Melissa Aviles-Ramos Chancellor of New York City Public Schools - CEO's You Should Know

Melissa Aviles-Ramos Chancellor of New York City Public Schools - CEO's You Should Know

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to CEOs. You should know. I'm Cat O'Donnell, and
I am joined today by Melissa Aveilis Ramos, Chancellor of
the New York City Public Schools. Welcome. We're so excited
to have I'm so excited to be here. We were
just talking, but we had to start out with your journey.
Your background. Tell me a little bit more about how
you got here.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Absolutely well.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
I am the daughter of a single Puerto Rican mom.
She came here from Puerto Rico when she was very
very young, only has a ninth grade education. And I
often talk about how my grandmother, to help my mother
escape a very abusive situation, she married her off to
someone ten about ten or eleven years older than she

(00:41):
was when she was about to turn fifteen years old.
And so by the time my mom was fifteen, she
found herself a wife, you know, to an adult, and
before she knew it, she was pregnant with two children.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
And while my grandmother thought that that was.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Going to secure this great, big future for her, it
actually did the opposite, and she found herself a mother
of three children not so long after. And so she
instilled in me that education is the great equalizer and
gives you all these opportunities worked off my tuition and
a Catholic.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
School, and that always stayed with me.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
So when it came time for me to be an educator,
I felt it was imperative that I commit to public
education because I never wanted anybody have to make the
sacrifices that she did.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
It's incredible, And you mentioned you started out, you know,
as a school teacher.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
What grade?

Speaker 3 (01:29):
I taught high school English? And I was so excited
thinking that I was going to walk in and all
the kids wanted to hear about Shakespeare and Tony Morrison
and we were just going to talk about these incredible books.
And then I found out that many of them couldn't read,
and they were not interested in my books. And so
I often say that I went from being a literature

(01:50):
teacher to a literacy teacher very early on.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
And did that really shape you know, all that time
in the classroom, How did that shape your time now
as a chancellor?

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (02:00):
I take those moments with me very seriously on my
daily journey as chancellor, both as a teacher and as
a principal. I really don't think people truly understand the
work that teachers and administrators do, especially ones who do
it with hearts. It's devastating when you walk into a

(02:22):
high school classroom and you know that children are misbehaving
and trying to deflect because they cannot read at even
a third grade reading level. And that's why when it
came time to join the administration at TWEED under Chancellor
David Banks, I felt like it was the right thing
to do, because as a teacher and a principle, I
was like, nobody wants to work at TWEET where that's

(02:44):
where great ideas go to.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Die, and I'm going to stay on the ground. And
you know, I was one of those.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
But when I saw that Chancellor Banks was talking about
like getting kids to read and having real practical initiatives
for the system, I said, you know, I want to
be a part of that change.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
Well, and you're not only you know, part of the administration,
but you're a parent as well of New York City
public schools and proud Latina, and I just you've lived
your whole life in Native New Yorker. How of all
of that really shaped your experience and the perspectives you bring.

Speaker 3 (03:18):
Well, when I became chancellor, you know, there was a
real there was a real nice hands off between Chancellor
Banks and me because we knew that the transition was coming,
and he when he and Mayor Adams decided that this
was the best way to transition, I had to take
a step back and think, you know, David started all
this tremendous work, but I'm not David, and I want

(03:38):
to continue that work because I believe in that vision
that was our shared vision. But how do I do
it in a way that's authentic to me? And everything
you just said shows up in my leadership.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
I'm a mom.

Speaker 3 (03:49):
I believe in parent empowerment. When we talk about New
York City Reads and Solves, my daughter was a struggling
reader coming out of COVID, and so I said to myself,
the next iteration of New York City Reads and Solves
has to really be about empowering students and parents and
really thinking about our most marginalized students and how they
not only fit into to this landscape, but how we're

(04:11):
actually serving them in a better way.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
Absolutely, So talk a little bit more about Project Open Arms.
I know you launched that this is the largest school system.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
In the entire country.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
What has has that been one of the most pivotal
moments in your professional career.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
Absolutely so fun fact, I did not reapply for my
position as a superintendent. When David Banks first became chancellor.
He was talking about turning over We laugh about it now,
but he was talking about turning over the tables and
everybody was.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Reapplying, and I said, I've had enough of this. I'm
out of here. And I get a.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
Call from Dan Weisberg, who's the first deputy Chancellor, and
he says, you know, I've heard some really great things
about you, and I don't.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Want you to leave the system.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
And I said, well, you got to make me an
offer of forty eight hours because I'm about to leave.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
It's like you're not going anywhere.

