'One of the biggest challenges': Mamdani campaign vows to prioritize special education

"Mamdani singled out preschool children who often languish at home without seats and do not receive all the services to which they're entitled. He suggested too many children with disabilities are attending private schools at the city's expense. And he also said the city should redouble its support for the city's 154,000 homeless students, pointing to a program that pairs homeless students with adult mentors."

"He recently unveiled a plan to recruit more teachers and said he would phase out gifted programs for the city's youngest students. But his campaign's responses indicate that his education agenda may focus on some of the system's most vulnerable children, who are often far behind their peers in reading and math, experience elevated rates of chronic absenteeism, and are much less likely to graduate on time."

"To improve support for students with disabilities, Mamdani pledged to recruit more special education teachers, a longstanding shortage area. He also vowed to reduce the number of students with disabilities who get private school tuition reimbursed by the city because the Education Department cannot offer an adequate placement."

Zohran Mamdani prioritized strengthening support for students with disabilities and pledged to recruit more special education teachers. He highlighted preschool children who lack seats and necessary services and expressed concern about high numbers of students with disabilities placed in private schools at city expense. He called for redoubled support for the city's roughly 154,000 homeless students and pointed to a mentorship program as an example. He proposed recruiting more teachers and phasing out gifted programs for the youngest students. He emphasized focusing resources on vulnerable children who lag academically, face chronic absenteeism, and have lower on-time graduation rates.

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