When the Renewal program was introduced by Chancellor Carmen Farina and Mayor Bill de Blasio. There were 94 schools in the program. All of them academically struggling. Four years later, as the Renewal program is expected to end at the end of the school year, we see that 25% have escaped the Renewal program as they have improved enough academically. 25% have closed as they have academically failed, and 50% have remained in the Renewal program and their fate will be decided at the end of the school year.
At the high school level, no school has escaped the Renewal program due to academic improvement, while some have closed due to poor performance or lack of students applying. The reasons for the failure are multiple.
- Lack of academically proficient students.
- High teacher turnover.
- Inexperienced teachers.
- Low staff morale.