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Under intense international scrutiny, Israel has expedited the flow of aid into Gaza this month, but humanitarian groups say that more is needed as severe hunger grips the enclave, particularly in the devastated north. Israel’s efforts — which include opening new aid routes — have been acknowledged in the last week by the Biden administration and international aid officials. More aid trucks appear to be reaching Gaza, especially the north, where experts have warned for weeks that famine is imminent. The increased levels of aid are a good sign, but it is too early to say that looming famine is no longer a risk, said Arif Husain, the chief economist at the United Nations World Food Program. “If we can do this, then we can ease the pain, we can avert famine.”

Persons: Biden, Arif Husain, ” Mr, Husain, ” Organizations: United Nations, Food Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ Columbia Offers Remote Classes for the Last Days of the Semester
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Columbia University will offer students the option of attending classes remotely for the last few days of the semester, a reflection of how days of tumult have unsettled the campus. After the arrests of more than 100 student protesters last week, student activists were undeterred, setting up a large new encampment on the university’s lawn. And crowds of protesters, unaffiliated with the school, descended on Columbia, at times harassing Jewish students or shouting antisemitic comments outside the school gates. “Safety is our highest priority,” the university’s provost, Angela V. Olinto, said in an email on Monday night, announcing the new hybrid classes. The school’s decision means that the campus could seem relatively quiet during what is typically a bustling final week of the semester — save for the protesters.

Persons: Angela V, Olinto Organizations: Columbia Locations: Columbia

☆ Scenes of Protests Spread at Elite Campuses
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( The New York Times | Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Protests and arrests spread across some of America’s most influential universities on Monday, as administrators struggled to defuse tensions on campuses over pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Monday. Nearly 50 people were arrested at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., on Monday morning, following the arrests last week of more than 100 protesters at Columbia University in New York City. The flurry of protests has presented a steep challenge for university leaders, as some Jewish students say they have faced harassment and antisemitic comments. Early Monday morning, Columbia announced a same-day shift to online classes because of the protests. Here are scenes from the protests.

Organizations: Yale University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, Stanford University, Columbia, Barnard College Locations: New Haven, Conn, New York City, Israel, Gaza

☆ Columbia Students Arrested Over Campus Rally May Face Other Consequences
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Troy Closson | Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Many of the more than 100 Columbia University and Barnard College students who were arrested after refusing to leave a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus on Thursday woke up to a chilly new reality this week: Columbia said that their IDs would soon stop working, and some of them would not be able to finish the semester. The students who were arrested were released with summonses. The university said all of the 100 or so students involved in the protest had been informed that they were suspended. For some of those students, that means they must vacate their student housing, with just weeks before the semester ends. Yet whatever the consequences, several of the students said in interviews that they were determined to keep protesting Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.

Organizations: Columbia University, Barnard College, Columbia Locations: Gaza

☆ What We Know About Columbia University’s President, Nemat Shafik
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The president of Columbia University, Nemat Shafik, is grappling with the fallout over her handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The crackdown came one day after pro-Palestinian students had erected an encampment with dozens of tents, and refused to leave until their demands were met. The police swept through campus, arresting at least 108 protesters and discarding the tents as students jeered them. Some Jewish students and others have said they appreciated the response, while some left-leaning faculty members, students, free speech advocates and others have said it was too harsh. Within hours, it was evident that the aggressive response might not have achieved its goal: Several student protesters said they were not only undiscouraged, but inspired to take new action.

Persons: Nemat Organizations: Columbia University Locations: Gaza

☆ N.Y.C. Schools Chief to Testify as Congress Expands Antisemitism Inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The chancellor of New York City’s public schools will testify about how the district is handling antisemitism before a congressional committee next month. A spokesman for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce confirmed that Mr. Banks was asked to attend the hearing, but did not identify the other districts. The earlier congressional hearings helped trigger the resignations of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. Columbia University’s president is appearing before a congressional committee next week. The inquiry next month will offer a window into how the tensions on American college campuses are also stirring painful debates in public school communities.

