Op-Ed: Growing Bookworms From Harlem To Hollis

By NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña

In one way or another, as loved ones and guardians, we have so much to offer that can inspire our children to love reading.  Some of my most treasured memories include listening to my father’s stories about his native country Spain.Continue reading

marl levine 2

Harlem’s Levine And Coalition Expand Foreign Language Education

On Thursday, October 29, Harlem Council Member Mark Levine, Council Member Jumaane Williams, Public Advocate Letitia James, and a group of council members and state legislators joined a coalition of teachers, students and business leaders calling for a broad expansion of foreign language education programs in New York City.
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hw17 girls in article

Op-Ed: Building Stronger Communities

By Carmen Fariña, Schools Chancellor

As Chancellor, I love talking to our students and parents at  community meetings, forums, town halls and even in the grocery store –and I hear the same message time and again: every parent wants to see their child graduate ready to conquer the world—and every child wants to follow their dreams and achieve.Continue reading

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña

Op-Ed: The Bilingual Advantage

By Carmen Fariña NYC Schools Chancellor

I grew up speaking Spanish with my parents, who fled their native Spain during its Civil War and settled in Brooklyn. I didn’t know any English when I started kindergarten and the teacher marked me absent for six weeks because I didn’t understand her mangled pronunciation of my last name. Continue reading