End of School Letter
to Parents
by Chancellor Joel I. Klein
Dear Parents,
This is the final week of what has
been an historic school year. Under the Mayor’s leadership
and through Children First, we have begun the monumental
task of creating a system of 1,200 outstanding schools in
New York City. We know that there is a lot of hard work ahead
of us in reaching this goal, but if we all continue to work
together, we can make that goal a reality.
I have met with thousands of you
during this school year, and I will continue to meet with
parents during the summer and throughout the coming school
year. The Children First reform agenda reflects what we heard
in the meetings thus far: that parents and community members
want stronger instruction in the basics of reading, writing
and math; the redirection of resources to schools for classroom
instruction; a voice for parents in their children’s
education; and greater accountability system-wide for student
performance.
Beginning July 1, you will be able to go to any of the full-service
Learning Support Centers that have been established across
the City. The Learning Support Centers will be open six days
a week, as well as two weeknights, to address any questions
on school issues you may have. In addition, you can also visit
any of the district-based offices, which we are staffing with
an individual who can address parent issues.
For the addresses and contact information
for the Learning Support Centers as well as the district-based
offices, important information relating to matters that may
arise over the summer, including summer school, free food
programs, transfers and registration, check our website at
www.nycenet.edu or call the Chancellor’s hotline at
(718) 482-3777.
Beginning in September, you will
see many changes occurring in your children’s schools.
Many schools will begin to use the new curriculum and new
materials we have chosen to improve student achievement in
reading and math. There also will be new coaches to assist
teachers in the roll out of the new curriculum and a new
Parent Coordinator who will serve as a resource and a new
point of access for parents at the school level.
I understand that the success of
our children hinges not only on the teachers and principals
in our school system, but also on you—our students’ parents.
As we close out this year, I want to thank you for this extraordinary
opportunity to work with and for your children. I look forward
to September, when the reforms we have all been anticipating
will finally become a reality in classrooms throughout the
system, and I want to wish you and your family a healthy
and restful summer.
Sincerely,
Joel I. Klein, Chancellor
