Miseducation

Latest Episodes:

Episode 7: The Prayer Space Jun 02, 2022

Show notes

My name is Adnaan Elahi. I’m a high school senior and a Muslim student. I go to an incredibly diverse high school in East Harlem. Many of my peers are recent immigrants or first-generation students such as myself.

The New York City public school system is filled with students from numerous backgrounds. This includes race, ethnicity, and what I’ll be focusing on: religion.

The issue of freedom of religion within public schools can be a complicated one, so what does practicing one's religion look like in the nation’s largest public school system? And when you hit some obstacles, how do you address them?

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Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Episode 6: “School Felt Like A Ghost Town” May 25, 2022

Show notes

Since the closing of the schools due to COVID in March 2020, it’s been hard on students, academically and emotionally. How can you find the desire to learn when you're staring at a screen at 8 in the morning?

After a year and a half of Zoom school, former Mayor de Blasio decided that it was time for every student to go back in person. In September of 2021, schools finally reopened. But then, when the new year came around… Omicron entered the scene. The week we got back from winter break, school felt like a ghost town.

I wanted to take you on a day of my life in school during Omicron, from the morning to dismissal, to show everyone what school really was like. This is January 14th.

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Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Episode 5: Why I Turned Down A Specialized High School May 09, 2022

Show notes

Every student in NYC public schools goes through the high school admissions process. About 80,000 eighth graders every year researching, and ranking, and waiting, and ultimately landing in one of more than 400 high schools.

My process surprised lots of people. Not because of the school — Edison — that I got into. But because of the school I turned down.

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Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Episode 4: "As If I Were A Criminal" Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

It’s 8:40 am on a Friday. Just a 5 minute walk from Jay St MetroTech, you can find high-schoolers heading south on their way to school. Students hike up the concrete stairs leading to the red doors under the stone sign that states, George Westinghouse High school. There is a long line this morning that stretches from outside on the block all the way to the inside of the lobby. You can hear the occasional teeth suck as they watch another kid hold up the line to go through the metal detectors.

Metal detectors are a huge part of Westinghouse culture, quickly blending into the lives of students and staff. The practice of rechecking pockets and belongings, before stepping in front of one of these devices, lodges its way into the minds of kids as soon as they begin high school.

This is a story about my friend Rojuiana and her incident with the metal detectors that almost landed her in prison and left a permanent mark on her school record. But there is even more at stake here.

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Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Episode 3: "The Chance To Be Themselves" Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

Every Tuesday after school, students rush to their bright red lockers, throw their coats on, and head for the stairs. The sound of student chatter is everywhere, while kids squeeze their way through the cramped halls. Usually everyone is heading home by now, but there are a couple of stragglers trying to find a room to stay in before Comic Arts and Illustrations Club starts. I recognize them immediately because they’re the same kids who always stay for the chance to be themselvesin a safe creative space with Ms. O’Neal… and it’s no surprise why.

In my selective high school it’s easy for students of color – including me – to feel disregarded. But every now and then you find a supportive adult who goes out of their way to make you feel seen.

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Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Episode 2: "The Kids Have Gone Through Hell" Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

I didn’t expect for it to be this hard to navigate my high school years, but then halfway through my sophomore year, Covid hit. Everything changed. I found myself in a state of panic over my safety, my family’s safety, and on top of that, I was stressing out about school and my grades.

Do teachers realize the extent to which we, students, have been affected? What are their views on students’ mental health— and their role in helping students manage stress? I took these questions to my school and got some surprising answers.

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Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Episode 1: "The Only Person Who Believed in Me" Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever had that one person in your life that just kinda opened your eyes and changed your perspective? Someone who just stood beside you, always made sure you were okay –– a good supporter and encourager? Yeah, I mean that kinda person.

I met Dominique Jones when I was a middle schooler attending the Boys and Girls club of Harlem, where she was the director at the time. In this episode, I reunite with Ms. Dominique and share with her the impact she had on me.

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Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Episode 3: The College Advising Gap Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

In the final installment of “Unmuted,” we dig in to the college advising equity gap, made even worse by the pandemic. Consistently, NYC public high school students have told us that they don’t feel properly supported by their schools in the college process.

We wanted to find out how students managed applying to college at the height of a global pandemic––when students were not even in the school building. What obstacles presented themselves to seniors? Did students think college was still worth it?

We spoke with students and their advisors from the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice, and representatives from College Access: Research and Action (CARA) to find out.

Since beginning to report this story back in the fall of 2020 as high school juniors, we’ve become seniors ourselves. As we’re nearing the end of our own college processes, we round out this episode by reflecting on our experience applying to college.

• For more reporting on this issue, check out the Guidance Gap series from The Hechinger Report.

• To learn more about CARA, visit caranyc.org.

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To join the conversation, send us amessage and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Update: Who Gets to Play? Mar 13, 2022

Show notes

In 2018, we reported a story called Who Gets to Play? that featured Bronx students, their athletic director David Garcia-Rosen and the fight for sports equity in New York City public high schools. It was a David vs. Goliath fight that culminated in a class action lawsuit.

Nearly four years later, we have news to share.

To join the conversation, send us amessage and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Episode 2: A Year Without Sports Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

School sports have never just been about the sports themselves — and when they got cancelled is when people finally realized how important they actually are. In this episode we bring you into our worlds. We want to put you in our cleats, sneakers and boots to give you an inside view of a year without sports AND what it’s taught us about inequities that existed long before Covid-19.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

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