Alex Zimmerman
Chalkbeat New York
New York, United States
Contact Alex
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Alex:
58% of NYC’s youngest children don’t receive all of their Early Intervention services
Children from birth to 3 years old with developmental challenges are entitled to extra help. But new data shows that many students aren’t getting everything they should be. → Read More
NYC’s largest charter networks enrolled fewer students this year, complicating push to open new schools
Success Academy, Uncommon Schools, KIPP, and Achievement First all saw enrollment declines this school year. Still, Gov. Kathy Hochul has pushed to raise the NYC charter cap. → Read More
A $43 million contract to lock school doors wins mixed reactions from educators
It’s unclear what impact locking school doors might have on school safety. Some experts said there is little rigorous evidence about whether those measures are effective. → Read More
Hundreds of NYC elementary schools used a Teachers College reading curriculum Banks said ‘has not worked’
Data obtained by THE CITY and Chalkbeat reveal for the first time how deeply enmeshed the Teachers College curriculum has become in classrooms serving the city’s youngest students — and how difficult it could be to unwind. → Read More
Lawsuit on behalf of NYC students with disabilities who lost services during the pandemic goes ahead
Despite the immediate victory for families of students with disabilities, the case may continue to drag on without a concrete resolution. → Read More
NYC’s 2022 graduation rate rises as state officials relax graduation requirements
Graduation rates in New York City were 2.5 percentage points higher than 2021. Changing graduation standards during the pandemic likely played a role. → Read More
Hochul’s proposal to lift NYC charter school cap faces uncertain fate in Albany
The measure must gain legislative approval and it’s unclear how much political capital Hochul is willing to spend on a potentially bruising fight to lift the charter cap. → Read More
NYC schools are once again cleared to grade their own students’ Regents exams. Will score manipulation surge?
Some school leaders praised the change, along with the city’s teachers union. But some experts worry that teachers will once again unfairly bump up familiar students’ scores. → Read More
Mayor Eric Adams promises mental telehealth support for all NYC high school students
“We’re rolling out the biggest student mental health program in the country,” Mayor Eric Adams said during his annual State of the City speech. But officials released few details on how it will work. → Read More
NYC proposes $90 million in new funding for homeless students and high-need schools
‘Do I think it’s going to solve everything? No. But it will drive resources to our neediest students,’ one NYC advocate said. → Read More
Deep breaths: NYC to roll out breathing exercises for all students, Banks says
“We are looking at rolling out two to three minutes of breathing technique for every student in New York City schools as we go into next school year,” Banks said. → Read More
NYC is using one-time COVID money for a lot of education programs. What happens when it dries up?
NYC has used hundreds of millions worth of one-time federal relief funding for programs with recurring costs. What happens when the federal funding dries up? → Read More
NYC schools still require visitors to be vaccinated. Could that soon change?
The decision ultimately rests with Mayor Eric Adams and health officials. But Chancellor David Banks vowed to set up a meeting with the city’s health commissioner to discuss it. → Read More
Norm Fruchter, leader in NYC and Newark education equity movement, dies at 85
Fruchter died on Jan. 4 after a car struck him in late December near his Brooklyn home. He was on the front lines of some of the most pivotal social and educational battles of the past half century. → Read More
Half of NYC students are behind in reading. Hundreds of CUNY tutors aim to change that.
More than 800 CUNY students who are aspiring teachers are trained to tutor students who are struggling to read. Here’s how they’re filling literacy gaps among NYC students. → Read More
58% of NYC charter schools shrank during COVID, even as the sector grew overall
NYC charter schools have been known for their steady enrollment growth, but 58% of the city’s charter schools shrank during COVID. Large networks have seen some campuses shrink, too, including Uncommon Schools and Success Academy. → Read More
73% of NYC high schools don’t have a newspaper, new report finds
“New York City is the media capital of the world, yet we have youth media deserts all over the city and it doesn’t have to be that way,” one advocate said. → Read More
NYC school bus delays reach highest level in five years
Both the number — and duration — of New York City school bus delays in October were higher than during any other month over the last five school years, according to the City Council’s analysis. → Read More
Online learning, fieldwork IRL: NYC opens a new kind of hybrid high school
A School Without Walls launched this September with a hybrid learning model. The program is designed to give students time to focus on passion projects and fieldwork. → Read More
Even as students returned to class full time, suspensions plunged in NYC last school year
Suspensions have declined 64% over the past decade. The reductions have been cheered by discipline advocates. → Read More