Adams said at a Citizens Budget Commission forum in February. “You could have one great teacher that’s in one of our specialized high schools to teach three to 400 students who are struggling in math, with the skillful way that they’re able to teach.”
“I cannot believe that Maya’s opponent, Mr. Eric Adams, actually thinks that you can teach three or 400 students in a class virtually,’” Dromm said. “Has he ever been in a New York City public school classroom? That is impossible.”
--- Politico NY
Leonie take on Eric Adams’ proposals on class size, remote learning & year-round schooling; his attempt to take them back after controversy erupted & video of Maya Wiley and Danny Dromm responses to the controversy.
https://I did a satire: Eric Adams' 400 Blows on class size - why stop at 400? let's make it a massive zoom party and sell off schools for condos
And the full Politico article below:
https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2021/06/13/adams-and-foes-spar-over-class-size-comments-1386356
Adams and foes spar over class size comments
Mayoral candidate Eric Adams continued to mix it up with his opponents on the campaign trail on Sunday, parrying the latest round of attacks over his views on remote learning and class sizes at city schools.
Adams, who has led recent polls in the Democratic primary, came under criticism after a months-old video resurfaced which showed him saying a teacher could in some circumstances lead a remote class with 300 to 400 students.
On Sunday, he said he misspoke and meant to say 30 to 40 students. He also said he was referring to summer school classes and optional enrichment for high school students.
“It’s silly,” Adams said after a campaign event in Jamaica, Queens. “This is just the season that we’re in.”
Adams, the Brooklyn borough president and a former police officer, has been the favorite target for his opponents since jumping to the top of the polls. The class size controversy arose after foes attacked him over questions about his residency, following a POLITICO story documenting discrepancies in records.
Early voting in the primary kicked off this weekend.
Adams has called for a mandatory year-round school year, saying that remote learning could allow education to continue through the summer with fewer teachers leading large online classes for a few hours a day.
“If you do a full-year school year by using the new technology of remote learning, you don’t need children to be in a school building with a number of teachers. It’s just the opposite,” Adams said at a Citizens Budget Commission forum in February. “You could have one great teacher that’s in one of our specialized high schools to teach three to 400 students who are struggling in math, with the skillful way that they’re able to teach.”
The comment drew attention after a clip of Adams’ remarks was posted online by an Andrew Yang supporter, YouTube host Matt Skidmore.
Attorney Maya Wiley held a press conference Sunday to go after Adams on the issue and call for smaller class sizes.
“Eric Adams, what did we not understand before Covid about our digital divide? We’ve been talking about it for decades,” she said at the event in Jackson Heights. “We were not giving sufficient services or diagnosing our kids with learning disabilities, and online learning doesn’t work for them. What have we not learned about class sizes?”
“Did online learning work for you? Did it work for your kids? Was it a good thing? Is it a a model? No,” Wiley said. “Who are you talking to? Who are you speaking with? What research were you looking at? Because I don’t understand. I don’t understand as a mother struggling with my own kids with online learning. I don’t understand as a community member hearing what my neighbors were going through, talking with folks about what they were dealing with. And I certainly don’t understand as a civil rights lawyer and a policy expert.”
Wiley, who is running on a more liberal education platform compared to the more-moderate Adams, picked up the endorsement of Queens City Council Member Danny Dromm, a former school teacher.
“I cannot believe that Maya’s opponent, Mr. Eric Adams, actually thinks that you can teach three or 400 students in a class virtually,’” Dromm said. “Has he ever been in a New York City public school classroom? That is impossible.”
Adams says he overcame his own learning disability, which he only discovered as a student in community college relegated to remedial classes.
“I have a learning disability. And I know the contact that a child needs,” he told reporters Sunday.
“I’ve fought to end remote learning and put children back in schools. I’m a believer in that. We need that human contact. And this was an opt-in program that we talked about and that we still stand by,” he said. “Let’s use remote learning as an opt-in tool, but that is not our primary source of education.”
Adams has previously said his year-round school year would be mandatory.
He criticized Wiley, who during a debate last week declined to answer whether NYPD officers should stop carrying guns. She later said she supports keeping police officers armed.
“I was really surprised that any chief executive would pause at the thought that would you take guns away from police officers, when we’re having such an increase in gun violence,” he said. “We shouldn’t be taking guns away from the cop on the beat, we should be taking illegal guns off the street.”
Adams spoke at two Queens churches on Sunday and stood with leaders at the Jamaica Muslim Center to denounce a hate attack that killed a Muslim family in Canada.
He said his long-time dream of becoming mayor is now within reach. “It’s the last nine days of a 24-year journey,” he said.
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