News

Coalition for Educational Justice Celebrates a Win for NYC Culturally Responsive Curriculum

Posted July 9, 2021

Today, July 8th 2021, the NYC Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor Meisha Ross-Porter announced an historic investment in the children of NYC and their education by bringing Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Curriculum to NYC at scale for the entire system for English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. Beginning this school year, the DOE will invest $500 Million over the course of the next 3 years to create new Culturally Responsive Curriculum for K-12 ELA & Math! This is an enormous victory for parents from the NYC Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ), which has been organizing for CRSE curriculum for the past 5 years.

Most New York City students go to schools where the curriculum they study does not reflect their cultures, their histories, or their experiences. In a city where 85% of public school students are youth of color, this is not acceptable! NYC students deserve an education that represents the true greatness of who they are, who their people are, and who the diverse populations of NYC are.

On February 20th, 2019, CEJ released a comprehensive report on the lack of representation of students of color in NYC’s elementary school curricula. Research found that in every one of the DOE’s early childhood curricula and booklists, students read many times more books featuring animal characters than books about all characters of color combined. Zooming out, this means that most of the 200,000 Latinx children, 130,000 Black children, and 80,000 Asian children in NYC public elementary schools graduate 5th grade having rarely read a book by an author of their cultural background. And many Latinx and Asian children graduate 5th grade having rarely read a book about a character of their cultural background!

By uniting as a community of parents, youth, educators and activists, we've been able to stand strong over the past 5 years, fighting for the implementation of Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education in EVERY CLASS, EVERY GRADE, EVERY DAY.

Since the official launch of CEJ's Culturally Responsive Campaign on March 25th 2017...
We've strategized...
Invaded City Hall...We've marched...
We have rallied in snowstorms...
and underneath the scorching sun...
Maintaining hope during a global pandemic...

And thanks to all of you, we have come out victorious!


For decades Black, Brown, Asian and Immigrant communities have fought for Culturally Responsive Education. This investment is particularly historic because it signifies NYC taking a stand against racism and other forms of oppression during a time when conservative, racist forces across the country are trying to write people of color out of this nation's story.

NYC is leading the nation by insisting on teaching the truth. We stand on the shoulders of generations of parents, students and educators in the decades before us who have been calling for this type of curriculum.
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A special thank you to Khalilah Brann for teaching us much, thank you for being our ancestor and giving so much love and support. You gave all of yourself to this and we continue it in your name and hope we make you proud @Khalilahloves
Rest In Power



In Solidarity,

Natasha Capers,

NYC Coalition for Educational Justice