Speaker 3 (04:58):
So they brought me to tweet and with in a
few weeks, we started seeing the buses come in and
we really really quickly learned that this was not a
short term issue that we needed to manage. And I
always want to be clear, our immigrant families coming to
New York City and seeking asylum was not the crisis.
The crisis was not getting the support that we needed

(05:19):
from the federal government and making sure that we were
really support We had the resources and the systems in
place to support families and numbers. The great thing about
New York City is that this isn't this isn't unique
to us, right that the volume certainly was, but not
serving our neighbors from other from other spaces and places.
I was a one man team at the time because

(05:42):
we didn't really know what to expect, and so I
am just grateful to the support of my colleagues, and
I led this cross functional team which we quickly coined
Project Open Arms, and I mean to the point where
we were in the street talking to families who were
reluctant to go into the shelter system and living in campers,
you know, people who were coming in here in winter

(06:03):
with with sandals and getting them coats and gloves and
so what what originally started as a very scary, isolated project,
I got so much support from elected official, students' parents,
my central colleagues that it became this one ginormous initiative
that everyone had a hand in and I'm so proud

(06:24):
of it.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
That's incredible. And to have that support and the confidence
in you, I mean, it's an incredible community that you've
you've built because of the work that you've done absolutely.
I mean, in your first year as Chancellor, you've implemented
a variety of innovative programs and you mentioned some of them,
but ny CPS Cares, New York City Reads. What strategies

(06:46):
have helped you drive these large scale initiatives with urgency
and impact? Certainly you have?

Speaker 3 (06:51):
Yeah, well, I think when it comes to to Reads
in particular, I was one of the key architects on
Chancellor Banks this team. So I had the advantage of
really understanding, you know, the foundation and being a part
of that foundation, and so that was very easy to
continue to drive. And we knew that the next phase

(07:13):
was going to involve really looking at how we support
our multi lingual learners and our students with special needs,
and so I was ready to tackle that work with
my instructional background.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
I think when it came to SOLVES, you know, I.

Speaker 3 (07:25):
Had temporarily left the system and I came back and
I think that we might have been a little premature
with SOLVES and we needed to do some more engagement.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
So I immediately got on the ground with Michael.

Speaker 3 (07:36):
Mulgrew and with Henry Rubio, the UFT and the CSA
Union presidents respectively, and we you know, we started addressing
some of those issues, and then with CARES, I said,
everything that we're doing instructionally matters, but we also need
to create this holistic approach to supporting the whole child
and family, housing, insecurity, food and security, trauma informed care,

(07:57):
because if those things are not in place, or if
we're competing with those those basic needs, children are absolutely
not going to be able to absorb and take advantage
of everything that we're doing in the classroom. So I
like to think that my leadership style is very collaborative.
I like to identify what are the issues that we're
solving for how do we get to yes. While I

(08:19):
you know, everybody loves a great headline and celebratory news,
if the detail right, we say, the devil's in the detail.
If the implementation in the detail is not serving my
kids and my families, and that doesn't that doesn't feel
good right because.

Speaker 2 (08:33):
I am a mom and I see it with my
own kids.

Speaker 3 (08:35):
So my way of driving these big initiatives is being
visionary but also keeping my ear very close to the
ground and honoring every stakeholder and no escalation.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
Is too small or too minute for my attention.

Speaker 1 (08:50):
And you really have to address the whole child, like
as you're talking, and all the different factors. They're not isolated.
So you have a lot on your plate as far
as all of bringing all of this together and how
you can really best serve these children. It's incredible. You've
also championed a lot of inclusive education. I mean you
mentioned it too, but student led initiatives, anti bullying, anti

(09:12):
vaping campaigns. How do you balance that with empowering the
students themselves, but ensuring that you know, as you talked about,
those system wide standards are in place and that you're
really making sure that it's going in the right direction.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
Well, I think it goes back with the standards and
the expectation that City Hall has also said. You know,
the Mayor has been very very clear about his experience
in school and and and how he beat the odds,
and so his expectation is that schools are inclusive places
and that we look at every child for the brilliance
and the excellence that that is within them, and it's

(09:49):
up to the adults to bring it out in them.
And I very much agree with him and my own
personal experiences, both my.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
Own and my WIP with my daughter, you know, underscore that.

