Students speak up: NYC Youth Agenda

Students speak up: NYC Youth Agenda

Author: Ethical Schools April 15, 2022 Duration: 34:30
We speak with students Eugenia Bamfo, Alexandra Rouvinetis, and Mukilan Muthukumar, members of the NYC Youth Agenda. Using citywide student survey data, Youth Agenda teams aggregated young people’s needs to make recommendations to policymakers in five areas — housing security, food justice, mental health support, economic mobility, and leadership and civic engagement. Among the findings: large numbers of students are unaware of existing youth programs, many don’t trust the “trusted adults” in their schools, and Department of Education “student voice” efforts are tremendously understaffed. Overview  00:00-01:16 Intros 01:16-03:19 NYC Youth Agenda and its key points 03:19-08:19 Leadership and civic opportunity—issues and recommendations 08:19-12:01 Housing 12:01-13:34 Food insecurity 13:34-14:12 Mutual aid societies 14:12-18:34 Mental health 18:34-19:49 Economic mobility 19:49-21:50 Organizational support from adult groups 21:50-22:49 Policies for schools 22:49-27:28 Policy breakfast and meetings with elected officials and policy makers 27:28-30:15 Funding for proposals 30:15-31:06 Coordination with other youth organizations 31:06-32:07 How listeners can be supportive 32:07- Outro Transcript

Conversations about education often focus on test scores and curriculum, but there’s a deeper layer that truly shapes a student’s experience. Ethical Schools digs into that layer, exploring what it means to build a learning community grounded in integrity and care. Each week, hosts Amy and Jon sit down with educators and innovators who are actively reimagining schools. You’ll hear specific, grounded discussions about the practical work of creating environments where every student feels safe and respected. The dialogue frequently addresses how to support young people dealing with trauma, moving beyond theory to share actionable strategies that teachers are using right now. More than just problem-solving, this podcast highlights how to empower students themselves to become advocates and changemakers in their own communities. It’s a series that connects philosophy with daily practice, looking at the social and cultural structures within schools through a lens of ethics. For anyone invested in the future of education-whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or simply a concerned community member-this podcast offers a thoughtful and necessary perspective on the foundational values that make education meaningful.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Ethical Schools
Podcast Episodes
Creating democratic learning environments: Educators in conversation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:48
We speak with Dr. Linda F. Nathan and Jonathan Mendonca, two co-editors of the recently published book, "Building Democratic Schools and Learning Environments: A Global Perspective," an anthology of accounts of creating…
Successful Teaching Careers: Empowering Non-Traditional Candidates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:26
We speak with Dr. Kathryn Spence, Director of the School of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University, about actualizing a focus on social justice and equity. She discusses strategies for broadening the pipeline of tea…
NYC high school surveys: Disparities in student stress and support [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:01
The authors of a recent Chalkbeat analysis discuss the Department of education’s 2023 high school survey, which shows girls, especially girls of color, have much higher stress levels, and feel less supported, than boys.…
Middle schoolers as scholars: Critical participatory action research [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:13
We speak with Dr. Sam Finesurrey, assistant professor of history at Guttman Community College, and three 2024 graduates of School in the Square (S2), a charter middle school in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Dr. Finesurr…
Equity by design: residency-focused teacher education [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:32
We speak with Dr. Diana Turk, Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning and Director of Teacher Education at NYU. Students in NYU’s unique teacher residency program work full-time in classrooms, for which they are…