Mike Elsen-Rooney
@michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
Covering NYC public schools for @chalkbeat.org
Pinned
‘They’ve given her a lot of hope’: A NYC school fights to educate an undocumented teen under Trump
For Bridget and Marta, ELLIS Prep often felt like the only public institution with its arms open in a city and country that seemed not to want them.
www.chalkbeat.org
For 6 months, I’ve followed ELLIS, a Bronx HS for newcomers, to understand what it means to educate immigrant students in Trump’s second term.
Proud to share the 1st of 2 stories about ELLIS, Bridget, an undocumented teen, & the fight to keep her education alive.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Proud to share the 1st of 2 stories about ELLIS, Bridget, an undocumented teen, & the fight to keep her education alive.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
New w/ @alexzimmerman.bsky.social: NYC declared victory on a major class size deadline: >60% of classes under the caps. What they didn’t mention: they only got there by quietly declaring 10,500 classes exempt. W/o those, DOE would’ve been at 59.5% compliance: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Eric Adams declares victory on class size reduction — by issuing 10,500 exemptions
NYC officials quietly issued thousands of exemptions to class size law. Did your school get one?
www.chalkbeat.org
November 18, 2025 at 2:06 AM
New w/ @alexzimmerman.bsky.social: NYC declared victory on a major class size deadline: >60% of classes under the caps. What they didn’t mention: they only got there by quietly declaring 10,500 classes exempt. W/o those, DOE would’ve been at 59.5% compliance: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Mamdani’s visit to a BK child care center yesterday illustrated one of the problems in the system he’ll have to confront: 2 of the center’s classrooms, meant for 3K/PreK, have sat empty for 5 yrs. Citywide, ~27,000 free child care seats, 1 in 5, were empty last yr: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
First puzzle Mamdani’s universal child care plan must solve: NYC’s empty seat problem
Last year, more than 27,000 of the city’s roughly 136,000 free child care seats for kids ages 4 and under went unfilled, about 1 in every 5 seats.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Mamdani’s visit to a BK child care center yesterday illustrated one of the problems in the system he’ll have to confront: 2 of the center’s classrooms, meant for 3K/PreK, have sat empty for 5 yrs. Citywide, ~27,000 free child care seats, 1 in 5, were empty last yr: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Most of the conversation about whether Mamdani can deliver universal child care has focused - rightfully - on cost. But I've been curious (as a reporter and parent of an infant + toddler) what it would take operationally. So I talked to lots of knowledgable ppl: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Mamdani pledged universal child care for NYC. What will it take to get there?
Mamdani will face an array of logistical and operational challenges in standing up new public infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of youngsters.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Most of the conversation about whether Mamdani can deliver universal child care has focused - rightfully - on cost. But I've been curious (as a reporter and parent of an infant + toddler) what it would take operationally. So I talked to lots of knowledgable ppl: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Plot twist in NYC's chancellor search! Meisha Ross Porter, a former schools chief under de Blasio who's considered a top contender for the job under Mamdani, is a finalist for CEO of Chicago schools.
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
Former NYC schools chancellor in the running for head of Chicago Public Schools
Meisha Ross Porter, who led New York City Public Schools until 2021, will interview with Chicago Board of Education members, a community panel, and the mayor next week.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Plot twist in NYC's chancellor search! Meisha Ross Porter, a former schools chief under de Blasio who's considered a top contender for the job under Mamdani, is a finalist for CEO of Chicago schools.
