Education

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John Dewey Annex Adds 553 New Brooklyn School Seats

A new middle school facility in Gravesend is expanding public school capacity in southern Brooklyn as New York City prepares for the 2026–27 academic year. The John Dewey Annex at 106 Avenue X provides space for 553 students in grades six through eight and connects younger students with the neighboring John Dewey High School community. The $77.71 million project includes traditional classrooms along with science, arts, music, physical education, library and student-support spaces. The Brooklyn annex is part of a broader expansion of school facilities across the city intended to accommodate enrollment needs and help schools meet state class-size requirements. Ten new facilities opening this school year are expected to add 4,656 seats citywide.

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NYC Schools Pause Generative AI for Younger Students

New York City is putting new limits on how artificial intelligence and other technology are used in public school classrooms, with a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for students from 2-K through eighth grade. The policy, which will affect nearly 600,000 students, also establishes screen-time guidelines while taking a more controlled approach to AI for older students. High school students will receive AI literacy instruction, and a limited number will participate in supervised pilot programs designed to test educational uses of the technology. A new Technology in Schools Coalition will evaluate the policy and pilots during the 2026-27 school year and make recommendations about the future role of AI in NYC schools.

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Columbia-Led XENONnT Detects Solar Neutrinos

A research team led by Columbia University physicist Elena Aprile has reached a major milestone with the XENONnT experiment, detecting solar neutrinos at energies lower than previously achieved through direct observation. Researchers measured neutrinos produced by the fusion reactions that power the Sun by identifying their interactions with electrons inside XENONnT's ultra-pure liquid xenon detector. The experiment, built primarily to search for dark matter, recorded the signal at the level of statistical significance used by particle physicists to establish a discovery. The findings demonstrate how technology developed for dark matter research can also advance the study of neutrinos and other extremely rare particle interactions.

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CUNY Expands Programs, Spotlights NYC by CUNY

CUNY is entering the fall 2026 semester with expanded programs connecting New Yorkers to education, careers and emerging industries. The university is growing its career-readiness and adult learner initiatives while introducing new academic opportunities in artificial intelligence, data science, computational linguistics, environmental studies and other high-demand fields. CUNY is also expanding student housing and showcasing the work of recent graduates through its “NYC by CUNY” apparel collection, bringing fashion and design into its broader effort to strengthen student opportunity, campus identity and connections to New York City’s workforce and culture.

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NYU Langone Study Finds Teacher Training Builds Trust

New research from NYU Langone Health shows that specialized professional development can help early childhood teachers build stronger, more trusting relationships with families. In two studies of New York City universal pre-K programs, parents reported better communication, greater trust, and more inclusive school leadership when educators received ParentCorps training. The findings highlight teacher development as a promising approach to strengthening family partnerships and advancing greater equity in early education.

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Voices of NYC: Continuous Learning Should Be a Priority

This Voices of NYC submission was written by a Brooklyn resident from Park Slope, and reflects the views and opinions of the author.

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CUNY Earns Forbes Best Employers for Women Honor

The City University of New York has been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Employers for Women in 2026, placing among the nation's top employers overall and earning a top-40 ranking in the education sector. The recognition highlights CUNY's ongoing efforts to create an inclusive workplace, expand leadership opportunities for women, and foster career growth across its campuses. The honor follows a recent Newsweek distinction recognizing CUNY among the nation's best colleges for women, reinforcing the University's commitment to advancing women in higher education.

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Voices of NYC: AI Starts With Teacher Learning

As schools rapidly adopt artificial intelligence tools, the conversation often centers on how students will use them. In this Voices of NYC commentary, Brooklyn College professor Dr. Sonia Murrow argues that the greater challenge is ensuring teachers receive the ongoing support needed to adapt their instruction. Drawing on interviews with New York City educators, she contends that while AI technology is advancing quickly, professional learning has not kept pace. Rather than relying on occasional workshops, she makes the case for sustained collaboration that helps teachers thoughtfully integrate AI while preserving critical thinking and meaningful learning in the classroom.

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NY AG James Sues Trump Admin Over Mental Health Cuts

New York Attorney General Letitia James has joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general in filing a new lawsuit to block the U.S. Department of Education from ending federal grants that support school-based mental health services. The coalition argues the administration is attempting to bypass a previous court ruling that prevented similar funding cuts by using a different legal approach. If the funding is eliminated, schools across New York could lose millions of dollars used to hire counselors, psychologists, and social workers, potentially reducing access to critical mental health services for thousands of students.