Mayor de Blasio has been on the forefront of education by adding advanced placement programs while at the same time using events to push for mayoral control of city schools. But one issue seems to be pertinent to the concern of education in the city, the question of diversity in the schooling system. As a champion of progressive initiatives, de Blasio has to be considered timid on the issue and widely criticized to address the problem. He has been encouraged to use the word “segregated” by many of his followers, but wants to use “diversity” because of its broader definition that avoids looking just at race, but also sees the socioeconomic and disability aspects of people’s lives. As a result, members of his own party in city hall have condemned the mayor about his word choice. De Blasio understands he cannot change the demographics of city areas and cannot physically integrate schools in such a large city. Instead, he wants to create the idea of this movement by improving school quality academically in efforts like universal pre-kindergarten and advanced courses. The mayor does not want to make promises he can’t keep, so he looks at the realistic side of his agenda in education for his constituency.
cahillstrat2023-04-14T06:20:29-04:00June 9th, 2017|Categories: Cahill Blog, Education, New York City, New York City Mayor's Office, News|