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
A little more election-eve news for NYC schools: Enrollment is down 2.4%, the largest drop in 4 yrs. Seems likely immigration played a role - the influx of 50K migrants propped up NYC’s enrollment the last 3 yrs, but that’s ground to a halt under Trump.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
November 4, 2025 at 1:28 AM
A little more election-eve news for NYC schools: Enrollment is down 2.4%, the largest drop in 4 yrs. Seems likely immigration played a role - the influx of 50K migrants propped up NYC’s enrollment the last 3 yrs, but that’s ground to a halt under Trump.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
A bit of news for NYC schools: schools w/ lower-than-projected enrollment won't have to give back $ midyear. That could be especially beneficial to schools that have enrolled large immigrant populations + have seen big drops under Trump. W/ @amyzimmer.bsky.social: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
It’s a ‘blessing’: NYC schools get to keep their cash, despite lower than projected enrollment
Schools that missed their enrollment targets won’t have to return millions in funding midyear back to the Education Department. Some principals say it’s a ‘blessing.’
www.chalkbeat.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:39 PM
A bit of news for NYC schools: schools w/ lower-than-projected enrollment won't have to give back $ midyear. That could be especially beneficial to schools that have enrolled large immigrant populations + have seen big drops under Trump. W/ @amyzimmer.bsky.social: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Hundreds of thousands of NYC students + families are about to lose SNAP. Their schools are scrambling to set up ad hoc food pantries, raise $, + collect donations to keep them fed. Another way schools are trying to hold up a crumbling social safety net: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
As SNAP cuts loom, NYC schools scramble to deliver extra food
Schools are launching fundraisers, setting up food pantries, and collecting donations to try to secure extra food for families at risk of losing SNAP benefits.
www.chalkbeat.org
October 29, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Hundreds of thousands of NYC students + families are about to lose SNAP. Their schools are scrambling to set up ad hoc food pantries, raise $, + collect donations to keep them fed. Another way schools are trying to hold up a crumbling social safety net: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
As momentum builds for universal child care in NYC, the city is for the first time piloting free, non-means-tested seats for kids 2 and under. Here's the list of neighborhoods getting priority: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Seeking free child care for kids under 2? A NYC pilot program is about to open 240 seats.
City Council leaders hope the pilot program will be a blueprint for further expanding free child care to a wider swath of the youngest New Yorkers.
www.chalkbeat.org
October 27, 2025 at 6:24 PM
As momentum builds for universal child care in NYC, the city is for the first time piloting free, non-means-tested seats for kids 2 and under. Here's the list of neighborhoods getting priority: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
As more NYC public school parents are detained by ICE, schools are often the first places the family members left behind turn for help picking up the pieces. Here’s how some schools are supporting those students: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
How NYC schools become lifelines for children after ICE arrests their parents
Educators and advocates say a growing number of schools are stepping in to support students who have had one or both parents detained by ICE.
www.chalkbeat.org
October 23, 2025 at 9:39 PM
As more NYC public school parents are detained by ICE, schools are often the first places the family members left behind turn for help picking up the pieces. Here’s how some schools are supporting those students: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Reposted by Mike Elsen-Rooney
After Mamdani announced plans to phase out gifted programs, Cuomo + Sliwa said they would expand them instead
Eric Adams tried to do that — and roughly 1 in 3 of the city's gifted programs are underenrolled. Heres why w/ @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Eric Adams tried to do that — and roughly 1 in 3 of the city's gifted programs are underenrolled. Heres why w/ @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Mamdani’s opponents want to grow NYC’s gifted programs. Attracting students isn’t easy.
Cuomo and Silwa want to expand kindergarten gifted classes. Mamdani prefers to keep programs starting in third grade. A new analysis uncovered lagging enrollment in the current program.
www.chalkbeat.org
October 17, 2025 at 9:25 PM
After Mamdani announced plans to phase out gifted programs, Cuomo + Sliwa said they would expand them instead
Eric Adams tried to do that — and roughly 1 in 3 of the city's gifted programs are underenrolled. Heres why w/ @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Eric Adams tried to do that — and roughly 1 in 3 of the city's gifted programs are underenrolled. Heres why w/ @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Reposted by Mike Elsen-Rooney
They wandered back to the hotel shortly after to their terrified children who had already seen video of both of their parents being detained. "It was like something out of a movie,” they told me.
October 17, 2025 at 7:52 PM
They wandered back to the hotel shortly after to their terrified children who had already seen video of both of their parents being detained. "It was like something out of a movie,” they told me.
