P.S. Weekly

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...

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...

As Success Academy turns 20 this year, former students of New York City’s largest charter school network share their stories in this episode of P.S. Weekly. 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 a...

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...

This week on P.S. Weekly, we’re featuring an episode of Miseducation, a podcast about inequities in New York City schools also produced by The Bell. Several of our student reporters recorded this live conversation 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...

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 our 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...

P.S. Weekly is back with Season 3!  The Bell’s high school reporters have once again teamed up with Chalkbeat New York’s veteran education journalists to bring you pressing issues in New York City schools from the perspectives of students who experience them firsthand.  Led by the Bell’s Senior Producer Maria Robins-Somerville and Technical Director Jake Lummus, this season dives into critical iss...

In this special back-to-school episode of P.S. Weekly, New York City schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos shared her thoughts on pressing education issues including the cellphone ban, restorative justice, mental health support for students, and whether she’d encourage her middle school daughter to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test, or SHSAT. This is a video-first episode. Watch o...

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...

The race for New York City’s next mayor is in full swing, but do teens know what’s going on? Next week on P.S. Weekly, student journalists Roberto Bailey and Jojo Fofana are delving into the upcoming primary election. They’ve been digging into who the candidates are, what their positions are, what they have to say directly to students, and trying to figure out why only 18% of 18-29 year-olds actua...

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 H...

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, of Midwood High School, and Bernie Carmona, from Beacon High School, wade into the debate over school bathroom policies. At Midw...

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 senior at John Dewey High School, and Roberto Bailey, a junior at Hunter College High School, explore how AI use among students is expl...

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 the Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts, BILA, compare turnover at their schools and examine how turbulent relationships between teac...

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 senior at Uncommon Leadership High School, and Jojo Fofana, a senior at Fordham High School for the Arts, explore the frustrating and c...

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 Essex Street Academy, and Sanaa Stokes, a senior at Manhattan’s Professional Performing Arts High School, expose the patchwork approach t...

Our first episode of Season 2 dives into the state of ethnic studies in New York City schools and how the Trump administration could threaten the recent expansion of Black studies, LGBTQ history, and other diverse curriculums in schools across the five boroughs.  Producers Bernie Carmona Pereda, from Beacon High School, and Isabella Mason, from Midwood High School, discuss the critical role of eth...

P.S. Weekly Season 2 is here! The Bell’s student reporters have teamed up with Chalkbeat New York’s experienced education reporters and veteran executive producer Ave Carrillo, to bring you impactful stories from inside New York City schools.  Here’s what’s coming up: They tackle issues that are shaping student life today—AI in classrooms, shifts in immigration policy, sex ed in the cross hairs, s...