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You are here: Home / Archives for Naftuli Moster

State review of private school instruction to keep going

July 14, 2020 by Michael Castelluccio

“It looks like the state Education Department’s long-delayed review of academic requirements for private schools will extend into next year.

The state Board of Regents put proposed regulations on the back burner in February so that the Education Department could continue discussions with the private-school community on what became one of the most volatile education issues in New York.

On Monday, the Regents, having largely dropped the matter because of the coronavirus crisis, said it will revive its review by holding six regional meetings across the state. The department will engage leaders of religious and other private schools, as well as public school district leaders who would be required to enforce the regulations that are still under consideration. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Naftuli Moster

Despite NYC investigation findings, state puts off rules for yeshiva instruction

December 23, 2019 by Michael Castelluccio

The chancellor of Regents board says no timetable for state regulations on what private schools must teach, despite a New York City investigation findings that some Yeshivas fall short on academics. (The Journal News)

“Even as a New York City investigation has refocused concerns that some ultra-Orthodox yeshivas do not meet standards for academic instruction, the state is putting off possible action on proposed rules for aggressively monitoring private schools.

A long-delayed report from the New York City Department of Education, released Thursday, found that only two of 28 yeshivas visited by city officials since 2015 complied with a state law that requires private school instruction to be “substantially equivalent” to what public schools teach. Nine schools were found to be moving toward substantial equivalency

New York City is home to about 275 yeshivas, but the probe focused on yeshivas that were targeted in complaints filed in 2015 by the advocacy group Young Advocates for Fair Education, or YAFFED. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Naftuli Moster, NY State Education Department, Yaffed

State education chief unveils retooled ‘substantial equivalency’ rules for private schools

June 3, 2019 by Michael Castelluccio

“The New York State Education Department announced proposed regulations Friday for academic instruction at nonpublic schools, less than two months after its guidelines with similar goals were blocked by the State Supreme Court.

The issue focuses on enforcing state law requiring that secular studies at private schools — like math science, English and history — be “substantially equivalent” to what’s taught in public schools. Concern has been most focused on certain ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish yeshivas that advocates have reported fail to meet the law or prepare their students for employment and a solid economic future.

State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia initially issued new guidelines in November that were meant to update previously issued guidelines for enforcing the law. But the court ruled in April that the Education Department failed to follow its own procedure for such specific changes. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Ramapo Central School District, Naftuli Moster, Yaffed

New York maps out yeshiva reviews, but will long, difficult process actually work?

November 22, 2018 by Michael Castelluccio

Gary Stern, Rockland/Westchester Journal News

“State Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia talked tough Tuesday when releasing new guidelines for determining whether private schools, namely tradition-bound Hasidic yeshivas, comply with state law for teaching math, ELA and other secular academics. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Ramapo Central School District, Naftuli Moster

Undo Felder’s yeshiva shield first

November 22, 2018 by Michael Castelluccio

NY Daily News banner

Undo Felder’s yeshiva shield first: The state Senate’s first job is to reverse an amendment that protected ultra-Orthodox schools from their obligations under N.Y. law

by Naftuli Moster, nydailynews.com
November 16, 2018 04:00 AM

The New York State Democratic Party, which struggled for decades to win a working majority in the state Senate, finally did so in last week’s election, winning 40 of 63 seats. Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins will be majority leader.

Perhaps the most important story inside the story is the diminished power of Sen. Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who caucused with — and cynically collected favors from — the Republicans in exchange for enabling them to hold onto power. In addition to moving forward on a previously stalled policy agenda, the new majority should reverse the harm done in the last legislative session.

In March, as a condition to backing the budget as a deadline approached, Felder used his influence to force an amendment creating a carve-out for ultra-Orthodox yeshivas to receive preferential treatment under the “substantial equivalent” standard of instruction that all private and parochial schools must provide under the state’s education law.

Felder’s amendment didn’t go through any normal deliberative process, and the public was not aware of it until five days before it passed as part of the budget. It has no conceivable purpose other than to lower the instructional bar for ultra-Orthodox yeshivas below that for other private schools, so there will be no consequences for them continuing business as usual.

Indeed, supporters of these yeshivas, including the leader of the Satmar Hasidic sect, Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, have said as much.

In an interview with Ami Magazine, a widely read publication in the ultra-Orthodox community, Teitelbaum revealed that religious leaders, working in concert with Felder, exploited Gov. Cuomo’s desire to have a budget passed on time to ram through the yeshiva exception.

This amendment was not on the agenda of either Democrats or Republicans, but was submitted and passed at the behest of special interests such as the Satmar Rabbi and Agudath Israel.

The timing was no accident. In recent years, state and city officials have faced mounting calls from yeshiva graduates like myself and the general public to address this issue.

The state was in the process of revising enforcement guidelines when the Felder amendment threw their efforts into disarray, and now the city is facing difficulties in getting yeshivas to cooperate with its own inquiry.

While many yeshivas in the city comply with the law, with some even offering a superior curriculum to public schools, thousands of children (especially boys) attend Hasidic yeshivas that offer little instruction in English, math, social studies and science. Once these students enter high school, secular education often vanishes completely.

This lack of education results in poverty, with the Hasidic enclaves of Kiryas Joel and New Square ranking among the poorest areas of the country.

While supporters of yeshivas counter with individual examples of successful alumni, the data paint a starkly different picture for the vast majority who graduate from these schools unable to write and unfamiliar with basic mathematical and scientific concepts, rendering them unqualified for most jobs and higher education.

The educational neglect of Hasidic children is not a new problem, but it should be of great concern to legislators who have long been committed to social justice, children’s rights and reducing economic inequality.

While I believe the Felder amendment is unconstitutional and should be invalidated in federal court, a route the group I lead is currently pursuing, it is ultimately the Legislature’s responsibility to ensure it does not pass unconstitutional measures.

This amendment embodied a particular low moment in Albany’s history of backroom dealing. The rights of children were sacrificed on the unholy altar of political convenience.

This problem remains a moral emergency. Begin to fix it by reversing Felder’s meddling.

Moster is founder of YAFFED, Young Advocates for Fair Education.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Naftuli Moster Tagged With: Naftuli Moster

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