Reposted by Mike Elsen-Rooney
This has been updated with strange new details. I spoke to one person who was arrested but then released, who described being taken to a subterranean parking garage and questioned by agents who said they were with ICE and told them they were looking for Venezuelans..
www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/17/r...
www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/17/r...
Federal Raid Outside Row Hotel Migrant Shelter Rattles Residents
In what appears to be a first under the current Trump administration, federal agents targeted migrants just outside a shelter.
www.thecity.nyc
October 17, 2025 at 7:52 PM
This has been updated with strange new details. I spoke to one person who was arrested but then released, who described being taken to a subterranean parking garage and questioned by agents who said they were with ICE and told them they were looking for Venezuelans..
www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/17/r...
www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/17/r...
Mamdani announcing a teacher recruitment plan where NYC will offer tuition assistance, mentorship, other support to prospective teachers in exchange for commitments to stay at least 3 years. Class size law requires thousands of addl teacher hires in coming years
October 15, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Mamdani announcing a teacher recruitment plan where NYC will offer tuition assistance, mentorship, other support to prospective teachers in exchange for commitments to stay at least 3 years. Class size law requires thousands of addl teacher hires in coming years
Lost in the debate over NYC’s gifted and talented program rekindled by Mamdani’s proposal was the fact that the program underwent a big change in recent years: eliminating its admissions test. @alexzimmerman.bsky.social dug into how that change has played out: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
NYC gifted and talented: Mamdani’s calls for change comes amid already shifting landscape
Mamdani wants to rethink gifted and talented in NYC schools. The program has already seen big changes.
www.chalkbeat.org
October 14, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Lost in the debate over NYC’s gifted and talented program rekindled by Mamdani’s proposal was the fact that the program underwent a big change in recent years: eliminating its admissions test. @alexzimmerman.bsky.social dug into how that change has played out: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
The rare feel-good gov't shutdown story: I talked to some Bronx 8th-graders on a field trip to DC whose tour of the Capitol was canceled bc of the shutdown - and who ended up getting a personal tour from @aoc.bsky.social instead: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
The shutdown canceled their U.S. Capitol tour. These Bronx students got one from AOC instead.
Students from Zeta Charter School got a tour of the Capitol they’ll never forget when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez escorted them through the building.
www.chalkbeat.org
October 2, 2025 at 8:33 PM
The rare feel-good gov't shutdown story: I talked to some Bronx 8th-graders on a field trip to DC whose tour of the Capitol was canceled bc of the shutdown - and who ended up getting a personal tour from @aoc.bsky.social instead: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Eric Adams’ first schools Chancellor David Banks shares his thoughts on the last year of Adams’ tenure as news comes he won’t seek a second term. Via @alexzimmerman.bsky.social:
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
September 29, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Eric Adams’ first schools Chancellor David Banks shares his thoughts on the last year of Adams’ tenure as news comes he won’t seek a second term. Via @alexzimmerman.bsky.social:
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
“It’s truly more socializing than I’ve seen in my 10 years working in a high school.”
Seyma Bayram w/ a great story on the early challenges + triumphs of school without phones in NYC.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Seyma Bayram w/ a great story on the early challenges + triumphs of school without phones in NYC.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
NYC educators are pushing the joys of ‘distraction-free’ schools over fears of ‘cellphone ban’
NYC educators and mental health professionals are trying to help students adjust to school without cellphones. Just don’t call it a ban, they advise.
www.chalkbeat.org
September 23, 2025 at 3:28 PM
“It’s truly more socializing than I’ve seen in my 10 years working in a high school.”
Seyma Bayram w/ a great story on the early challenges + triumphs of school without phones in NYC.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Seyma Bayram w/ a great story on the early challenges + triumphs of school without phones in NYC.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
More from @amyzimmer.bsky.social and @alexzimmerman.bsky.social on why Adams does not have legal authority to roll back the DOE's bathroom access policies for trans students in NYC despite these comments: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
September 19, 2025 at 3:03 PM
More from @amyzimmer.bsky.social and @alexzimmerman.bsky.social on why Adams does not have legal authority to roll back the DOE's bathroom access policies for trans students in NYC despite these comments: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Families of gender-nonconforming students in NYC have been worried about something like this for months given Mayor Adams’ stance towards Trump + his wide authority over schools (www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...). Now Adams is openly promising to review school bathroom policy.
