Over 800 NYC Educators Call for Update On Mosaic Curriculum

Tuesday, July 26, 2022 – NEW YORK – During the last several months, over 800 New York City educators have signed a petition calling on Chancellor David Banks to provide an update on the Mosaic curriculum. Mosaic is a universal, culturally relevant curriculum that Former Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to create and spend more than $200 million on in the summer of 2021. Despite being a full year later, the Department of Education hasn’t released plans on how Mosaic will be implemented in schools, how the $200 million is going to be spent, or how teacher input will be incorporated.

Educators cite the lack of long-term plan as a key issue when it comes to the curriculum’s implementation.

“We signed the petition because we want to see a long-term plan,” said Sytricia Mears, an elementary school teacher in Queens. “It’s encouraging to see that New York City announced an Asian American studies curriculum several months ago, but releasing the program in chunks that are divided by ethnicity and race undercuts the curriculum’s supposed universality, and the spontaneous decisions add unnecessary difficulty for teachers.”

Educators also cite the lack of spending transparency as an issue. They say that $200 million is a large amount of money, and every day that the money goes unspent, students pay the price.

“A list of books to read or a guide of resources isn’t enough when we’re talking about $200 million dollars,” said Tresha Mason, a paraprofessional in Queens. “When we say we are going to spend $200 million on a universal, culturally relevant curriculum, we should expect a high-quality product and curriculum for our students.”

To read the full petition that over 800 New York City educators signed, please click here.

###

Founded by public school teachers, Educators for Excellence is a growing movement of more than 33,000 educators, united around a common set of values and principles for improving student learning and elevating the teaching profession. We work together to identify issues that impact our schools, create solutions to these challenges, and advocate for policies and programs that give all students access to a quality education.

For more information, please visit e4e.org.