Politico – Advocates are urging Adams and schools Chancellor David Banks to engage parents more in their efforts to revamp reading instruction in New York City public schools.

Advocates for Children of New York, an advocacy group, released a report with recommendations based on a series of virtual learning sessions with 19 mothers over the summer. The school system rolled out a new reading curriculum mandate in roughly half of the city’s 32 school districts this school year — the first phase of the mandate. Schools have to choose one of three curricula.

The group urged the Department of Education to set clear expectations for principals and offer guidance and coaching to educators on partnering with families — as well as training for teachers and administrators.

Other recommendations include giving families information about the curriculum in their schools and how their children are progressing.

“New York City Public Schools has taken on the critically important challenge of improving the way they teach children to read,” Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children of New York, said in a statement. “Effective partnership with families is an essential component of that work.”