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[NY families don't know how much our government spends on public schools]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-families-dont-know-how-much-ourhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/ny-families-dont-know-how-much-ourWed, 25 Feb 2026 14:38:17 GMTSometimes I think I spend too much time talking and writing about the fact that NY is the #1 state in education spending, but the new 50CAN survey shows that the majority of New Yorker families don’t know how much we spend per pupil or estimate it at less than $1,000.

In fact, NY is the top state in the survey where families underestimate the per pupil spending - only 1% of families answered the correct answer between $35,000 and $40,000.

Here is my article about this today on City Journal:

Read here

What I am reading this week

I just finished the biography Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America and learned so much about our country’s politics in the 60s and 70s. The book is long but very well researched and written.

I am also reading with my son The Complete Novels of Sherlock Holmes and he is really enjoying it.

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]]><![CDATA[How to make the PEP more effective]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/how-to-make-the-pep-more-effectivehttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/how-to-make-the-pep-more-effectiveMon, 16 Feb 2026 19:26:06 GMT

Last week the new City Council Education Chair, Eric Dinowitz, had a hearing about Mayoral Control on NYC public schools. My friend Effi Zakry gave a testimony on how to improve the Panel for Education Policy. Effi served on the PEP for two years and has extensive professional experience in finance.

Here is his testimony:

Good morning, Chair Dinowitz and esteemed members of the Education Committee.

I am Effi Zakry, and I am here to share insights gained from serving two full terms on the PEP. I was elected by parents to this position, rather than appointed by the Mayor or borough president—a distinction that provided me with a unique vantage point on our school system.

When we discuss “Mayoral Control,” we are fundamentally discussing the composition and functionality of the PEP. As a recent member, I have witnessed the inner dynamics of the Panel firsthand and believe there is a clear path toward meaningful improvement.

While Albany revisits this issue every few years, the conversation often becomes political and the necessary reforms are deferred. However, establishing a robust mechanism for checks and balances is imperative, regardless of who resides in City Hall. Nevertheless, the Mayor should remain accountable as the head of the executive branch. Returning to the old local school board system that was rife with corruption and inefficiency is certainly not the answer.

To make the Panel more effective, I propose the following:

· Streamline Membership: The PEP has become unwieldy. The recent increase in the number of members has made it difficult to achieve a quorum, particularly at BERS meetings. Here, bigger is not better. I recommend a leaner body consisting of 5 parent representatives and 6 mayoral appointees— 11 in total.

· Ensure Direct Representation: Parent representatives—one from each borough to reflect their unique needs—should be elected directly by parents using a process similar to CCHS elections.

· Prioritize Experience: At least four of the six mayoral appointees should be parents who have had a child in the public school system within the last five years and have served on an education council. These should be individuals with “boots on the ground” experience, not political appointments.

· Protect Independence: All members should serve fixed two-year terms and be protected from removal without due process.

The PEP must serve as a functional check and balance for our students. I would be happy to share more suggestions and details with the Committee at a later time.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Yiatin Chu, co-Founder of Place, also testified about accelerated education- you can watch her testimony here.

John Liu on the Schooled podcast

The Schooled podcast this week has John Liu, NY Senator and Chairman of New York City Education Committee, to talk about class size law. They asked some of the tough questions about this unimplementable law.

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[Mamdani can find lots of inefficiencies in the DOE budget]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-can-find-lots-of-inefficiencieshttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-can-find-lots-of-inefficienciesWed, 04 Feb 2026 17:42:58 GMTOur city is in a difficult situation. The Mayor announced that there is a $10 billion budget gap next year and that he is looking for ineficiencies. My article this week discusses three ways where savings can be found in the Department of Education budget.

“The number of students enrolled in city schools has shrunk by 10 percent since its peak in 2010. Despite this, the DOE’s budget has grown by more than $1 billion yearly since 2019, reaching $40 billion this year. As a result, projected per-pupil spending will exceed $42,000 per child this year—the highest in the country and about $10,000 more than in the 2021–22 school year.”

