The historical documents found on this website are primary sources: historical records produced in one moment in time, that help us understand that moment in time. This podcast is a primary source that shows how two people living today - the podcast producers - understand how and why schools are changing in their neighborhood. Their work also includes other primary sources, including historical recordings and interviews with people who reflect on their personal experience with schools in their community. They share their perspectives on charter schools, district public schools, and their impact on children and communities in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
In 2002, the New York State Legislature gave the mayor’s office control of New York City’s public schools. Mayor Michael Bloomberg claimed that this system was more democratic than one in which voters elected local school board members, because voters elected the mayor, and could vote him out if they did not like his performance in leading the school system.
At the 2012 United States Conference of Mayors, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reflected on the first ten years of mayoral control in New York City’s schools. He shared his thoughts on the purposes of schools in the US and his concerns about them. He explained why he believed mayoral control had been a success in New York City. He also highlighted his belief that the expansion of charter schools - which were new schools funded with public dollars but governed by private groups outside of the New York City Department of Education - had improved education in New York City.