Speaker 3 (09:59):
And so I think for me, what's most important is
making sure that.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
You know, with whatever priority that we have in place,
that we're.

Speaker 3 (10:09):
Really listening to the community and what it is that
we need to make to adjust whenever adjustments need to
be made, and how do we continue to drive these
really big initiatives forward despite being such a large school system.
And I think sometimes when it comes to inclusive environments,
people see that as a challenge, and I actually see

(10:30):
it as an asset.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
I see it as a benefit.

Speaker 3 (10:33):
It's a diversity in all aspects of New York City
is what makes us great. And so if you look
at some of our students who are labeled in certain ways,
they have the most innovative ideas, They have the best energy.
It's just creating the opportunity for them to channel it
in these positive ways.

Speaker 1 (10:49):
And you are I mean, you're empowering them. And I'm
sure that you're getting a lot of support from the
students as well.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yes, they're very excited about it.

Speaker 3 (10:56):
They're excited to own They're like, listen, woman, we know
what bullying looks like.

Speaker 2 (11:03):
Let us handle it. I'm like, go for it.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
Rule the world.

Speaker 1 (11:06):
I couldnt be in school right now, like I don't.
I'm glad I was in high school thirty years ago
because I can't.

Speaker 2 (11:14):
I don't think.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
I don't think I could have done it.

Speaker 2 (11:17):
Absolutely not.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
The New York City Public schools now are offering thirty
seven hundred new teaching opportunity. Yes, and I know you're
expanding the programs like the New York Solves that you
talked about. How do you ensure that these innovations are
not only implemented but sustainable?

Speaker 3 (11:32):
Well, so I love that question, and I have to
tell you are part of the sustainability plan. The strategy
behind that is making sure that we work in close
partnership with our unions. And this is something that I've
I've always led like this in every aspect, from principal
to deputy superintendent, et cetera.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
I think when you work well.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
With your with your union partners, the seeds of sustainability
are planted. Because when we spend time fighting with each other,
we're not really getting anything done. And so what makes
New York City Reads and solves and care so successful
is that there is support for it. Again, right, Michael
Mulgrew has I was very vocal about some of the

(12:15):
hiccups with Solves.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
But rather than.

Speaker 3 (12:18):
Fight him on it and stand in front of the
media and say no, everything's great, I said.

Speaker 2 (12:22):
He's right, he's oh messy. We got to clean him up.
And I went in there and I went with my
team and we started cleaning them up.

Speaker 3 (12:28):
And So I think that's the kind of leadership where
you're not afraid to say if something is not working,
that doesn't mean that the initiative isn't working.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
And looking at the you.

Speaker 3 (12:37):
Know, the the plethora of partners you have who are
incredible people and well intentions and want to share this
agenda with you. If you work with them the right way,
you can move things forward. So Reads Solves, these amazing
program Who's going to argue with kids.

Speaker 2 (12:50):
Doing math and reading?

Speaker 3 (12:51):
Right, Like, I want these things to outlast me and
and and and and a few chancellors. Right. I want
to know that when my daughter's in high school, she's
enjoying New York City Solves.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
And I will not be champer when my daughter is high.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
School, and I will not be helping with me.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
No.

Speaker 1 (13:09):
But I mean, I think that's great. I mean, the
common theme and you just keep talking about is just
getting that support, but also getting those different perspectives. And
I think that and like you mentioned, not being afraid.
I mean, I think that is what's going to keep
things fresh and keep things moving forward. And I think
that's an incredible, you know, kind of baseline foundation that

(13:30):
you're creating that will sustain absolutely.

Speaker 2 (13:33):
Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
So you've said we're not just talking about equity, we're
delivering on it. So what does true educational equity look
like for you?