September 18, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Families of gender-nonconforming students in NYC have been worried about something like this for months given Mayor Adams’ stance towards Trump + his wide authority over schools (www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...). Now Adams is openly promising to review school bathroom policy.
Really excited for this talk next week at Lofty Pigeon about two important books. NYC education folks - would love to see you there!
This is the right time to talk about politics and policies in NYC schools! I'm really looking forward to this @bkbookfest.bsky.social conversation with @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social and Ryane Straus. Please join us!
www.eventbrite.com/e/diversity-...
www.eventbrite.com/e/diversity-...
September 12, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Really excited for this talk next week at Lofty Pigeon about two important books. NYC education folks - would love to see you there!
Always a pretty wild reminder of the scale of NYC’s school system to see the class of new teachers assembled in the same place
August 26, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Always a pretty wild reminder of the scale of NYC’s school system to see the class of new teachers assembled in the same place
Reposted by Mike Elsen-Rooney
The stellar @rebeccaredelmeier.bsky.social got up at the crack of dawn to ride SEPTA to school with two Philly students. The whole trip took over an hour and they missed a bus and had to walk the last mile to Palumbo. These cuts are already having a real impact on Philly's young people:
Follow 2 students as SEPTA cuts complicate their commute on the first day of school
Students across Philadelphia are waking up earlier and waiting longer for SEPTA to get them to school. But many say they’re bound to be late anyway, with less reliable service and more crowded routes....
www.chalkbeat.org
August 25, 2025 at 6:30 PM
The stellar @rebeccaredelmeier.bsky.social got up at the crack of dawn to ride SEPTA to school with two Philly students. The whole trip took over an hour and they missed a bus and had to walk the last mile to Palumbo. These cuts are already having a real impact on Philly's young people:
Reposted by Mike Elsen-Rooney
"Normally, in the final month of school, students were worried about moving to the next grade or graduating. This year, he said they wondered: 'Is a masked person going to grab me off the street?'"
via @chalkbeat.org / @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
via @chalkbeat.org / @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
'The goal is to survive': NYC school for immigrants faces an uncertain future under Trump
Normally, in the final month of school, students at ELLIS Prep worried about moving to the next grade or graduating. This year, they wondered: “Is a masked person going to grab me off the street?”
www.chalkbeat.org
August 22, 2025 at 11:25 AM
"Normally, in the final month of school, students were worried about moving to the next grade or graduating. This year, he said they wondered: 'Is a masked person going to grab me off the street?'"
via @chalkbeat.org / @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
via @chalkbeat.org / @michaelelsenroo.bsky.social
Reposted by Mike Elsen-Rooney
@michaelelsenroo.bsky.social’s eye for detail is impressive
Chalkbeat’s deep dive on a Bronx school; CBS News somehow misidentifies the sandwich-tosser; and the Memphis press follows along with Marsha Blackburn’s rules.
This week’s Laurels and Darts ⤵️
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
This week’s Laurels and Darts ⤵️
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
Schoolkids in the Crosshairs
Keeping up with ICE. Plus: Crime in DC? Preschool in Oregon? And who tossed that sandwich?
www.cjr.org
August 22, 2025 at 12:20 PM
@michaelelsenroo.bsky.social’s eye for detail is impressive
Thank you @bgrueskin.bsky.social for highlighting my reporting on a Bronx HS and undocumented teen navigating the Trump administration.
Here’s Part 1: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
And Part 2: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Here’s Part 1: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
And Part 2: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
August 22, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Thank you @bgrueskin.bsky.social for highlighting my reporting on a Bronx HS and undocumented teen navigating the Trump administration.
Here’s Part 1: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
And Part 2: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Here’s Part 1: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
And Part 2: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...