Persons: David C, Banks Organizations: New, Education, Workforce, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Locations: New York, Israel

But the rattling shook buildings in New York City and drove startled residents into the streets. Image The command room of New York City Emergency Management. Today’s earthquake Magnitude 4.8 Conn. Pa. 1964 4.5 1994 4.6 250-mile radius from New York City Md. 250-mile radius from New York City Del. While earthquakes in New York City are surprises to most, seismologists say the ground is not as stable as New Yorkers might believe.

Persons: “, Kathy Hochul, ” Gov, Philip D, Murphy, Con Edison, Eric Adams, ”, Adams, Zach Iscol, Dave Sanders, Ron Hamburger, Valorie Brennan, Ada Carrasco, The New York Times “ I’ve, Kristina Feeley, Feeley, Folarin, “ There’s, Kolawole, Lazaro Gamio, Riyad H, Mansour, Janti, Hamburger, Michael Kemper, Clara Dossetter, David Dossetter, Dossetter, ’ ”, Lola Fadulu, Gaya Gupta, Hurubie Meko, Michael Wilson, William J . Broad, Kenneth Chang, Emma Fitzsimmons, Sarah Maslin Nir, Erin Nolan, Mihir Zaveri, Maria Cramer, Grace Ashford, Camille Baker, Liset Cruz, Michael Paulson, Patrick McGeehan, Troy Closson Organizations: ”, United States Geological Survey, Police Department, Fire Department, Con, Gracie Mansion, The New York Times, Whitehouse, New York City Emergency Management, Credit, Lamont, Columbia University, Maine CANADA, New York City Del, Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, United Nations, Children U.S, Security, New York Police, United Airlines, Newark Liberty International Airport Locations: Newark, New Jersey, Manhattan, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, New York, Rockland County, Murphy of New Jersey, Whitehouse, N.J, California, Japan, Zach Iscol , New York, New, Northridge, Los Angeles, Califon, Marble, Ramapo, New York , New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Palisades, N.Y, N.H, Pa, New York City Md, Del, Va, Maine, R.I, Md, Palestinian, Gaza, East Coast, “, York, San Francisco, Gaya

☆ 2 Schools Clash as One Shrinks and the Other Gains Migrant Students
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A bitter clash over space has emerged in recent weeks at a beloved New York City school building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that two programs have shared for the past decade. One of the building’s occupants, Public School 145, has added more than 120 new students as a result of an influx of newcomers. The conflict highlights broader fault lines in New York and other large U.S. cities. The country’s public schools have lost more than 1.2 million students since the pandemic began and are facing major budget declines as a result. By 2031, enrollment could plunge by another 2.5 million nationwide, in large part because of declining birthrates.

Organizations: New York, Public, of Education, West Prep Academy Locations: New York City, New York, U.S

But on Monday, Mr. Banks said there had been “many rumors and misinformation” about what happened. “Violence, hate and disorder have no place in our schools,” Mr. Banks, who himself attended Hillcrest in the 1970s, said at a news conference. “They feel a kindred spirit with the folks of the Palestinian community,” Mr. Banks said, adding that the “notion that these kids are radicalized” was irresponsible. On Monday, Mr. Banks and other city leaders attempted to quell the mounting online backlash against students at the school. Some Hillcrest students had openly discussed their plans in the lead-up to Nov. 20, the two teachers said.

Persons: David C, Banks, “, ”, Eric Adams, ” Melinda Katz, councilwoman, Queens —, “ What’s, Eric Dinowitz, Mr, Adams, Donovan Richards, Muhammad Ghazali Organizations: Queens, Hillcrest High, Israel, New York Post, Hillcrest, Twitter, City, Jewish, of Education, ”, Department of Education Locations: York City, Israel, Queens, Hillcrest, borough’s, “, San Francisco, “ Palestine, New York City, Jamaica, ”

☆ Israel-Hamas War Palestinian Deaths Could Exceed the Cited Toll, a U.S. Official Tells Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

On the steps of the New York Public Library, demonstrators waved flags and called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. The march in Midtown closed sections of Fifth Avenue before protesters turned onto 34th Street, snarling evening commute traffic. Tensions have risen on college campuses in recent weeks as the debate over the Israel-Hamas war has divided student groups and roiled campus life. Fadi Shuman, a computer science undergraduate who is Palestinian, said he was upset Columbia wasn’t doing more to combat Islamophobia on campus. Credit... Jeenah Moon for The New York TimesLuis Cruz, 19, who traveled to Bryant Park from Staten Island, said he was glad to see students in the crowd.

