CHANCELLOR WALCOTT AT NYUS MIDDLE SCHOOL COLLOQUIUM, 4/3/2012 An Update to NYCs New Strategy for Middle School Success

Thank you, Jim. Ive always been impressed by your work on New York City schools. And thanks to you and the Research Alliance for everything youve done over the past four years. Your work has made an impact, on everything from middle school reform to teacher support and retention. You help provide a necessary perspective on the impact our policies are having, challenging us to do more and do better by our students. And I want to make a special mention of your recent study of four strong middle schools. Its a fascinating read, and I look forward to hearing about your discussion later on today. Im truly honored to be back at NYU. It was last September that I came here to discuss one of the greatest challenges facing school systems across the country, including ours: the lagging achievement of students in middle school. Today, I want to talk about the important progress weve made on that front during my first year as Chancellor. Before I do, its important to take a step back: Weve come a long way in the past decade. Graduation rates are up to an all-time high of 65 percent, with 61 percent of black students and 58 percent of Hispanic students graduating in four years. Student performance in the middle grades is even higher than it was five, or ten, years ago. These are real, dramatic improvements over a system that used to operate in dysfunction, and left poor neighborhoods neglected across the city. But, as you and I know, its not nearly enough. College readiness and college enrollment rates while rising each year are still unacceptably low. According to a metric we developed with CUNY, less than half of our graduates are ready for college. That more than a cause for concern: its a call to action. In the middle grades, New York City students have made significant strides on three out of four areas on the national tests. In fourth grade math, fourth grade reading, and even eighth grade math, our students gains since 2003 are greater than those in the rest of New York State and match what weve seen across the nation. But in 8th grade reading, its a different story. Test scores have barely budged. And although the national test is just a small sample of schools, our State tests show the same thing: 7th and 8th grade students in New York City have shown little improvement in reading since 2010. And that brings us back to middle school, and why were all here today. If we truly care about preparing our students for success in college and careers, middle school needs to be a central focus of our policies. Yesterday, I visited two large middle schools IS 318 in Brooklyn and IS 72 in Staten Island and had the opportunity to meet two successful principals, Leander Windley and Peter Macellari. And I do want to take a special moment to remember Fred Rubino, former principal of IS 318, who passed away yesterday morning. He will be dearly missed. 1

Every time I visit a great middle school and see the urgency and focus of our teachers and principals, its a powerful reminder of the possibilities for all our middle school communities in New York City. In fact, its something Im reminded of every day as I interact with our middle school students and teachers on the first floor of Tweed. As those principals and the educators here know, the middle school years can be make or break for our students. We can do everything to strengthen our pre-K programs, elementary schools, and high schools, but it is extremely difficult to climb back after falling off track in the middle grades. And thats why, all day today, brilliant minds in education will discuss the challenges, the solutions, the gaps and the strengths in our strategy to turn around middle schools in New York City. To set the stage for your discussions, Id like to give you an update on what weve done for middle schools since I announced our new plans in September. First, we made a commitment to open at least 50 new middle schools across the city in the next two years. Since 2002, weve opened more than 500 new public schools in New York City, giving thousands of children and their families better options and a chance at success. Its a big reason our graduation rates have risen so much, and in January, a major study showed why: the new small high schools we created have significantly outperformed other schools with similar students. Whats more, our new high schools have graduation rates that are 20 points higher than the schools they replaced. But students cant succeed in high school without a strong academic foundation in the middle grades. Thats why we are expanding our new schools strategy to create additional middle school options for families and students. This fall, 26 new middle schools will open their doorsa mix of 12 traditional public schools and 14 charter schools. Four of these will be added onto existing high schools to create new, highperforming communities that serve students from grades six through twelve. Its a model that has worked well for many schools across the city. These schools will receive strong support from community partners like the Young Womens Leadership Foundation, NYC Outward Bound, and Urban Assembly. In 2013, we will open at least 14 more traditional schools and another 14 charter schools, meeting and surpassing our goal of 50 new middle schools over the next two years. Thats a real accomplishment, and it reflects the excitement around this initiative and the hard work of new school leaders and our new school development team. Last September, I also pledged to make middle school a more common destination for our hardworking teachers and principals. When a school is trying to recruit educators whether veterans, recent college graduates or mid-career changers - we need to constantly reinforce what principals like Derrick Spaulding and Brett Kimmel already know: working with middle school students is deeply rewarding.

