Following Advocacy from E4E-NY Educators, NYCPS Expands NYC Reads and NYC Solves to Middle Schools

Educators across New York City are celebrating NYC Public Schools’ announcement that both NYC Reads and NYC Solves will expand to additional schools and grade levels — a direct response to advocacy from E4E-New York (E4E-NY) educators. High-quality reading and math instruction will now reach thousands more students in 186 additional schools. The announcement follows a year of continued advocacy from E4E–New York educators, including:

• Hundreds of petitions signed calling for expansion to middle school
• A report in December calling for expansion to middle school grade levels
• Direct conversations with Chancellor Melissa Avilés-Ramos in December 2024, where middle school expansion was called for
• A sign-on letter calling on all prospective mayoral candidates to double down on NYC Reads and NYC Solves

“This expansion is a clear response to what educators have been calling for,” said Marielys Divanne, Executive Director of Educators for Excellence–New York. “It will ensure thousands more students have access to high-quality instructional materials and improve coherence across grade levels — from early elementary through middle school. NYCPS deserves credit for listening to teachers. Now, we must build on this momentum and ensure the implementation is effective and equitable. This is a start–not the finish line.”

The announcement was welcomed by New York City math teachers, such as Keith Pio, a middle school math teacher in Brooklyn. He expressed hope that this is the start of an eventual expansion to elementary schools. 

“NYC Solves has transformed my classroom. It’s grounded in the real world, it’s engaging, and it’s helping students actually understand the ‘why’ behind the math — not just memorize formulas,” Pio said. “This expansion means more students will benefit from a curriculum that works, and I hope the next step is bringing it to younger grades so they enter middle school with a stronger foundation. We need to eventually get this shift all the way down to the elementary schools so students enter my classroom ready to go.”

The announcement was also celebrated by both elementary and middle school educators who have been on the frontlines implementing evidence-based reading instruction as part of NYC Reads.

“We’ve seen real growth since piloting evidence-based reading instruction in my middle school classroom, and I’m thrilled that more students will finally get access to these kinds of materials,” said Stephanie Vazquez, a middle school ELA coach in the Bronx. “The vocabulary support alone has been a game changer — giving students the tools to actually decode and understand complex texts. The exposure to themed units and texts has helped my students make connections and see things from perspectives they hadn’t considered before. This expansion doesn’t just validate what’s working — it brings it to more students who need it.”

Erica Boyce, an elementary school teacher in Queens, added, “It’s powerful to see city leadership not just listen to educators, but act on what we’re saying. NYC Reads has made a real impact in my classroom, giving students tools that actually engage them. I’m excited they’ll now get to carry that momentum into middle school with the same high-quality materials. That kind of consistency matters.”

Educators also emphasized the importance of ensuring this expansion is executed well and sustained long-term. In the coming weeks, E4E-NY will release a new report on teachers’ experiences implementing NYC Solves, sharing those insights in another conversation with Chancellor Avilés-Ramos focused on effective implementation.

“City leadership’s willingness to act on educator feedback makes these next steps even more critical,” said Divanne. “Our surveying of educators consistently reveals that progress is being made. Now, New York City students can’t afford to see this progress reversed — we need firm commitments from every current and future leader of this city to double down on these initiatives and keep these investments in our kids’ futures coming. Today was a clear step in the right direction.”

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About Educators for Excellence–New York (E4E–NY)

Educators for Excellence–New York is a teacher-led organization with more than 17,000 members across NYC, working to ensure educators’ voices are at the center of the policies that impact their classrooms, profession, and students.