By Ava Stryker-Robbins
School District 3 has a new superintendent with a history of promoting equity in New York City public schools.
When Kamar Samuels was superintendent of District 13 in Brooklyn in 2019 — before former Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to phase out the gifted and talented program — Samuels advocated and obtained funds to implement the International Baccalaureate program in his district, a more inclusive, worldwide model.
“In terms of building a district more equitably, and building a district with a common set of expectations, this is our goal,” Samuels told Chalkbeat, at the time. “It’s about all students in the school and all teachers in the school.”
Samuels is one of 14 newly appointed school superintendents. He replaces Christine Loughlin.
A seasoned educator, Samuels taught elementary school for five years, served as a principal for six years, and acted as District 13 deputy superintendent for two years, before becoming superintendent in early 2019.
Former Community Education Council 3 President Kim Watkins praised Samuels, telling WSR in a phone interview, “his leadership style seems to be really valuable in terms of trying to find that balance between equity and excellence.”
A “promoter of equity!” At a time when the state of education in our schools is at a low ebb, is THIS where the emphasis should be??? How about selecting a Superintendent who places an emphasis on the improvement of academic skills……on implementing teaching methodology that will be the envy of other school districts across the city?? It would appear that once again District 3 is following its usual pattern of following political correctness, rather than the promotion of academic excellence……..and will undoubtedly remain in the backwash of educational performance for the foreseeable future with this questionable selection of its new Superintendent!
Kamar Samuels is a poor choice for D3 Superintendent. I listened to his speech at the D3 Superintendent forum and was not impressed. He contradicated himself. He has nothing to offer this district but more virtue signaling and shaming. He praised Principal Lopez of PS 163, a school which is losing students at a dramatic rate since Lopez chose to sunset the G&T program.
D3 is a diverse district with families who have different priorities including G&T programs. Whether the self-proclaimed “edu-activists” like it or not, families who want a rigorous education live in this district and want a program that meets their children’s needs. Instead of meeting this need, the DOE chose to force a progressive curriculum on the schools, Brilliant NYC.
Current public school parents know the impact of this intolerance toward rigorous academic programs. Families moving to the suburbs. Families applying to private schools in droves. BASIS on Columbus Avenue growing by leaps and bounds. Families supplementing with Russian School of Math and Mathnasium. 50% of Harlem families enrolled in charter schools. According to Crain’s, housing values on the UWS have depreciated (except around 72nd Street), while housing values in Yorkville (D2 schools) have increased.
For people like Samuels the end justifies the means, but the fact is what they are proposing will not achieve the end they seek. Marginalizing G&T families has only forced them to seek greener pastures elsewhere. The result of policies support by Samuels and Lopez has been fewer families invested in urban public school education and that hurts everyone.
what a well written rebuttal, with receipts.
BRAVO. Well said.
I didn’t expect anything different under Adams administration. It was clear from the beginning that all is going to be about “equity and diversity”. Didn’t you get a questionnaire from Adams office a few months ago regarding the most pressing issues for the city? All questions were aimed on helping solely the minorities and formerly incarcerated. Mayor Adams doesn’t care about any other constituents .
I am sure most people in District 3 vote Progressive regularly. Therefore this is what they wanted: “Equity” (in other words racial balancing) at the expense of any and everything else including academic performance.
Since when is equity and academic excellence mutually exclusive?
The public school system is not for smart kids anymore. As a parent now in the system I’m sad to say that but it’s true. Gifted kids face years of boredom because we are scared to have accelerated anything and formerly rigorous middle/high schools will quickly devolve to the lowest remedial capabilities of randomized entrance criteria. I begged our local d3 public school teachers to give my kids some kind of challenging additional coursework to stimulate them from total boredom but was basically told that on level or higher means “not a problem focus elsewhere”. A total disservice.
You should also reach out to your CEC3 Chair, Lucas Liu. I understand he is a big advocate for meeting the needs of advanced kids and needs parents who will make their voices heard.
You need to move to D2 where the zoned middle schools are implementing an accelerated math option for all kids who qualify, where we are adding G&T seats and SLTs are setting school goals that require all kids to make academic progress including those that start the year late-on or above grade level.
Re: “A seasoned educator, Samuels ….”
Not sure with WHAT Mr. Samuels has been “seasoned”, but, as a happily-retired 31-years-in Ed U. Kator, I know that NO seasoning could make district administration taste better!
As a parent of a middle-schooler I’m extremely upset with DOE and Mayor’s policies. A few commentators mentioned that these policies don’t benefit kids who need more rigorous academic environment, which is true.
However, I’m not sure these policies benefit any students, performing well or not so much. This is woke ideology that suits only woke administration itself.
Another surprising thing is that lots of UWSers keep voting for people like that while going crazy finding a decent school for their own kids. They eventually enroll them into either private schools or move out from the city,, but yet in tank voting for the same people over and over. Too much champagne liberalism on our UWS that keeps on ruining our otherwise wonderful city.
Kathryn Garcia carried the upper west side, not Adams.
More and more “equity” and less and less academic excellence and success. How about improving academics with the best qualified person. These work districts are just going backward and the students are less prepared than ever.
Our child is zoned for PS 199. We are new to the area and heard it is a great school. The comments are very concerning though.
My children all attended PS 199 and each had a wonderful experience. The teachers are fantastic. D3 also has some excellent middle school choices as well, but I have no idea what the admissions process will be when it comes time for your child to apply.
Sadly, we are pulling one of our children from the public school system. He did not obtain a placement at any of the 12 High Schools he applied to (and not all of his choices were “screened” schools). A straight A student and the result of the lottery is placement at a high school with no honors or AP courses and a low graduation rate.
I tried to reply to a comment but it would not open. To the person who asked since when is equity and academic excellence mutually exclusive?
I think for the people who advocate for equity, the idea is for all kids to succeed.
It just is not working that way. No children are benefitting.
Thank you for yo response, @Upper West Side Dad. Sorry, my Reply button is not working.
I can’t believe that such a basic right as placement in a high school is determined by lottery. Something is very wrong with NYC public school system. A child has to be lucky to get placement in school?!
The New York constitution provides for “a system of free common schools, wherein all the children of this state may be educated.” Not a system where students must win a seat through test prep and other unhealthy means. Public education is for the public, and we live in a diverse, and beautiful community. Let’s embrace it!
Normally comments like this come from people who don’t have children. Easy to be righteous when your child’s future is not at stake.
This comment reflects the virtue signaling and marginalization I complained about above and is misleading. Judgmental, prejudiced comments about other parents’ educational choices for their children are not helpful.
Seriously? You think children who perform well at school are all “prepped”? that is an acknowledgement that public schools are failing then. Besides, we all know that all schools in NYC are not created equal. Feel free to send your child to a school with abysmally low graduation rates but allow a choice for other families (who are also tax payers – because schools are not “free”, no place in the country spends as much as we do per child in public school)