Student Shares Thoughts on Excellence, Rigor and Public Service

Graduating Senior Spencer Silverman shared his thoughts on New York City public schools during the last District 2 Manhattan Community Education Council (CEC) meeting of the 2023 academic school year.

Good evening everybody. First, I'd like to thank Superintendent McGuire for the opportunity to serve as the student representative on the District 2 CEC. I'd also like to thank President Morden, his fellow officers, and all the members of the District 2 CEC. It's been a pleasure serving as the student member of the council, and it's been a very informative and rewarding experience. Although I've kept my remarks this term limited, I'd like to take this opportunity to make a few comments and offer my opinions on some issues facing our school district.

I've been very fortunate to have attended some amazing district public schools, including PS6, PS 77 (the Lower Lab School), as well as Eastside Middle School. The quality of education that I received in those schools was excellent, and they are some of the finest public schools in the city of New York. I've also been fortunate to attend the Bronx High School of Science which, although not in District 2, is an amazing Specialized High School. I'll be graduating in a few weeks, and on June 26th I'll be continuing my public school education as a cadet in the United States Military Academy.

At this point, I believe it's important for students in my generation to volunteer and commit to public service. I hope that organizations such as the District 2 CEC will continue to welcome student members so they can be a part of the decision-making process on issues affecting our community. I encourage the New York City Department of Education to make more opportunities available so that a greater number of students can partner with educational and community leaders to learn more about the issues that affect our lives in such important ways.

We find ourselves presently embroiled in a lack of consensus regarding the future of education in our city. Having served on this council, it's clear that issues such as diversity, equity, merit, educational rigor, and student and school admissions can often trigger vastly opposing opinions. I like to think that despite the issues that have divided us, there are central truths that we can all agree upon. Perhaps most importantly, every child in New York City deserves a quality education.

While we might disagree on how best to provide that quality education, it seems clear to me that there could be many paths to achieving that goal. I would encourage the Department of Education and this community not to abandon academic rigor in the name of equity. Academic rigor and equity do not have to be mutually exclusive. I believe that students should be rewarded for hard work and achievement. Otherwise, it's difficult to ask students to remain motivated. I also believe, as others have said, that school admissions should be based on academic and social-emotional needs, and not in a lottery that awards spots based on chance.

If we ever need proof that the lottery system does not work, consider my former school, Lower Lab. Lower Lab is a gifted and talented school, and I've learned recently that 27 out of 57 students on a survey have indicated they'll be leaving the public school system to attend private schools. Certainly, we should question if the failure to get into one of their top schools is the reason that their parents have indicated they'll leave the public school system.

If we want to retain students in the public school system, we have to provide them with options and schools that are challenging and meet their needs. Otherwise, more and more students will continue to leave the public school system. While I've been fortunate to attend some amazing schools, there can be no doubt that a large number of New York City schools are failing students by not addressing their needs. We must strive to ensure that all of our city's students have access to the resources that they need to succeed. We should strive to provide equal opportunity, but not at the cost of engineering equal outcomes for students.

True equity is providing every student with the tools to succeed. Let's work on improving teaching, physical facilities, and testing resources for all students. Let's work together to make sure that students in temporary housing have sufficient resources. But let's also maintain academic rigor and understand that no two students are the same. Different students have different needs, whether they be social, emotional, or academic.

As the parents of Lower Lab have shown, when the community fails to adapt and meet those needs, families will go elsewhere. We have to think outside the box and customize education so that it addresses each student's individual needs. I hope that the next board will work towards building consensus around many of the issues I've just discussed and work to involve students more in the process of CEC work.

Again, I want to thank my fellow board members and wish everybody the best of luck in the future. Thank you.