Read Here

My appearance on the Nazareth podcast

I had a wonderful time talking to Sophia Arnold from the Nazareth podcast about NYC public schools, school choice, and the new Federal Scholarship program.

Listen here

School Choice Week Discussion

Last week we had a great discussion about what school options are available for NY families and what can be expected in the next few years. Thanks to Yiatin Chu, Tim Castanza, and Adrienne Jensen for sharing their experiences and guidance for parents.

I received a lot of comments and questions about homeschooling - the education option that is the fastest growing in NY (more than 50,000 students statewide and 15,000 in NYC). I will find more ways to share information to families who are curious about this option.

What I am reading this week

Early voting in public schools cause a lot of disruptions. There is a campaign organized by NYC parents to get rid of early voting in public schools, you can sign up here: Remove Early Voting From Schools

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]]><![CDATA[Who Will Be Paying For NYC’s Expanded “Free” Childcare?]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/who-will-be-paying-for-nycs-expandedhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/who-will-be-paying-for-nycs-expandedWed, 28 Jan 2026 17:01:07 GMT

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As soon as NY Governor Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani trumpeted they’d be bringing free childcare for two years olds to the Big Apple, the 5-Borough NYC Early Education Coalition of vendors already contracted by the Department of Education (DOE) to provide Universal Pre-K and 3K announced a February 12th “Day Without Community Based Organizations (CBO)” rally to protest the expansion.

The NYCEEC’s main points of contention are pay parity and the lack of a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).

“We are currently under a five-year contract set to expire in 2026,” Lori Cangiolose, Assistant Director of The Playgroup Experience, explained. “The city is proposing to extend contracts without any COLA. Over the past five years, every operational expense has increased – food, utilities, insurance, classroom supplies – yet our funding remained stagnant. This has made it increasingly difficult to keep our doors open, let alone fairly compensate staff.”

“CBO teachers are required to deliver the same DOE curriculum, follow the same regulations and expectations, and meet the same professional requirements as educators in public school 3K and Pre-K classrooms,” Diana Yudina, a teacher at Alphabet Academy confirmed. “We are required to hold the same credentials, including a master’s degree and certification, matching the qualifications of public school early childhood teachers. However, despite doing the same work and meeting the same requirements, CBO teachers do not receive equitable compensation.”

A new DOE teacher with only a Bachelor’s degree and no experience has a starting salary of $71,314. A certified, 30 year veteran teacher in a CBO earns a maximum of $68,652. Many earn considerably less.

“I have worked in this field for 37 years, 10 years within the DOE, and earn $40,000 annually,” Cangiolose divulged.

Many of those working in CBOs are also denied other benefits public school teachers receive, including union protections, pension eligibility, and health insurance.

“How is that fair?” demanded Chloe Pashman, a Bronx CBO School Leader. “Some staff work in the summer, and don’t have long holiday breaks. Many work 10-6 shifts. Is it because they’re located in the Bronx projects and serve children and families who are not white? Most of our staff is not white, and the majority are women. The city has gotten away with loading 3K and PreK on the backs of these women for so long – why wouldn’t they try it with 0-3 year olds? It’s a great deal for them. They get us all “on the cheap” and abuse us.”

In addition to inequitable salaries and benefits, those running CBOs are faced with regularly delayed payments from the DOE. Many of those working for the city report they were “forced to become a vendor of the DOE or face closure.” At a City Council hearing in 2025, one preschool director who’d run her formerly private center for decades was in tears as she explained that she might need to shut down unless the DOE was more prompt in paying what they owed her.

“Programs are expected to maintain and improve quality while operating on stagnant funding,” Stepping Stones Director Michele Kindya recounted. The low pay and onerous working hours contribute to a revolving door of staff and even to centers closing unexpectedly, leaving the families who counted on them with nowhere to go.