Speaker 2 (13:43):
You know? I I love that question.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
And the reason why I've said that is I think
a lot of people talk about how every child needs
to be loved and seen and heard, and then we
don't put the action steps behind it.

Speaker 2 (13:57):
That enrages me.

Speaker 3 (13:59):
And so it looks like making sure that whichever district
your child is in, they are getting access to high
quality curriculum and instruction. That's super important, right because back
in the days, if you lived in District seven in
the South Bronx, you weren't necessarily going to get the
same curriculum that you would get in District two in

(14:20):
Lower Manhattan. That's not acceptable, right, And even within one school,
I remember as a deputy superintendent, I visited a school
one day and I went into one math classroom, same grade,
same subject, went in, saw one thing happening in one classroom.
I go in and I see it entirely other thing,
and I was like, what, why are the two different things?
So standardization of curriculum and instructional expectations was a musk.

(14:42):
That is equity work, That is really making sure that
every child has access. The second thing is our pathways work.
And again I want to go back to the incredible
vision that both Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks set for
this work, which is when children are graduating, it shouldn't
just be go to and get into debt and not
know what you're doing. Have access to internships and apprenticeships,

(15:06):
and live in the real world while you're in high
school while earning dollars over eighteen million dollars in wages
going into our children's pockets while they're still in high school.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
That's phenomenal. Now they do not have to negotiate.

Speaker 3 (15:18):
Between their basic needs and their career aspirations. So when
I think about equity and I hear people talking about,
you know, black and brown people don't get the opportunities.

Speaker 2 (15:26):
I'm a brown woman.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
I had to find my opportunities and what we are doing,
as quite frankly, an administration.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
Of people of color, we're setting we're making.

Speaker 3 (15:34):
Sure that we're doing the equity work that we've been
talking about for years.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
And you have nearly half a million students now who
are benefiting from New York Reads, New York selves. What
are your long term goals for these kind of programs
and achievements and to sustain as you said, so this
goes beyond after graduation.

Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yeah, you know my long term goals.

Speaker 3 (15:54):
What I would love to see is that New York
City Reads and Solves and Cares are cornerstones of New
York City's public education system, and that students can walk
into a school and there is a standardized approach to
making sure that every child is receiving high quality instructional materials,
that they are getting access to the mental health supports,

(16:15):
that if a family is facing housing and food and security,
that they have different spaces and places to turn to
trusted adults who can help them navigate with dignity. Again,
I didn't often know where our next meals were going
to come from. I saw the shame that my mother
went through to ask for help. And when we say
it takes a village, we can't just keep saying that

(16:36):
without creating the conditions for the village to be there
for the families.

Speaker 2 (16:39):
That trust needs to be built.

Speaker 3 (16:42):
So my vision is that we are giving our children
everything they need instructionally and academically, but that we're also
making these schools very welcome and warm environments where a
family can feel comfortable saying, hey, I need help raising
my child.

Speaker 1 (16:56):
Action speak louder than words.

Speaker 3 (16:58):
It's awesome.

Speaker 1 (17:00):
So five years from now we're sitting here, what do
New York City public schools look like?

Speaker 3 (17:06):
The attendance rate is higher than it was pre COVID.
We have way more students graduating from college because we've
always done a good job of getting kids to college,
but not through college.

Speaker 2 (17:18):
And I always want to thank you know, my.

Speaker 3 (17:20):
Partners, the other two Puerto Rican chancellors.

Speaker 2 (17:24):
Sydney and County.

Speaker 3 (17:26):
Because they've been tremendous partners in thinking through you know,
John King and Felo Matos Rodriguez. They've been phenomenal and
really thinking about how we can create stronger pathways, and
of course other university partners, but public education, I always
have to mention my colleagues. We also are going to
see a lot more students graduating from the system, I

(17:49):
think giving back to the city. I really don't think
enough students know the opportunities in municipal government. They don't
know what's available to them right here in their backyard.
R And so I when I walk around and I
meet all these incredible people who graduated from our school system,
I'm like, we have to highlight you and we have
to bring you back as mentors because we want people

(18:11):
to go wherever it is, you know, all over the state,
all over the country, global by all means. But if
you love the city and you want to stay in
the city, let's also start building that pipeline to invest
in the city.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
Absolutely, I mean, and it makes a difference when kids
can see someone who looks like them and had the
same experience as them and see the success that they're having.
It makes all the difference.

