By Bernie Carmona, Katelyn Melville and Kelsi Bowen

In the years since the COVID-19 pandemic, students across the country have missed school far more regularly than before it. In New York City, the chronic absenteeism rate (percentage of students who miss at least 10% of total school days) hovered around 25% in the years leading up to the pandemic. When students returned to classrooms in the 2021-2022 school year, the rate jumped to 40%. It remains stubbornly high.

We wanted to understand why and what schools can do to reverse the trend.

While analyzing attendance rates and student demographics of nearly 500 New York City public high schools, we noticed an outlier in the data. Pan American International High School, which serves recent arrivals to the country who often face economic hardship and housing instability, reported a chronic absenteeism rate of just 14.6% in the 2022-2023 school year — lower than some of the city’s most sought-after screened and specialized high schools.

In this episode, follow us on our trip to Pan American, where we uncover the stories behind the numbers and hear directly from three students who each made a big turnaround in their attendance. What made the difference? What can other schools learn from Pan American’s approach? And… have adults been talking about this issue all wrong?

Tune in to find out.

Miseducation is The Bell’s flagship podcast and internship program, which gives New York City public high school students the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system. This episode was made possible with support from College Board.

Pictured from left to right, Professor Kaliris Y. Salas-Ramirez, Katelyn Melville, Paullette Ha Healy, Bernie Carmona, Kelsi Bowen, and Nyah Berg on a panel at The Fordham School of Law Feerick Center for Social Justice. Photo by Mira Gordon

Miseducation interns Kelsi, Katelyn, and Bernie join parent advocates to share their experiences navigating NYC’s high school admissions process—shedding light on its role in maintaining the nation’s most segregated school system—and discuss what needs to change for a more equitable future.

This episode features a live recording of the panel at “Two Decades of NYC High School Admissions: Effects, Equity, and Experiences,” a day-long conference co-hosted by New York Appleseed and Fordham Law, held on November 18th, 2024.

Sabrina is joined by two student leaders to share a special announcement about a new citywide initiative called Journalism for All. The initiative will provide curriculum, training, funding, and other forms of support to 30 NYC public high schools that want to start journalism programs. The initiative is led by the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition, which is directed by The Bell.

The application is open now through November 4. All of the details, including information session registration links, can be found at youthjournalismnyc.org/all.

While protests over the Israel-Hamas war have gripped New York City college campuses, we look at how high schoolers have reacted — and the student freedom of speech issues being raised.

P.S. Weekly reporter Dorothy Ha speaks to Orlena Fella, whose high school was uniquely impacted by recent protests at City College. Then, Dorothy heads over to the New York Civil Liberties Union for an in-depth conversation about student rights with Racial Justice Counsel Camara Stokes Hudson.

Finally, Dorothy talks to host Jose Santana about how free speech concerns have shown up at her high school.

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected].

To stay up to date on New York City schools coverage throughout the week, sign up for Chalkbeat New York's daily newsletter at ckbe.at/subscribe-ny.

Learn more about The Bell's student programs and podcasts at bellvoices.org.

What happens when a teen wants therapy but their parents are unsure? Is NYC’s bold initiative to offer free virtual therapy to teens working? Tune in to find out.

News Bulletin — Chalkbeat's Amy Zimmer breaks down top education stories from the past week. (2 min)

Segment A — Salma Baksh interviews a mother-daughter duo as they discuss conflicting views on therapy. (11 min)

Segment B — Shoaa Khan explores Teenspace, the city's new virtual therapy initiative that provides free services for teens. Hear about the ambitious new program from Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan and therapist Dr. Jill Daino . (8 min)

Learn more about Teenspace: talkspace.com/nyc

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected].

To stay up to date on New York City schools coverage throughout the week, sign up for Chalkbeat New York's daily newsletter at ckbe.at/subscribe-ny.

Learn more about The Bell's student programs and podcasts at bellvoices.org.

In P.S. Weekly’s food episode, fourth graders visit NYC schools’ test kitchen, high schoolers rate grilled cheese sandwiches, and students dish on having microwave access.