Building on what they learned in the elementary grades, middle school students are not just learning to read: they are reading to learn. And as many of the participants today will tell you, theres nothing more thrilling than watching a student put his new reading and writing skills into action. But that message isnt getting out to enough aspiring teachers and future school leaders. Our need for middle school teachers is still great, especially in science and mathand in areas like the South Bronx, Central Brooklyn, and Jamaica. To address this need, we recruited and enrolled 150 new educators in a 10-week apprenticeship program that began last month. In 35 middle schools throughout the city, these recruits drawn mostly from the corps of New York City Teaching Fellows who will start teaching next September are working with small groups of middle school students to learn tested strategies for literacy and gain experience with students who need remediation. Since these educators will be seeking jobs in the fall, we hope and expect that many of them will pursue openings in middle schools across the city. Next, to attract and prepare new middle school principals, we are launching a new program called the Middle School Leadership Internship, in partnership with Teach for America. For four weeks, teachers who are thinking about making the jump to a school leadership position will be matched with a mentor principal, whom they will shadow and learn about the complexities of leading a strong middle school. Weve also mobilized our leadership development partners LEAP, New Leaders for New Schools, and the Leadership Academy to direct more future leaders to middle schools. This school year, 25 future principals are training in middle school apprenticeships across the city. Of course, we cant talk about middle school reform without acknowledging the work of the City Council. Since 2008, the New York City Council has been focused like a laser on the issue of middle school reform, most of all with the Campaign for Middle School Success. Together with community partners and great educators, the Council helped identify the key qualities of successful middle schools and offered an array of supports for 51 of them. After we announced our new plans for middle school reform last September, the Council generously agreed to allocate almost $5 million to support literacy among middle school students, a crucial skill for students to stay on track in the middle grades. I want to thank Speaker Quinn and the Council for their support. As we begin to integrate the new Common Core literacy standards, students will need to balance their experience reading fiction and writing personal narratives with new kinds of assignments: such as critical essays, lab reports, and exposure to scientific language. When our students make this transition, we need to make sure they have the right support. Starting with 18 middle schools this year, weve launched the Middle School Quality Initiative, providing intensive training and professional development for teachers to help their students 3

improve literacy. At these schools, students are working inside and outside the classroom to improve their reading and writingfocusing especially on nonfiction texts. Two weeks ago, I met with staff and leaders from these schools at an all-day training, and was blown away by their knowledge and commitment to helping students read and write at a high level. In the Fall, the Quality Initiative will expand to a number of other middle schools, and eventually culminate in a comprehensive literacy strategy for all middle schools, based on the important work weve done at these 18. Along with this intensive work, we have also shifted our resources to ensure that every middle school library is stacked with non-fiction texts that students need to prepare for high school and beyond. For the next two years, we have allocated $15 million for non-fiction textbooks in science and social studies, among other subjects. Starting April 16th, schools will be able to access these new collections, and it will go a long way toward ensuring our schools are adopting and exposing their students to the new, rigorous Common Core standards in literacy. At last, our schools and partners are working together to give students the tools to succeed in high school, college, and careers. With the support of the City Council, and our libraries initiative, I am confident our middle school students will start to move the needle in literacy. Another strategy we pursued is to bring additional middle schools into our Innovation Zone, where weve given schools the resources to redesign their instruction, tailoring lesson plans and schedules to individual students needs. Next fall, 21 struggling middle schools will be part of the Innovation Zoneup from 10 middle schools this year. 10 of them are continuing work they have already begun this year and last. For example, at Global Tech Prep, one day a week students engage in a challenge-based learning day where they tackle real world projects. Of course, we know that many of the issues affecting our middle school students dont start or end with what goes on in the classroom. If we truly care about getting our students ready for college and careers, we need to focus just as much on their social and emotional development. As our students grow from adolescence into young adulthood, we need to do everything we can to help them form positive relationships with their peers and adults both in and out of school. A recent Annenberg study of middle schools in Chicago found that successful middle schools had both strong teaching and high expectations for behavior, responsibility, and ethics. We should hold all of our schools to those high standards for behavior. Here in New York City, weve trained more than 2,000 teachers, counselors and school aides to guide students in conflict resolution at their schoolswith a particular focus on 24 middle schools this year. Weve also expanded our Respect for All program, with help from Speaker Quinn, to prevent bullying and promote respect for diversity in our school communities. 4