Every teacher and director who reached out to me stressed they support accessible childcare, but don’t believe schooling for 2’s should be offered while the state of 3PK and UPK remains precarious.

“Our system is expanding faster than it is reforming, and the consequences are falling squarely on educators and the programs that serve our youngest learners,” reported Joy Farina Foskett, MSEd/MSEd Special Education. “Conversations about expanding programming such as 2-K raise serious questions. Opportunity without infrastructure is not progress, it is risk. We cannot continue to roll out new programs without first addressing salaries, benefits, staffing, funding timelines, and workforce sustainability.”

“Reform Before Expansion is our motto,” Pashman summarized. “We need to fight for the hardest working and most qualified educators, staff, and leaders in the city who are being illegally underpaid and taken advantage of. I thought our city and state were run by ‘progressives’!”

When asked to comment on the above accusations, DOE Associate Press Secretary Dominique Ellison did not dispute any of the charges, only writing that, “We appreciate and value all teachers who dedicate themselves to educating NYC’s youngest learners. We will continue to advocate strongly for funding and policy solutions that support pay parity and workforce equity across community-based organizations. Whether they work in traditional school settings or CBOs, educators are the foundation of our early childhood education system, and their professionalism and commitment deserve our recognition and support.”

As a working mother of three, I sympathize with parents looking for a break on childcare costs.

But as so many directors told me, “While the program is free for families, it is not free to operate.”

As a result, I cannot bear to see our “free” childcare come at the expense of other women, the majority of whom are low-income and/or people of color.

“If we want a system that truly serves children and families, we must start by valuing the educators who make that system possible,” Foskett said. “That means committing to pay parity, attaching COLA to contracts, stabilizing funding, and strengthening support for CBOs before asking them to grow. Our educators – and our children – cannot afford anything less.”


Alina Adams is the author of “Getting into NYC Kindergarten” and “Getting into NYC High School,” and a school admissions consultant. She writes about education – and a whole lot more – at Alina’s Susbtack Newsletter.

Families for New York is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

]]><![CDATA[Many wins to celebrate this School Choice Week]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/many-wins-to-celebrate-this-schoolhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/many-wins-to-celebrate-this-schoolTue, 27 Jan 2026 14:30:32 GMTIt is National School Choice Week, and we have so much to celebrate!

For the first time, a majority of kids in America are eligible to access school choice in their states.

My article in City Journal discusses how red states are passing bills to expand school choice while making significant investments in public education.

Read Here

What I am reading this week

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]]><![CDATA[Navigating school options in NYC]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/navigating-school-options-in-nychttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/navigating-school-options-in-nycTue, 20 Jan 2026 14:32:01 GMTNext week is National School Choice Week and I will be moderating a panel of NYC parents and educators to discuss which school options are available in our city and what policy and governance changes may be on the horizon under the Mamdani administration.

Come join us on Jan 29th and talk to Yiatin Chu (Founder of PLACE), Tim Castanza (Founder of Bridge Prep Charter School), and Adrienne Jensen (NYC based homeschooling advocate and mother of four). You can register here.

Navigating School Choice in NYC:
Options, Access, and the New Mayoral Administration

Thursday, January 29, 2026

Register here

New College Rankings

If you have a child deciding which college to go to, check out the new City Journal College Rankings. It includes more factors than the established evaluation tools consider, for example:

  • Does a college encourage respectful discussion and vigorous debate?

  • Is the curriculum strong, or is the university coasting on a reputation that it earned a century ago?

  • Does the school force divisive ideology on its students?

  • Do administrators prioritize activism over education—and even tolerate chaos and violence?

  • Does the university prepare students to earn enough to pay back their tuition and thrive as citizens and workers in the twenty-first-century economy?