Speaker 2 (18:33):
Absolutely. So.

Speaker 4 (18:35):
Managing the largest school system in the nation, I imagine comes
with some exities. So things would have been some of
the most significant challenges you've had in this this past year,
and have you approach them.

Speaker 3 (18:49):
Well, you know, I think David was very well known
and he's just this big presence. And I joke with
him and I say, you can sit in the truck
for an hour and there's not one wrinkle on the suit.
And you know, the way people approach men is very
different than the way they approach women, particularly a woman

(19:10):
who is in her early forties and who wasn't in
the media a whole bunch, and so they're like, who
is this woman?

Speaker 2 (19:16):
Where did she come from? And I think part of
my job was not.

Speaker 3 (19:21):
Only maintaining commitment to keeping the train moving and bringing
stability during a very interesting time, but also having to
prove myself, which is unfortunate, but that is a reality
as women leaders. And so I think that was a
challenge and letting everybody know that don't mistake the kindness
for weakness. And my mom brand is a real brand,

(19:44):
but like any other mom, you know, don't cross her
because things shift real quick.

Speaker 2 (19:50):
They're all your children, exactly, they are. Call them.

Speaker 3 (19:56):
I call them in every role that I've been in,
every single g group of children I am responsible for,
I call them my kids. And so I think that
that was really challenging. But and and building my own
confidence to be in such a big role because there's
no blueprint for this role, but remembering that no one
else had the blueprint before me, and so I had
to walk in that. And then of course, you know,
there have been some some challenges, you know, with the

(20:18):
federal government and thinking about you know what that looks like.
But I'm no stranger to leading during challenging times. That's
kind of the theme for my leadership. I've always managed
to lead during challenging times, and so I'm really proud
of that because I think that my stability and and
my my laser focus on commitments and priorities makes people

(20:38):
feel relaxed and trusted and supported.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
And and that's that's key to moving things forward.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
Absolutely, And you've created an incredible blueprint that you are
sticking to, which is awesome. And school safety and emotional
wellness have also been a big part of VERA agenda.
You've mentioned it throughout this but how do you navigate
and you've talked a little bit about it, but that policy, community, trust,
student experience. I mean, you've got a lot of different

(21:06):
factors in this space that you're having to try to
bring all together.

Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, I'm actually really proud.

Speaker 3 (21:12):
We started a team, a small but mighty team that
doesn't get a lot of attention, and it's a policy team.
It's a policy team led by Katie Jenner Lynnek who's
been in our system for a really long time and
she's worked with government affairs. And the reason why I
was so excited about launching this team is because their
entire purpose is to work with advocates and families and

(21:35):
students to engage around policy, and also to work with
our government affairs team to identify what are some emerging,
emerging trends and things that are looking to become policy,
or that existing policies that maybe need adjustment. So, just
to give you an example, our data privacy regulation had

(21:56):
not been adjusted in over ten years. That means we've
made it through COVID without paying attention to the data privacy.

Speaker 2 (22:02):
I mean, I couldn't even wrap my head around that
this private.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
This policy team worked with a cross functional team which
included our di t folks, our school leadership team, working
with advocates and parents and stood up this working group
and so everyone had a voice at the table when
we were adjusting this policy. And so I think in
the past these things were so siloed and we didn't

(22:25):
really take a look at how they all come together.
But I'm I'm lucky because I've been in the system
for a while and I've held multiple roles, so I've
experienced what happens when we silo things, and now I
experienced it as a mom. So it gives me an
opportunity to say, you know what, now I'm in Now
I'm in the cockpit.

Speaker 2 (22:45):
And I see all these different things and this is
really cool. I can put this together. And that's really
what I've been able to do.

Speaker 1 (22:51):
And if you mentioned before, it takes a village. You
need all this collaboration in order to get things done.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 1 (22:59):
What advice would you give to aspiring educators or leaders,
particularly women of color as you mentioned, looking to make
a systematic impact in public education?

Speaker 3 (23:10):
Never work for someone who doesn't share your values. Never
And you know they may whoever they are, may make
you feel like you are not deserving of a seat
at the table because you're a woman, because you're of color,
because of your age, or.

