September 15, 2023
Dear District 13 Community,
Welcome to another wonderful school year! As we finish our first full week of school, I am filled with excitement and anticipation for all of the amazing things that District 13 has in store for this year. Across District 13 our educational philosophy is centered on the needs of students and creating welcoming and affirming spaces, where students have access to rigorous learning opportunities. Schools across District 13 offer a variety of specialized programs including project based learning, International Baccalaureate, and Magnet Schools to ensure that all students have access to rich and challenging learning environments. As we enter into a new school year, I want to share some of the initiatives that you can expect to see across District 13. We know that our district is diverse and vibrant. As Superintendent, I work with principals, parent leaders, and the district team to set a district wide vision. The work of our principals and school leadership teams is to bring this vision to life in their buildings, centering the needs of their individual school communities.
Below, please find a brief synopsis of the District 13 foci for this school year. I encourage you to talk to your child’s principal and to attend your School Leadership Team’s monthly meetings to learn more about how our school leaders are tailoring this work to the unique needs and resources of their individual school communities.
- Strategic Instructional Periods. Across District 13 we are sharpening our abilities to use DATA to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all our students. DATA is not a typo. As a district we are talking about capital letters DATA - ANY and ALL information on students is data. Some data can be presented in graphs and charts to track student learning aligned to standards and other forms of data come from relationships and conversations with students and families where teachers get to know their students’ needs. Across the district this year, school leaders will be planning and organizing opportunities for teachers and school staff to look at student reading data and organize strategic instructional groups, at least 3 times a week, based on student needs.
- Restorative Justice Practices. Last year, we used our monthly Town Hall to develop a district wide commitment to Restorative Justice Practices. We met in person in June for the community to sign and pledge their support for this work. If you haven’t had a chance to see this district wide pledge, check out this link or the QR code at the bottom. All schools in District 13 have a plan for implementing restorative justice practices, aligned to long term goals and the District vision for creating welcoming and affirming environments for all students.
- District 13 Assessment in Mathematics (AIM). This year, District 13 is rolling out a district wide math assessment. This will be a phased in assessment starting with a small number of target schools in the fall and growing to include all schools by the spring. As part of this work, the District is focusing on using student learning data in math to provide targeted professional development to teachers, so that teachers have the knowledge needed to better support student learning.
Across the district as we lean into these three focus areas, we will also be engaging in the implementation of NYC Reads for the upcoming school year. As part of NYC Reads and the Chancellor’s commitment to ensuring that all students are reading on grade level, District 13 will be adopting a District wide curriculum for the 2024 - 2025 school year.
As we engage in a district wide process to identify the best curriculum to support our student needs and school values there are multiple ways for you to be involved:
- Beliefs Survey. The district is aligning our curriculum choice to our district wide beliefs about how students learn best. To support this process, we will be sending out a survey to all caregivers, teachers, and 3rd - 8th grade students during the month of September. Please be on the lookout for this survey and share your thoughts and comments with us.
- Focus Groups (in person and virtual). In partnership with Teaching Lab, the District will be hosting Focus Groups for Families and Teachers to learn more about what is working in schools and what effective practices any curriculum should build on. Caregivers can indicate their interest in participating in a focus group as part of the Beliefs Survey.
- Schools and Classroom Visits. Teaching Lab and the District team will be visiting schools and classrooms to identify the best practices that we want to elevate across the district, aligned to this curriculum shift. The district will announce its curriculum choice by December 2023.
I am excited for all the wonderful opportunities being presented to our District this year. Along with these changes, comes the continuity of the work we have been engaged in for the past few years. Our District Town Hall series will continue monthly beginning November 14th. We are also excited to announce the expansions of District 13’s Championing Public Education Week, from October 16th - 20th. This is a great opportunity to show your support for Public Education across District 13! Be on the lookout for more information!
Middle School Enrollment
This year, District 13 is placing a special emphasis on supporting all of our 5th grade families in finding a District 13 Middle School that meets their child’s unique needs. The citywide Middle School applications will open on Wednesday, October 11th and close on Friday, December 8th. Please join us at our in person middle school Fair on October 17th as part of Championing Public Education Week!
I also want to welcome our new CEC Members and our new Deputy Superintendent Dr. Darlene Cameron.
This is an exciting year for District 13 and an exciting opportunity for us to deepen the work we have been engaging with as a district.
I look forward to seeing many of you as I visit schools. Have a wonderful start of school!
In partnership,
Meghan K. Dunn
Superintendent Community School District 13
New York City Public School