Persons: ”, Sam Cribben, they’re, Fadi, Mr, Shuman, “, Sandor John, John, The New York Times Luis Cruz, ” Troy Closson, Nate Schweber, Liset Cruz, Erin Nolan Organizations: New York Public Library, Israel, Eighth, The New York Times, Columbia University, Low, Columbia, Bryant, City University of New, Fifth, CUNY, Times, New York Times Locations: Israel, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, Midtown, Bryant Park, Gaza, Palestine, City University of New York, Vietnam, Bryant, Staten Island

☆ A Record 119,300 New York City Students Were Homeless Last Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Troy Closson | More About Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The number of homeless public school students in New York City reached an all-time high of 119,320 last school year, according to new data released Wednesday, as migrants crossing the southern border continued to flock to the city. The statistics — which include children in shelters, hotels, relatives’ homes and other transient places — illuminate the challenges for Mayor Eric Adams’s administration in handling the rise in homeless students. New York City’s homeless student population is now larger than the entire traditional public school system of Philadelphia. Now, about 1 in 9 New York City students are homeless. In one section of the Bronx, more than 22 percent of students were homeless.

Persons: Eric Adams’s Organizations: New York Locations: New York City, York, Philadelphia, Bronx

☆ Smaller Classes? At Elite Schools, Some Parents Say ‘No Thanks.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Troy Closson | More About Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When lawmakers forced New York City last year to reduce public school class sizes, many parents celebrated a long-awaited victory. At New York’s high schools, classrooms would shrink to 25 students over the next several years, down from 34, coming close to class sizes in some suburban districts. But what would typically be a major selling point for a school system has transformed into an emerging battle. A growing number of families who want their children to attend the city’s most selective institutions, including its coveted crown jewels like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science, worry their odds could decrease at popular schools with packed classes and little extra space. The anxieties reflect perennial fights over elite school admissions, one of the most fraught issues in New York’s school system, the nation’s largest.

Organizations: New, New York City, Bronx Science Locations: New York, Stuyvesant, New

☆ As States Confront a Reading Crisis in Schools, New York Lags Behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Troy Closson | More About Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But at the state level, New York, once a national leader in education reform, is behind, according to a growing chorus of experts, families and educators. They say leaders are doing little to meet the moment, leaving students like Alejandro to struggle when districts resist change. New York’s declines in fourth grade reading scores were double the national average last year on a major national test, leaving it tied in 32nd place with five other states. More New York parents have begun raising the alarm at local school board meetings. Lawmakers have pushed for Albany and the state Education Department to take a stronger hand.

Persons: Alejandro, ” “, ”, Dia Bryant Organizations: Lawmakers, Department, Education Trust New Locations: New York, York, Albany, Education Trust New York

☆ The ‘Unseen’ Students in the Affirmative Action Debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Sarah Mervosh | Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At Memorial Pathway Academy, a high school for at-risk students and new immigrants in Garland, Texas, more than 80 percent of students get a job after graduation. Nationally, nearly 40 percent of high school graduates do not immediately enroll in college. That represents about 2 percent of all Black, Hispanic or Native American students in four-year colleges. The affirmative action decision could still have broader ripple effects. Some experts worry it will send a message to Black and Hispanic students that they are not wanted on college campuses, or push them to more troubled schools, like for-profit institutions.