    CJ College Rankings

What I am reading this week

School Yourself
A call for a national curriculum database
Recently, the Fordham Wonkathon sought the field’s best ideas for making Science of Reading laws work. Here’s mine…
Read more
5 months ago · 23 likes · 10 comments · Karen Vaites and Curriculum Insight Project

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]]><![CDATA[Go Teach event, new NYC edu podcast and more!]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/go-teach-event-new-nyc-edu-podcasthttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/go-teach-event-new-nyc-edu-podcastWed, 14 Jan 2026 17:48:06 GMTLast week I participated in an event organized by the Children’s Scholarship Fund and American Federation for Children to discuss NY education and the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. You can watch the video of the event here:

New podcast about NYC education

My dear friends Yiatin Chu and Deborah Alexander launched a new podcast “Schooled” to discuss New York City public education. Real talk by real NYC public school parents!

What I am reading this week

Please share this newsletter with your friends and families.

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]]><![CDATA[IAC is coming to NYC!]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/iac-is-coming-to-nychttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/iac-is-coming-to-nycFri, 09 Jan 2026 14:20:22 GMTFor the past 4 years my son has been participating in the History competitions of International Academic Competitions. He loves it and it has led to a study group that meets every week and great friendships with other kids who love history. his year, my youngest started participating in the science competition and had a great time!

We have been driving to other cities so he can participate for years, but I am excited to share that NYC will host one of these competitions this month:

Kids of all ages can register and compete in science, history, or geography. I highly recommend, it is a fun way to encourage your kids to develop a love of learning!

Register for IAC

Real Talk on NYC School integration efforts

Ray Domanico has a thoughtful article on what it means to integrate NYC schools when our district is “87 percent of the students in the public schools are either black or Hispanic, and 89 percent live in poverty.”

“The long struggle for racial integration in our nation and city was born out of the unconscionable and deliberate segregation of black and white students in the South. But today’s demographics are much more complex. Forty-two percent of New York City students are Hispanic. Asian students are fast becoming the second-largest group in the system, as their numbers increase and the number of black students plummets.”

Read the article

What I am reading this week

has an important article on how the DoDEA schools are so successful with all types of kids (including low-income kids) and what we can learn to apply in regular public schools.

The Education Daly
The Best American School System
At the end of World War II, the United States military hastily organized schools for the children of service members who remained stationed in Europe and Asia. At first, each branch managed its own set. Eventually, they were consolidated into a single entity. In 1994, the overseas schools were joined with an existing network of domestic schools for the …
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5 months ago · 38 likes · 14 comments · Tim Daly

My colleague has a thoughtful article on the discussion about “heritage Americans” and what it means to be an American. I am deeply troubled how some parts of the right talk about foreign born citizens like me and this article raises some important points on the composition of American population today.

City Journal Substack
The Heritage Americans Have Already Been Replaced
What, exactly, is a heritage American? It’s the question that nobody can seem to answer, despite a smoldering dispute on X and among right-wing activists. Vivek Ramaswamy—currently seeking the Republican nomination for Governor of Ohio—reignited the debate in a…
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5 months ago · 43 likes · 12 comments · Charles Fain Lehman

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Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY

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]]><![CDATA[Mamdani could make NYC public education worse]]>https://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-could-make-nyc-public-educationhttps://www.families4newyork.com/p/mamdani-could-make-nyc-public-educationThu, 01 Jan 2026 16:42:27 GMTHope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and loved ones!

I am very excited to share my first article for Reason magazine on how Mamdani’s proposals for NYC public schools. He has talked little about education, but what he has said could have a negative impact on our best schools.

“A rational mayor would conclude the system needs to reduce expenses, keep implementing NYC Reads, and tackle chronic absenteeism. Unfortunately, Mamdani's proposals are likely to have the opposite effect.”

What I am reading this week

I just finished reading “Peter Pan” with my son and he loved - we also learned a lot of British words related to ships!

I read “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, the book is a series of radio lectures that he gave right after WW2 and talks about how to be a christian. This book will stay with me a for a long time, specially this quote:

Please share this newsletter with your friends and families.

Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY

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