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P.S. Weekly
This is the sound of the New York City school system. P.S. Weekly explores pressing issues facing students and teachers in the Big Apple. The Bell's team of high school audio producers work alongside Chalkbeat's seasoned education reporters to bring you stories, perspectives, and commentary you won't get anywhere else. Episodes air Thursday mornings.
Episodes
37 episodes
Live: Student Reporters Reflect on Covering NYC Schools
It’s a wrap on P.S. Weekly’s third season, and to cap it off, we have a special live-recorded episode from Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch.This season, P.S. Weekly student reporters investigated some of the biggest issues shapin...
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Inside the Diversity Program at One Selective NYC High School
A decade after NYC launched its Diversity in Admissions program, demographics have shifted at competitive campuses such as Bard High School Early College Manhattan.Bard now sets aside half of its seats for students from low-income househ...
When the School Bus Doesn’t Come: One Family’s Saga
Constant delays. No-shows. Missed class. Roughly 145,000 New York City students, 43% of whom have disabilities, rely on yellow bus service to get to school each day. It’s a sprawling system with 9,000 routes operated by more than 50...
Inside One Push to Diversify NYC's Teacher Workforce
New York City’s teachers don’t reflect the students they serve, but one recent public school grad is trying to do his part to shrink that gap.Students of color make up the vast majority of the nation’s largest school system, yet white ed...
Away Game: Students Who Play Sports for Other Schools
What if your high school doesn’t offer your favorite sport? Today’s disparities in access to sports teams stem from a policy pushed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg to replace large high schools with smaller ones. These new schools...
What's the Price of Success (Academy)? Former Students Open Up
As Success Academy turns 20 this year, former students of New York City’s largest charter school network share their stories in this episode of P.S. Weekly.Success Academy reshaped what free education for low-income students could look l...
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When Two Schools Become One
The nation’s largest school system is shrinking, and one way city officials are tackling the drop: ramping up school mer...
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Live from SXSW EDU: How Our Reporting is Making a Difference
This week on P.S. Weekly, we’re featuring an episode of Miseducation, a podcast about inequities in New York City schools also produced by The Bell.Several of our student reporters recorded this live conversation at SXSW EDU in Austin, T...
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Is AP Calculus Pointless? A Teacher Defends His Subject
To many New York City students, Advanced Placement Calculus feels impractical, full of information they won’t use in their day-to-day lives — though it’s become a status symbol for some high achievers.But reaching that status symbol has ...
The Invite-Only School Admissions Test You Don’t Know About
With an acceptance rate below 10%, Hunter College High School is one of the most competitive public high schools in New York City. It’s also one of the least diverse. Hunter’s 15.3% student poverty rate was the lowest of any public ...
Exclusive Interview with Chancellor Kamar Samuels
Welcome back to P.S. Weekly, a student podcast created in collaboration between Chalkbeat and The Bell!In our first episode of Season 3, The Bell’s high s...
We're back with Season 3!
P.S. Weekly is back with Season 3! The Bell’s high school reporters have once again teamed up with Chalkbeat New York’s veteran education journalists to bring you pressing issues in New York City schools from the perspectives of stu...
Exclusive Interview with Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos
In this special back-to-school episode of P.S. Weekly, New York City schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos shared her thoughts on pressing education issues including the cellphone ban, restorative justice, mental health support for students, ...
What Do NYC Teens Think of the Mayoral Candidates?
What is happening with the youth vote during this year’s mayoral race? Are New York City’s young people tuning in? Are the candidates reaching out to young voters? And why hasn’t education been a centerpiece of the mayor’s race so far?Pr...
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Preview: Young New Yorkers and The Mayor’s Race
The race for New York City’s next mayor is in full swing, but do teens know what’s going on?Next week on P.S. Weekly, student journalists Roberto Bailey and Jojo Fofana are delving into the upcoming primary election.They’ve been d...
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Are NYC Schools Preparing Future Voters?
Why do so many young people lack the fundamentals of civics knowledge? Is the education system adequately preparing future ...
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One Student’s Struggle with “School Refusal” After COVID
It’s been five years since COVID shut down New York City schools. How are kids faring with the aftermath? How do they talk about the pandemic – or not? The fallout is often framed around “learning loss” or dips in test scores, but w...
Reduce, Reuse, Revolt: How Students Are Fighting Climate Change
What is the state of youth climate activism in New York City? The momentum of the climate protests at the start of the 2019-20 school year may have slowed since the pandemic, and many students remain apathetic, but climate anxiety c...
Stalled: Why Schools Are Restricting Bathroom Access
Cutting class. Fights. Vaping. School bathrooms have long been notorious for all sorts of illicit behavior. And in response, many schools now significantly restrict access to bathrooms or are adding surveillance tools, including vape detectors....
Can Writing Teachers Fend Off AI?
There’s no way to ignore the rise of AI in schools. Students are embracing it. Educators are battling it. Policymakers are trying to get ahead of it. There's no turning back.But are there some classes where AI just doesn't be...
Why Do Teachers Leave? We Investigate
When schools have high rates of teacher turnover, students lose connections to trusted educators, and new teachers who fill the openings are often less experienced. Producers Mateo Tang O’Reilly, from Central Park East High School, ...
When Filling Out the FAFSA Feels Dangerous
Applying to college is stressful enough. Navigating the financial aid process adds a whole new layer. And for children of immigrants, including those with undocumented parents, the process comes with even greater hurdles and anxieties.
Are NYC Schools Teaching Sex Ed? It's a Touchy Subject
Are New York City students getting the sex education they need? P.S. Weekly’s episode 2 explores the systemic shortcomings and urgent need for comprehensive — and inclusive — sex education in New York City schools.Producers Aponi Kafele,...
The Fight for Ethnic Studies in NYC Schools
Our first episode of Season 2 dives into the state of ethnic studies in New York City schools and how the Trump administration could threaten the recent expansion of Black studies, LGBTQ history, and other diverse curriculums in schools across ...
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