E4E-NY’s Marielys Divanne Quoted in New York Magazine on NYC Reads

E4E-New York Executive Director Marielys Divanne was quoted in New York Magazine highlighting teacher demand for NYC Reads, a literacy program that E4E and its teacher members played an instrumental role in advocating for and securing. You can find an excerpt from the article below and read the full story by Caitlin Moscatello online today.

As the new school year approached, the mood around the rollout of NYC Reads could be described as tentative excitement. Thousands of teachers had signed petitions calling for a more evidence-based curriculum.

“The reality is that teachers want this. They’ve asked for this,” says Marielys Divanne, executive director of the New York chapter of Educators for Excellence, an organization that advocates for teachers’ input in creating education policy. “The anxiety is that that support won’t be there.”

Last spring, teachers in districts that are part of the first phase of the rollout underwent training on the three curricula options: Into Reading, Wit & Wisdom, and EL Education. All but two districts chose Into Reading, for which teachers received anywhere from nine to 14 hours of training via webinar. New teachers and those not able to attend were offered training in July and August, but the school system can’t force educators to work over the summer. Throughout the school year, teachers will also receive a minimum of eight in-person training sessions. Funding for these will come from the $35 million central budget allotted for phase one of the initiative, according to Carolyne Quintana, deputy chancellor of teaching and learning for New York City public schools. She says some schools are hiring extra coaches at their own expense — those with the funds to do so, of course.