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Good morning, Mike here from Chalkbeat New York.

In his first six months in office, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has issued a steady stream of press releases and new policies on his core priorities: childcare, housing, and transportation. But when Chalkbeat examined Mamdani’s press releases on K-12 education — the largest operation by budget and headcount under his control — we found a far different picture. Out of the hundreds of press releases Mamdani sent out, just one announced a new policy on teaching and learning in city elementary, middle, and high schools.

Press releases don’t tell the full story, but they reflect where the mayor is devoting his energy and attention, and some observers worry K-12 schools are getting short shrift. Others, however, see a strategic choice to focus on childcare at first and gather input before releasing a more sweeping K-12 policy agenda. Our top story has more on what’s driving Mamdani’s quiet start on K-12 education, and what it means.

We also have an illuminating event coming up from our Chalkbeat Ideas team on the strain public school teachers are under. At Chalkbeat’s July 30 virtual event, we’ll share exclusive new data showing that heightened teacher turnover was not just a pandemic-era blip. In many places, more teachers have been leaving the classroom for the past 4 to 5 years. RSVP to save your spot and join us as we explore what this means for schools, students, and the future of teaching.

Local education coverage is disappearing. Chalkbeat helps families and educators understand what’s changing. We can’t do it without you.

$170 Million in State Pre-K Funds Went Unused by New York School Districts, New York Focus

Staggering 900 NYC public schools failing students amid grade inflation, lax accountability, New York Post

NYC delays release of guidelines of AI use in schools, NY1