Miseducation

It’s a wrap on P.S. Weekly’s third season, and to cap it off, we have a special live-recorded episode from Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch. This season, P.S. Weekly student reporters investigated some of the biggest issues shaping New York City schools, from school mergers to sports access, teacher diversity to equity in admissions, and more. In this episode, the students behind those sto...

A decade after NYC launched its Diversity in Admissions program, demographics have shifted at competitive campuses such as Bard High School Early College Manhattan. Bard now sets aside half of its seats for students from low-income households. But changing admissions is only the first step toward true integration. The larger question: What is being done to support these students once they’re enrol...

More than 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, New York City schools remain deeply segregated. What has changed since then, and what has not? In this special episode, we share a live recording from “Separate: NYC Public Schools 72 Years After Brown v. Board, An Intergenerational Discussion,” an event co-hosted by The Bell and the Center for Brooklyn History on May 18, 2026. The event brough...

Constant delays. No-shows. Missed class.  Roughly 145,000 New York City students, 43% of whom have disabilities, rely on yellow bus service to get to school each day. It’s a sprawling system with 9,000 routes operated by more than 50 different companies at a cost of more than $2 billion a year. But sometimes, the buses don’t arrive at all. Parents are often unable to track buses or contact busing...

New York City’s teachers don’t reflect the students they serve, but one recent public school grad is trying to do his part to shrink that gap. Students of color make up the vast majority of the nation’s largest school system, yet white educators are more than half of the teaching workforce . Better representation at the front of the classroom can affect student outcomes. Studies have shown student...

What if your high school doesn’t offer your favorite sport?  Today’s disparities in access to sports teams stem from a policy pushed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg to replace large high schools with smaller ones. These new schools, largely serving Black and Latino students, didn't have the enrollment to field an array of teams — creating a systemic deficit that still disproportionately aff...

Success Academy reshaped what free education for low-income students could look like. The network boasts above average scores on state tests and impressive college admissions statistics . Some alumni, however, wonder if the academic pressure and strict behavioral standards are worth it. Its famously test-focused approach has raised a question: How much pressure on students is too much? P.S. Weekly...

The nation’s largest school system is shrinking, and one way city officials are tackling the drop: ramping up school mergers .  New York City schools enrolled 793,000 K-12 students this school year, down about 15% from the 2019-20 school year, according to Education Department data. The number of students who have left the system during this time is bigger than Philadelphia’s entire public school...

The Bell’s student reporters recorded a special live episode of Miseducation at SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas on March 9, 2026. Moderated by Salma Baksh, the conversation explored how student journalists can ask hard questions, hold institutions accountable and drive change in their schools and communities. Listen as Fredlove Deshommes, Jeremiah Dickerson and Aponi Kafele discuss their reporting on th...

To many New York City students, Advanced Placement Calculus feels impractical, full of information they won’t use in their day-to-day lives — though it’s become a status symbol for some high achievers. But reaching that status symbol has some significant consequences: AP Calculus has garnered a reputation for being a barrier to higher education. The class has become a gatekeeper, with many selecti...

With an acceptance rate below 10%, Hunter College High School is one of the most competitive public high schools in New York City. It’s also one of the least diverse.  Hunter’s 15.3% student poverty rate was the lowest of any public high school in the city, according to public data from the 2024-25 school year. By comparison, Bronx Science and Stuyvesant, two of the city’s specialized high schools...

Welcome back to P.S. Weekly, a student podcast created in collaboration between Chalkbeat and The Bell ! In the first episode of Season 3, The Bell’s high school reporters landed an exclusive interview with schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. The new schools chief made his three priorities known: safety, academic rigor, and integration. But The Bell’s student reporters grilled him on the issues most...

Thousands of New York City students rely on credit-recovery programs to earn course credit they need for the next grade or graduation. But do these second chances to pass give the system permission to fail? A 2018 audit at a Brooklyn high school found that 96 percent of recovered credits were improperly awarded, exposing how uneven oversight and under qualified instruction can shortchange students...

