Educators and Advocates Applaud Expansion of NYC Reads and NYC Solves

Evan Stone, Co-Founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence, issued the following statement in response to New York City Public Schools’ announcement that NYC Solves and NYC Reads will expand into more schools next school year:

“This is a major step forward for New York City students and educators. We applaud Chancellor Kamar Samuels and Mayor Zohran Mamdani for expanding NYC Solves into elementary schools and NYC Reads into additional middle schools, responding clearly to educators who have consistently advocated for these initiatives through petitions, surveys, and direct engagement with city leadership. 

“Expanding NYC Solves and Reads means more students will have access to high-quality, evidence-based instruction throughout their academic journey. With NYC Solves expanding into elementary schools, more students will experience grade level content and build a strong foundation of problem solving and mathematical reasoning. This expansion will create greater coherence for students as they prepare for and transition into middle school. And, with further expansion of NYC Reads, more students will be able to build on the literacy gains made in K-5, rather than experiencing the uneven instruction and supports that too often disrupt progress in later grades.

“It’s encouraging to see city leadership not only express a strong commitment to keeping, growing, sustaining, and improving NYC Solves and NYC Reads, but more importantly taking concrete action to invest in teacher development to support student learning.

“The next step is clear: Expand these initiatives citywide while ensuring schools have the sustained support needed to fully deliver on their promise. As NYC Solves and NYC Reads continue to grow, we call on the City Council to do its part by baselining long-term funding for professional learning and implementation so that every school has the sustained investment required to continually develop teachers so that they are better positioned to serve their students.”

Lauren DeVita, a middle school math educator in Queens, issued the following statement:

“I was thrilled when NYC Solves was brought to middle schools, and I’m even more excited that it will now be implemented in elementary schools. NYC Solves has positively changed the way I teach math. But for too long, the fragmented curricular approach in early grades was making middle school harder for students than it needed to be. 6th-grade students were entering my school, having to acclimate to a new curriculum and learning style that was radically different from what they had learned in elementary school. Today’s announcement means we’ll finally have more coherence for our students across the entire academic journey.”