Speaker 2 (23:28):
Whatever the cases.

Speaker 3 (23:29):
But the reality is that when you feel very strongly
about something and you continue your own education and you
take the position as a lifelong learner, you.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
Create a seat for yourself at the table.

Speaker 3 (23:43):
But you can't do that if you're constantly having a
values fight with a person that you report to.

Speaker 2 (23:49):
So make sure that whoever.

Speaker 3 (23:52):
You are working with and for, you stay true to
your values and that you align yourself with a.

Speaker 2 (23:58):
Team that reflects your values. Incredible advice, Thank you.

Speaker 1 (24:03):
So what's next for the New York public school systems?

Speaker 3 (24:07):
We are going to open strong a lot of focus
on instruction, particularly high school instruction. Okay, you know again,
We've set some really great foundations for the CADA five space.
We did some expansion of Reads and Solves in the
middle school space, but I am often up at night
thinking about our high school students who are not benefiting

(24:31):
from the early building blocks of New York City Reads
and Solves because they're already in high school. And so
we need to be super aggressive on how we're supporting
our young people in high school and our Pathways initiative
gives a lot of opportunity to high school students, but
if they are deficient in credits and regents exams, they
often can't take advantage of that. So I'm looking forward

(24:54):
to opening the year strong. When it comes to instruction,
and continuing the great work with Cares and solves and reads.

Speaker 1 (25:00):
If there's one thing you want people to take away
from your mission, what.

Speaker 2 (25:03):
Would it be?

Speaker 3 (25:05):
Every stakeholder matters, no parent, no students, no school aid,
no safety agent, is too small of a voice or
a person to inform policy, to inform practice, and to
move this system. And I think if we would have
recognized that sooner, we would have gotten bigger stuff done earlier.

(25:26):
But because only a few people held the keys to
the castle, we are here deficient in so many ways.
So I really believe in true partnership with with all
of our stakeholders.

Speaker 1 (25:37):
You're truly practicing what you've reached.

Speaker 2 (25:39):
I think it sounds like the.

Speaker 1 (25:41):
Collaboration and bringing everybody together is going to continue to
make very successful in your mission, is it? Lastly, is
there any kind of call to action you like to share? Like,
how can everybody listening really engage in support in all
the work that you're doing?

Speaker 2 (25:59):
Thank you? I love that. Well.

Speaker 3 (26:00):
I'm super excited about Cares and particularly our Family Connectors,
which is where we opens up an opportunity for parents
to volunteer for training and all the resources that exist
across New York city. So if you're facing housing or
food and security, or you're in a domestic violence situation,
or you're having trouble with ACS, these these family connectors,

(26:23):
as we call them, they are trains on how to
navigate these systems. They don't collect any private information. They're
not social workers or case workers. They're merely trained on
how to navigate these different systems and give advice. And
so we're positioning them in the community. This is our
way of also helping parents to get our.

Speaker 2 (26:41):
Kids back into schools.

Speaker 3 (26:42):
Because previously, if your child was chronically absent, we would say, hey,
bring your kids to school. Your kids missing school. Why
aren't you gonna ask me why my kid is missing school?
Because everybody wants their kids to go to school. So
this is our response to This is us living up
to that commitment of supporting families. And so the call
to action is help us train our families, get the
word out about our family connectors, share with us community

(27:06):
resources that our families can learn about, because we want
to make sure that we're giving every opportunity to our
families to better themselves and to give their child every
opportunity available.

Speaker 1 (27:18):
Awesome, is there anywhere they could go or call.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
They can go to our websites dot NYC, dot g
o V and they can find information on family connectors.
Our Deputy Chancellor, doctor Christina Melendez, you know her team,
her face teams is also always available.

Speaker 1 (27:35):
So yeah, awesome, Thank you so much. It has been
a pleasure talking to you. I really appreciate your time, Rainbows,
Thank you so much, and good luck. You've already been
doing incredible things, but I know that there's a lot
more great things on the horizon. So you wish you
the best of luck and we're looking forward to seeing

(27:56):
it all happen.

Speaker 2 (27:56):
Thanks, this is a great thing. Thank you,