NYC schools chief sets early agenda on integration and high standards |
Kamar H. Samuels, New York City’s newly appointed schools chancellor, has begun outlining his priorities in his first week on the job, emphasising a dual focus on academic rigor and equity as he takes charge of the largest public school system in the United States, serving more than 875,000 students. In early remarks and school visits across the city, Samuels highlighted the need for safe, academically demanding, and more integrated schools that reflect New York City’s diversity. He has pointed to models such as International Baccalaureate programmes as a way to combine rigor with broader access, positioning them as a potential alternative to more selective gifted programmes. Samuels appears closely aligned with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s broader education agenda, including improving teacher recruitment and retention, supporting the city’s 150,000 homeless students, strengthening reading instruction, and potentially revisiting approaches to secondary-level maths education. While his full policy platform is expected to emerge later in the school year, early signals suggest continuity with the mayor’s priorities and a more direct approach to inequality.
