BY ROSSI SEALEY
As families, students, and educators cheered, New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos unveiled new initiatives at her inaugural State of Our Schools event on September 29 at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics High School in East Harlem. The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is taking action with these key initiatives, Aviles-Ramos told a live audience in an event that was also livestreamed, including the expansion of NYCPS Cares and introducing a new dashboard tool to monitor these initiatives’ progress.
Former Schools Chancellor David Banks announced he would retire at the end of 2024. Mayor Eric Adams appointed Melissa Aviles-Ramos to succeed Banks starting in January 2025. Notably, Aviles-Ramos’s state of school speech occurred a day after Adams dropped out of the NYC Mayoral race, leaving the fate of the school chancellor in the hands of the next mayor.
The NYCPS Cares initiative, announced in April 2025, began its phased rollout in the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. The DOE says the initiative will address systemic inequities and improve student and school communities’ safety through two initiatives: “family connectors,” whose role is to improve families’ access to resources, and student-led anti-bullying and anti-vaping campaigns.
“As a family connector, I’ve spent time learning all resources available to families, and this has prompted me to be willing to share with others so that no one will have to go through challenges alone,” said Anton Zundee, parent of three in District Three, during the State of Our Schools parent panelist segment. The Family Connectors program trains individuals in housing, aid, and food access to help families get access to city resources while referring them to city agencies and organizations.
Aviles-Ramos also announced the expansion of Every Child and Family is Known (ECFIK), a key component of NYCPS Cares. This initiative emphasizes the importance of supporting vulnerable students and families who live in shelters by connecting them with “caring adults” who provide one-on-one support.
“This started in the Bronx and we are expanding to additional communities now reaching 125 schools across the city,” said Aviles-Ramos.
To address the number of students not meeting grade levels in both reading and math, the DOE began its phased rollout of NYC Reads in the 2023-2024 school year, ensuring that pre-K and elementary students receive reading resources, instruction, and materials through research-based curricula. The previous curriculum lacked phonics-based instruction, which is part of NYC Reads.
Aviles-Ramos also gave an additional update on the NYC Reads initiative. “We will be piloting NYC Reads English Language Development curricula, specifically for our English Language Learners, in 80 schools,” Aviles-Ramos said. She emphasized that having a second language should be valued, not undermined. “Here in New York City, we know knowing more than one language should be an expectation and in no way a deficiency,” she added.
“This year’s State of Our Schools shows progress we can feel in our classrooms and a school system advancing on several fronts,” said Caroline Jose, Parent Leader and Community Education Council (CEC) six-member,
In a NYC Public Schools press release, parent leader and Community Education Council 6 member Caroline Jose said that with the new programs, school leaders have clearer guidance and resources to lead with, and students are making strong gains in literacy and math.”
To promote transparency in the new school year, Aviles-Ramos emphasized the importance of having a new Accountability Tool that shows the initiatives and their results, such as static data year-over-year comparisons, and dynamic data, which are regular updates on progress toward specific goals, such as paraprofessional training to support students with IEPs, school facilities repairs, and other factors.
“As your Chancellor, I want us to operate differently, more openly, […] I assure you, I am listening, we are listening,” said Aviles-Ramos. “And I encourage you to use this accountability tool just as the name suggests-to hold us accountable.”
Aviles-Ramos shared hope for a brighter future in education for New Yorkers. “This year, after all, is about lighting sparks–and a spark is not an end in and of itself. A spark represents a catalyst, a beginning. And we are just getting started.”