Miseducation
New York City is home to the nation’s most segregated school system, a fact that surprises those who think of the Big Apple as a progressive beacon. Deep inequities exist at every level of the NYC school system.
And who better to report on these issues than the students who experience them firsthand? Grab a pen and get ready to take notes. Our student reporters are taking you to school.
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Ep. 8: The Price of Creativity
At my middle school, I took an art class that had no art teacher. At my new school, the basement has ten music studios.
Ep. 7: Food Fight — The Battle for Better School Lunches
Students eat in the cafeteria every day, and yet conversations about education often leave out this crucial element of our daily lives as students.
Ep. 6: Locked Up Phones
When her school implements a new policy requiring students to lock their phones in pouches during the school day, Zainab and her peers have some concerns.
Ep. 5: Responding to Racism in Schools
When a teacher makes an offensive comment about Black people in class, Black students are unsatisfied with the school’s response.
Ep. 4: Examining the Regents
New York is one of just eight states that requires high school exit exams. Seems like time for a new approach.
Ep. 3: The FAFSA Frustration
The FAFSA seems simple enough: fill out the form, get financial aid, go to college. Well… not quite.
Ep. 2: We Need to Talk About Sex
We get it. The "birds and the bees” talk is awkward. But if we want young people to be informed and safe, NYC schools’ sex education policies need to change.
Ep. 1: Wake Up Call – School Should Start Later
Who's really calling the shots when it comes to school start times? Is student health and well-being even on the agenda?
P.S. 18: The People's Money
New Yorkers are voting to decide how to spend $5 million of the city's money.
P.S. 17: Teens Talking to Teens About Mental Health
Adults seem to have a lot to say about youth mental health. We have some thoughts of our own.
A Message from Jayden Williams
As we kick off our first ever spring fundraising drive, one of our student reporters shares what working with The Bell has meant to him.
P.S. 16: Questioning the Status Quo — Sneak Peek
A special preview of our upcoming Miseducation season: Questioning the Status Quo
Special Report from Mound Bayou, Mississippi
The incredible true story of Black ingenuity in a small Mississippi Delta town founded by formerly enslaved men.
P.S. 15: When Does Student Data Tracking Cross the Line?
Live from SXSW EDU, student data privacy experts discuss how efforts aimed at keeping students safe can do them harm.
P.S. 13: Three Stops on the A Train
Coco and Bissiri go to public high schools a few miles away from each other in Manhattan, but their experiences are worlds apart.
P.S. 12: The Persistence of NYC School Segregation, Pt. 2
A look at what’s changed — and what hasn’t — in the decades long fight for school integration in New York City.
P.S. 11: The Persistence of NYC School Segregation
A Brooklyn minister who led the 1964 NYC school boycott argues for school desegregation in wake of the protest.