At my school, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance feels more like a social club than a space for activism. And I’m not alone in feeling that way. In this episode, I look at how GSAs in New York City have drifted from their original purpose: organizing for change and uplifting queer voices. Once at the front lines of student activism, many GSAs now avoid political conversations and lack diversity , e...

America is in a financial literacy crisis. According to the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center , U.S. adults correctly answer less than half of basic personal-finance questions.  As a sophomore at Stuyvesant High School and a student reporter for Miseducation , I’ve seen firsthand how we’re set up to fail. New York City, the financial capital of the world, still doesn’t require a standalo...

By Autumn Wynn In New York City schools, restorative justice – or RJ – has been around for almost a decade. It’s a way to repair harm by bringing together the person who caused it, the person affected, and the community. Restorative justice circles are designed to help students heal, take accountability, and build stronger communities, but too often they feel like just another routine. Most RJ sch...

What is happening with the youth vote during this year’s mayoral race? Are New York City’s young people tuning in? Are the candidates reaching out to young voters? And why hasn’t education been a centerpiece of the mayor’s race so far? Producers Jojo Fofana, a senior at Fordham High School for the Arts, and Roberto Bailey, a junior at Hunter College High School, examine the 2025 mayoral race and t...

Why do so many young people lack the fundamentals of civics knowledge? Is the education system adequately preparing future generations for active participation in democracy? Do New York City teens know there’s a big mayoral race coming up — and can they name any of the candidates? Producers Jasmyn Centeno, a senior at Uncommon Leadership Charter High School, and Annie He, a senior at John Dewey Hi...

It’s been five years since COVID shut down New York City schools. How are kids faring with the aftermath? How do they talk about the pandemic – or not?  The fallout is often framed around “learning loss” or dips in test scores, but what about some of the social impacts, like the quiet shifts in students’ personalities or the mounting mental health struggles many are still confronting?  Producers M...

What is the state of youth climate activism in New York City?  The momentum of the climate protests at the start of the 2019-20 school year may have slowed since the pandemic, and many students remain apathetic, but climate anxiety continues to fuel some students into action.  Producers Sanaa Stokes, a senior at Manhattan’s Professional Performing Arts High School, and Aponi Kafele, a junior at Ma...

Cutting class. Fights. Vaping. School bathrooms have long been notorious for all sorts of illicit behavior. And in response, many schools now significantly restrict access to bathrooms or are adding surveillance tools, including vape detectors.  Producers Isabella Mason, from Midwood High School, and Bernie Carmona, from Beacon High School, wade into the debate over school bathroom policies. At Mi...

P.S. Weekly airs on Thursdays this spring. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts. Episodes republish Mondays in the Miseducation feed. There’s no way to ignore the rise of AI in schools.  Students are embracing it. Educators are battling it. Policymakers are trying to get ahead of it. There's no turning back. But are there some classes where AI just doesn't belong? Producers Annie He, a se...

P.S. Weekly airs on Thursdays this spring. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts. Episodes republish Mondays in the Miseducation feed. When schools have high rates of teacher turnover, students lose connections to trusted educators, and new teachers who fill the openings are often less experienced.  Producers Mateo Tang O’Reilly, from Central Park East High School, CPEHS, and Katelyn Melville, from...

P.S. Weekly airs on Thursdays this spring. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts. Episodes republish Mondays in the Miseducation feed. Applying to college is stressful enough. Navigating the financial aid process adds a whole new layer. And for children of immigrants, including those with undocumented parents, the process comes with even greater hurdles and anxieties.  Producers Jasmyn Centeno, a se...

P.S. Weekly airs on Thursdays this spring. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts. Episodes republish Mondays in the Miseducation feed. Are New York City students getting the sex education they need? P.S. Weekly’s episode 2 explores the systemic shortcomings and urgent need for comprehensive — and inclusive — sex education in New York City schools. Producers Aponi Kafele, a junior at Manhattan’s Esse...