NYC rolls out comprehensive Academic Recovery Plan for public schools

Reopening NYC

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Thursday, July 8, 2021

The recovery plan establishes a brand new Universal Mosaic Curriculum which is unique to NYC, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City is rolling out a comprehensive program designed to upgrade the quality of its public schools.

Among the top goals of the Academic Recovery Plan: Literacy for All, requiring all students to be reading on grade level by third grade.

To achieve this, the program calls for class size reductions, universal literacy coaches, and a universal literacy screen.

The recovery plan also establishes a brand new Universal Mosaic Curriculum which is unique to New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

"It's not enough to only get our kids back in the classroom. We have got to close the COVID achievement gap. And we will do that by reaching every child and supporting them-academically, emotionally, and socially-every step of the way," de Blasio said.

The curriculum calls for adding nine million new books to classroom libraries, emphasizing culturally responsive titles, new classroom support materials, and targeted professional development programs for teachers and staff.

The plan also calls for 175,000 more digital devices to guarantee each student access to their own digital device, expanding computer science programs to serve 400,000 students, and computer science training for more than 5,000 educators.

Other initiatives include new special education investments and college and career-ready programs for high school students.

The rollout for some of these programs has already begun, said Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter. The Academic Recovery Plan is set to be fully implemented by 2023.

"This fall, we will welcome our students back to schools that are prepared to support them academically and emotionally after all they have been through," Porter said.

The announcement came two days after the kickoff of the city's "Summer Rising" program, which combines aspects of summer camp and summer school under one roof.

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