Michael Elsen-Rooney

Michael Elsen-Rooney

Reporter, Chalkbeat New York

Mike Elsen-Rooney writes about New York City public schools. Before joining Chalkbeat, he covered education for the New York Daily News, Columbia Journalism School’s Teacher Project and The Hechinger Report. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, USA Today, and The Boston Globe Magazine. Mike started his career as a high school Spanish teacher and afterschool program coordinator in the Washington DC area.

The shortage is causing students to miss out on behavior support, vocational training, and it's even preventing some students from getting to school.

It's not yet clear who will replace interim principal Johnny Ventura, or when.

The numbers mark the second straight year that enrollment declines have flattened out, a welcome development for the city’s public school system.

Since taking office in 2022, the Brooklyn council member and former teacher has visited nearly 100 schools across the five boroughs.

Four years after New York City overhauled its summer program to blend academics and recreation, lawmakers want to know if it’s working.

New York City, like other districts across the country, is grappling with a yearslong enrollment decline and a growing number of tiny schools.

The letters helped spur a dramatic spike in CUNY applications, which multiplied nearly fivefold last fall compared to the year before.

The way students are sorted in the city’s notoriously ruthless admissions process tends to hurt those from low-income backgrounds, children with disabilities, and others.

The pushback from the influential teachers union raises questions about the long-term prospects of the math curriculum’s success.