Left to right: Shaun Abreu, Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, Donahue Hemmings.
We began this project in the hopes of educating and engaging the public in New York local politics. Our goal was to eventually build a program that could be integrated into the city-wide high school Social Studies curriculum.
We researched the existing city curriculum, we researched alternative curriculums, we met with curriculum writers and representatives from the New York City Department of Education.
But last week we were thrown a curve ball. New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced that the Department of Teaching and Learning within the city Department of Education, the division responsible for the oversight of curriculum development and teacher training, would be dissolved.
What does it mean for Teagle? It means everything.
The Department of Education says that school principals will now have more say in what is taught inside the classrooms. The last time I visited the Board of Education, I was told that principals are expected to interpret and apply the guidelines set forth by the DOE. While this sounds like a reasonable means of meeting the educational needs of students city-wide, I couldn’t help but worry that this policy would leave out the cornerstone of a strong social studies curriculum. While I was certain most schools would encourage social studies teachers to review course material most likely to appear on Regents exams and SAT II Subject Tests, I had a feeling that local politics would get the shaft simply because state-wide and national exams are less likely to focus on the subject.
But just yesterday, Donahue and I had the opportunity to speak with the Deputy Mayor of Education and Community Development, Dennis Walcott. He made it clear that there will be other ways in which the curriculum is monitored, and that the shift in power was not absolute.
More importantly, he reminded us of the importance of pursuing our goals through multiple routes.
We were a bit nervous as we introduced ourselves to Deputy Mayor Walcott, but he greeted us with a genuine interest in who we were and what we were trying to do. And just like that, we felt at home at City Hall – like every citizen should. Mr. Walcott reaffirmed our right to engage with local leaders.
We’ll be posting the interview soon. I hope you enjoy it!
Authored by Shaun Abreu
