Strengthening the Foundation: Recommendations to Empower Parent Organizations in NYC Public Schools

PTAlink, a project of NY Appleseed, published a policy brief titled Strengthening the Foundation: Recommendations to Empower Parent Organizations in NYC Public School. The brief outlines ways to address disparities and resource gaps across PA/PTAs in NYC. It distills years of observations and frequently asked questions PTAlink has fielded in its efforts to support parent leaders across New York City.

One issue facing PA/PTAs is that some parents raise thousands of dollars while others raise nothing at all. A recent ChalkbeatNY analysis found that just 30 schools raised nearly half of all PTA money reported to New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) in the 2024–25 school year, while roughly one-third of PA/PTAs raised nothing.

“While fundraising is not the intended, primary purpose of PA/PTAs, we have to be careful that it doesn't create disparate academic outcomes and supplant the political will to collectively demand equitable educational experiences for students in the largest single school district in the nation,” says Antonia Martinelli, PTAlink Coordinator at New York Appleseed. 

Read the full brief here.

Read the Gothamist article covering this publication here.

Listen to the 1010 WINS interview with Antonia Martinelli here.

Just 3 Black students admitted to NYC's elite Stuyvesant High School, data shows

Gothamist reported that just three Black students were admitted to elite Stuyvesant High School’s ninth-grade class of 777 in the last school year, according to the latest statistics from the city’s education department. In addition to the three Black students, Stuyvesant's freshman class includes three Native American students, 21 Latino students, 39 multiracial students,133 white students, and 534 Asian students. The new statistics are in keeping with a pattern that has persisted for years at the city’s eight specialized public high schools, which are some of the most competitive and well-regarded schools in the city.

“The release of NYC's specialized high school offer numbers has become its own Groundhog Day,” said Nyah Berg, executive director of New York Appleseed, which advocates for integrated schools. “Every year we look at the glaring disparities in these numbers, and every year nothing is done about them. The question for City leaders continues to be how many years must pass before we address the stain of segregation on admissions to schools held up as some of the best in the country, yet among the most segregated?”

Read the Gothamist article here.