News Bulletin — Chalkbeat reporter Julian Shen-Berro breaks down top education stories from the past week. (2 min)

Segment A — Student reporter Ava Stryker-Robbins and Chalkbeat reporter Alex Zimmerman visit the NYC Public Schools' test kitchen to learn about the process food items go through before they end up in school cafeterias. Spoiler alert: they have to win the approval of some tough critics. (12 min)

Segment B — Student reporter Jose Santana makes a surprising discovery when he visits the Bronx Latin school cafeteria on a recent Plant-Powered Friday. (6 min)

Segment C — Student reporter Santana Roach speaks with his principal and students at his school, Frederick Douglass Academy II, about access to microwaves.  (7 min)

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected].

To stay up to date on New York City schools coverage throughout the week, sign up for Chalkbeat New York's daily newsletter at ckbe.at/subscribe-ny.

Learn more about The Bell's student programs and podcasts at bellvoices.org.

In this special episode, student reporters Shoaa Khan and Jose Santana speak to Chancellor David Banks about a range of important issues that affect students. Hear what the leader of the NYC public school system had to say about a new "Hidden Voices" history curriculum, school start times, the persistence of school segregation, cell phone policies, and more.

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected].

To stay up to date on New York City schools coverage throughout the week, sign up for Chalkbeat New York's daily newsletter at ckbe.at/subscribe-ny.

Learn more about The Bell's student programs and podcasts at bellvoices.org.

In the first segment, student producer Christian Rojas Linares explores a new apprenticeship program through the eyes of Heidy Torres, a high school junior who works 16 hours a week for Bloomberg, the finance giant and media company.

The second segment, produced by Marcellino Melika and Tanvir Kaur, focuses on a student who has devoted enormous energy to getting into a top college — submitting 23 applications requiring 50 supplemental essays.

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected].

To stay up to date on New York City schools coverage throughout the week, sign up for Chalkbeat New York's daily newsletter at ckbe.at/subscribe-ny.

Learn more about The Bell's student programs and podcasts at bellvoices.org.

More than 200,000 New York City students have a disability classification that entitles them to specific learning accommodations — but do they always get them? Students share their experiences.

RSVP for "Inside P.S. Weekly" Zoom event on April 17: https://ckbe.at/psweekly

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected].

To stay up to date on New York City schools coverage throughout the week, sign up for Chalkbeat New York's daily newsletter at ckbe.at/subscribe-ny.

Learn more about The Bell's student programs and podcasts at bellvoices.org.

The national wave of book bans has been coming ashore in surprising ways in New York City.
News Bulletin – Chalkbeat reporter Alex Zimmerman breaks down top education stories from the past week. (1 min)
Segment A  – Student reporter Salma Baksh interviews her former librarian Lindsay Klemas, who received online backlash for promoting an LGBTQ+ book during Pride month. (8 min)
Segment B – Shoaa Khan and Tanvir Kaur take us to an English class at the Academy of American Studies, where students read banned books — exclusively. (6 min)

RSVP for "Inside P.S. Weekly" Zoom event on April 17: https://ckbe.at/psweekly

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected].

To stay up to date on New York City schools coverage throughout the week, sign up for Chalkbeat New York's daily newsletter at ckbe.at/subscribe-ny.

Learn more about The Bell's student programs and podcasts at bellvoices.org.

Officials estimate that more than 36,000 migrant students have enrolled in New York City public schools over the past two years.

What challenges are these new students facing? And what are schools doing to support them? This student-reported episode explores these questions through conversations with students, educators, and a journalist who's been covering the issue.

Segment A
Chalkbeat Reporter Michael Elsen-Rooney breaks down the issue and how the broader media narratives don't necessarily reflect experiences on the ground. (6 min)

Segment B
Student reporter Jose Santana interviews a Claremont International High School student about her transition to the school system and how one program has made a big difference. (9 min)

Segment C
Student reporter Bernie Carmona talks to Sunisa Nuosy, a former international high school teacher about the joys and challenges of educating immigrant students. (7 min)

Additional reading:
• Read this story about students from NYC’s largest school for newcomer immigrants as they push for a change in the school name
• Read this first-person story from an educator advocating for more school social workers to support NYC migrant students

To stay up to date on New York City schools coverage throughout the week, sign up for Chalkbeat New York's daily newsletter at chalkbeat.org/newsletters.

Learn more about The Bell's student programs and podcasts at bellvoices.org.

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected].