New York City Public Schools communities are expressing strong support for Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels, according to findings from the city’s annual school survey and a broader engagement effort that has placed student, family and educator voices at the center of his first year leading the nation’s largest public school system.
The findings come as Samuels moves to shape his education agenda around three central priorities: safety and belonging, academic rigor, and true integration.
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The 2026 NYC School Survey, conducted from February through April, gathered feedback from families, educators and students across the city. The survey is designed to give school leaders a clearer picture of how students and their communities view their schools and to identify areas requiring improvement.
The positive response toward Samuels comes at a consequential time for the city’s public education system. While New York City continues to contend with concerns surrounding academic performance, enrollment and school spending, the survey and Samuels’ separate first-100-days engagement tour point to considerable confidence in his approach to listening directly to school communities.
During his first months as chancellor, Samuels visited schools across all five boroughs and participated in 10 community conversations involving more than 1,300 people. He also met with students, parents, educators and community members across all 45 school districts.
A recurring message from those conversations was that New Yorkers remain deeply invested in their public schools. Communities highlighted caring teachers and trusted adults, student voice and strong relationships as important contributors to a positive school environment.
The engagement process also identified areas where residents believe the system must do more. Among the concerns raised were mathematics instruction, teacher support, curriculum implementation and the appropriate use of artificial intelligence and technology in classrooms.
Samuels has incorporated those concerns into his broader education framework, which seeks to create schools where students feel safe, supported and respected while also receiving academically challenging instruction and equitable access to high-quality programs.
“People love their public schools and want the world to see the great work happening inside them,” Samuels said in his engagement report, emphasizing the importance of community input in determining the direction of NYCPS.
The findings offer a more nuanced picture of the city’s education landscape than recent criticism focused largely on academic outcomes and spending.
A separate poll released this month found widespread dissatisfaction among New York voters with the performance and cost of the public school system. The Empire Center survey found that 95 percent of respondents believed schools needed to improve academic performance, reduce spending, or do both.
That contrast underscores the challenge facing Samuels: maintaining the confidence of families and educators while delivering measurable improvements in student achievement.
Recent state testing results have added urgency to that task. New York City students experienced significant declines in some elementary-grade English Language Arts results, contributing to broader concerns about literacy across the state’s public education system.
Samuels, however, has emphasized that improving academic outcomes must go hand in hand with creating school environments where students feel connected and supported.
His administration is also placing greater emphasis on equitable access for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, students experiencing homelessness or foster care, and immigrant students.
The 2026 survey results themselves are being used by school leaders to guide planning and school improvement, although the Department of Education has indicated that the full public release of the citywide results will come later this year.
For Samuels, the early feedback provides an important foundation as he attempts to translate community confidence into concrete improvements. The strongest test of his leadership will ultimately be whether the support reflected in school communities can be matched by gains in academic achievement, stronger school environments and greater public confidence in the city’s education system