Persons: ’ ”, Ramos, ”, Josh Tovar, doesn’t, —, Grandma, Sean Reardon Organizations: ‘, New York State, Pathway Academy, ”, Stanford University Locations: ’, New York, Garland , Texas

your moneyThere are still plenty of ways to get your student debt wiped away. That’s because the Supreme Court’s disapproval of the plan does not change laws and regulations that already give many federal student loan borrowers an escape hatch. What follows is a list of ways to eliminate your federal student loan balance aside from paying in full. If you know someone who is struggling with student loan debt, suggest that the borrower review every last option. Bankruptcy DischargeYes, you can discharge your student loan debt by filing for personal bankruptcy.

Persons: Biden’s, —, It’s, Biden, Tara Siegel Bernard, Ann Carrns, Ann, Donald J, Trump, Tara Organizations: U.S . Department of Education, Education Department, Public, Westwood College, Corinthian Colleges, DeVry University, ITT Technical Institute, Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs Locations: forbearance

☆ A Brooklyn School Pioneers New Ways to Teach Children With Disabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Troy Closson | Jackie Molloy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Brooklyn pilot began in 2017 and is distinct from other city offerings for students with disabilities, although it is modeled on a similar program for students with autism. Two teachers lead a class, which includes a small group of general education students and about four children who follow special education plans for those with intellectual disabilities. A team of paraprofessionals and about a dozen in-house therapists work alongside them. The environment is not necessarily appropriate for all children, but even those in special education-only classrooms are invited to join other students through other means. Pupils who are nonverbal might use their adaptive speech devices to lead morning announcements, for example.

Persons: Srikala, ”, ‘ Who’s Organizations: Brooklyn, Teachers College

☆ Only 7 Black Students Are Admitted to Stuyvesant High School, Out of 762
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Latest:About 10 percent of offers to New York City’s most elite public high schools went to Black and Latino students this year, education officials announced on Thursday, in a school system where they make up more than two-thirds of the student population overall. The numbers — which have remained stubbornly low for years — placed a fresh spotlight on racial and ethnic disparities in the nation’s largest school system. At Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, the most selective of the city’s so-called specialized schools, seven of the 762 offers made went to Black students, down from 11 last year and eight in 2021. Gaps at many of the other schools were also stark: Out of 287 offers made at Staten Island Technical High School, for example, two Black students were accepted — up from zero last year — along with seven Latino students. About 26,000 eighth graders took the test last fall, and just under 4,000 were offered seats.

Persons: — Organizations: Stuyvesant High School, Staten, Technical High School Locations: New York, Manhattan

☆ We Want to Know What New York City’s Reading Overhaul Means for You
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York City is confronting a longstanding reading crisis after the pandemic worsened outcomes for children in districts across the nation. More than half of city students failed state reading exams last year, and proficiency rates were even lower for Black and Latino children. Now, the city’s schools chancellor, David C. Banks, is making reading his central focus. Had your school already begun changing how it teaches children to read? We will not publish your submission — including any details about your school or child — without contacting you first.

☆ New York Is Forcing Schools to Change How They Teach Children to Read
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Twenty years ago, during the Bloomberg administration, Chancellor Joel Klein ushered in the era of balanced literacy at city schools, until a lack of progress led him to pilot other approaches. Years later, another chancellor, Carmen Fariña, a believer in independent reading time and having students choose their own books, again encouraged schools to adopt those strategies. Mr. Banks, and the mayor, Eric Adams, who has dyslexia, has said reading would be one of the top priorities for the administration. Already, Mr. Banks has required schools to adopt phonics programs and opened several new programs for students with dyslexia. Teacher training on the new programs will begin this week and continue over the summer, and coaching will continue during the school year.

☆ End of All-Girls Swim Class Causes Controversy at Stuyvesant High School
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“At the end of the day, Stuyvesant has the responsibility to accommodate its students,” said Sophia Dasser, 17, a junior at the school who is Muslim and who wrote the article about the change for the student newspaper. And that needs to be addressed.”Several Muslim students said they felt their academic goals had been pitted against their religion. “It shouldn’t matter whether I’m Muslim, Jewish, Christian, if I personally do not feel comfortable,” Ms. Dasser said. After the outcry, Education Department officials said this week that students who need accommodations would soon be able to receive full honors through classes on other life skills. Just a handful of high schools statewide require swim tests.

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