This year, five middle schools received their first ever Respect for All awards to recognize their commitment to building a positive culture in their schools. This work must go hand-in-hand with better outreach to parents. Every successful middle school goes the extra mile to work in partnership with the parents and families of its students. Whether its empowering students to lead parent-teacher conferences, providing workshops to help parents understand their schools academic expectations, or doing targeted outreach with immigrant families to make sure children are reading at home, there is a wide range of innovative strategies our successful schools practice to engage their families. Next fall, we will launch a Parent Academy to host workshops in all five boroughs. The Academy will help answer questions on an array of topics, from whats being taught in school and how to prepare students for assignments and exams, to school safety and key deadlines for enrollment. We know that some parents feel uncomfortable asking certain questions at their schools, and the Academy will help inform and engage them in new ways. We know our schools and our teachers can do amazing thingsand the teachers and principals here with us today are living proof of that. But we also know that what happens outside the classroom has an impact on our students; communities and families can make the task of teachers that much easier. Every day, students show incredible resiliency in overcoming the challenges in their neighborhoods and home environments. We owe them all the support we can muster. Finally, we all know that learning cant stop when the school year ends. Especially in middle school, when students are learning so many new skills in school while becoming more independent outside of it the summer is a dangerous time for students to fall backwards. Summer learning is crucial to keep students on track. And, if I had my way, school would continue throughout the summer for every student. Sadly, there are many students who do well enough to advance to the next grade, but continue to struggle. Thats why, in partnership with the Department of Youth and Community Development, we are launching a program called NYC SUMMER QUEST. SUMMER QUEST will target students who scored a 2 on the States annual exam enough to pass to the next grade but are still struggling in school. In its first summer this year, the program will bring together community organizations and schools in the South Bronx to tutor students in reading, involve families in their childrens learning, and encourage health and fitness. Already, weve raised more than $2 million in private money and received applications from 45 different community organizations to participate, and well be announcing the winners later this month. If the program is successful, we will expand it to other boroughs and neighborhoods. This summer, well also be expanding our new specialized high school institute, called DREAM. DREAM is a chance for low-income middle school students to learn about and begin preparing for the specialized high schools exam, giving them exposure to schools like Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech. This July and August, eligible students going into 7th and 8th grade will take part in 20 sessions to practice the math and verbal skills necessary to succeed on the test. 5

With a combination of new school development, teacher and principal recruitment, a system-wide literacy campaign, and a focus on social and emotional development for our students, we have come a long way since last September. Ive never been more hopeful about the future of our public schoolsand today, I can say the same for middle schools in particular. You may hear some disagreements on todays panels. In fact, judging from the list of participants, I guarantee you will. But all of us share a common concern for our students, and thats why today is so important. So I want to thank you for coming together around this crucial issue. I know that our conversations and your hard work will continue long after this day. And I promise to continue working with all of you to grow and improve our middle school reforms. We owe nothing less to our students, parents, and families. Thank you.