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NYC Public Schools Face Crisis: 35% of Students Chronically Absent as Test Scores Drop Despite Increased Funding

Grace Tackman
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NYC Public Schools Face Crisis: 35% of Students Chronically Absent as Test Scores Drop Despite Increased Funding

More than 350,000 New York City public school students missed at least 10% of school days during the last academic year, according to a recent Manhattan Institute analysis. That translates to about 35% of the city’s student body, a figure education experts say should alarm parents and policymakers alike.

The absenteeism numbers track closely with another troubling trend: declining test scores. Despite New York State pouring more money into education than ever before, math and reading proficiency rates remain stubbornly below pre-pandemic levels. Only a small fraction of 4th and 8th-graders are meeting proficiency standards in either subject.

The spending, meanwhile, keeps climbing. Governor Kathy Hochul announced $35.3 billion in total education aid for fiscal year 2025, an $825 million increase over the previous year. Foundation Aid alone got a $507 million boost. New York now spends roughly $36,000 per student annually, the highest rate in the nation.

Critics argue the math doesn’t add up. Teachers’ unions have negotiated generous benefit packages that continue pushing costs higher, they say, while student achievement lags. The state is spending more but getting less.

So what’s driving kids to skip school? The pandemic fundamentally changed how many families think about attendance. What once seemed non-negotiable now feels optional to some parents. But the problem runs deeper than shifting attitudes. Housing instability, economic pressure, and ongoing health concerns have hit vulnerable communities especially hard, making it difficult for some families to maintain consistent attendance even when they want to.

Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, includes excused absences, unexcused ones, and suspensions. Every absence counts.

Education specialists say schools need to get tougher on attendance policies while also making classrooms places students actually want to be. That means safe, engaging environments and teachers who take ownership of keeping kids engaged. The New York City Department of Education has rolled out various programs and support services, both in schools and in the community, to get students back in their seats.

Whether any of it will work remains an open question. But with test scores falling and absenteeism rising, the city’s education establishment is running out of time to prove that record-breaking spending can translate into actual learning.

The AI Upskill Boom: How Non-STEM Professionals Future-Proof Their Jobs

Juan Oliveros
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The AI Upskill Boom: How Non-STEM Professionals Future-Proof Their Jobs

The students filing into artificial intelligence courses at universities these days look different than they used to. Alongside the usual cohort of computer science majors and engineers, there are nurses hoping to understand predictive analytics, elementary school teachers curious about chatbots in the classroom, and middle managers trying to figure out what their CEO means when he talks about “AI transformation.”

This shift reflects a larger trend in the American workforce. Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to tech companies or research labs. It has moved into hospitals, schools, marketing departments, and HR offices. And workers in those fields are realizing they need to catch up.

Universities have noticed. Schools across the country report growing enrollment in AI-related courses from students with no technical background whatsoever. These are not people looking to become data scientists. They are professionals who want to understand the tools already changing how they do their jobs.

The pressure to learn comes from multiple directions. The World Economic Forum estimated last year that nearly half of all workers will need some form of reskilling over the next few years due to advances in artificial intelligence. That prediction, whether exact or approximate, has clearly resonated. People are signing up for classes.

Why the Rush?

Part of the motivation is defensive. Workers see AI creeping into their industries and worry about being left behind. But there is also genuine curiosity. Many professionals want to understand what AI can actually do, rather than what the hype suggests.

In healthcare, for example, nurses and doctors are encountering AI tools that help analyze patient data or flag potential diagnoses. Some of these tools work well. Others do not. But either way, medical professionals increasingly need to understand how the technology operates and where it might go wrong.

Teachers face a different set of questions. AI can grade essays, personalize lesson plans, and answer student questions at odd hours. Some educators see this as a breakthrough. Others see it as a threat to their profession. Most just want to figure out how to use it responsibly.

In business, the stakes are more straightforward. Companies are investing heavily in AI, and employees who understand it have an advantage. Marketing teams use AI to analyze consumer behavior. Finance departments use it to detect fraud. Human resources uses it to screen job applicants. Workers who can speak the language of machine learning, even at a basic level, are more likely to advance.

What the Courses Look Like

The classes popping up for non-technical students tend to avoid heavy mathematics and coding. Instead, they focus on concepts. What is machine learning? How do algorithms make decisions? What are the ethical implications of using AI in hiring or healthcare?

Some schools offer these courses online, recognizing that working professionals cannot always show up to campus in the middle of the week. Others have developed executive education programs aimed specifically at mid-career professionals who need flexible schedules.

The goal is not to turn a nurse into a software engineer. It is to give people enough literacy to work alongside AI tools, ask the right questions, and spot problems before they become disasters.

The Bigger Picture

This trend points to a broader reality about the modern workplace. Technology changes faster than most people can keep up with, and the gap between those who understand new tools and those who do not keeps widening.

For decades, the assumption was that workers in technical fields needed to keep learning throughout their careers while everyone else could rely on the skills they picked up early on. That assumption no longer holds. A teacher who graduated in 2010 is now working in a completely different environment from the one they trained for. The same goes for nurses, accountants, and just about everyone else.

Educational institutions and employers will need to figure out how to make ongoing training accessible and affordable. Right now, much of the burden falls on individual workers to find courses and pay for them themselves. That is not sustainable if the pace of change continues to accelerate.

What is clear is that AI literacy is becoming as fundamental as computer literacy was a generation ago. The professionals enrolling in these courses understand that. They are not trying to become experts. They are just trying to keep doing their jobs in a world where the tools keep changing.

IT-OT Convergence Opens Potential Vulnerabilities, Proactive Cybersecurity Measures a Necessity

Juan Oliveros
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IT-OT Convergence Opens Potential Vulnerabilities, Proactive Cybersecurity Measures a Necessity

Operational Technology (OT) systems play a crucial role in industries such as energy, manufacturing, transportation, and water management. These systems are responsible for managing everything from power grids and water treatment plants to industrial robots and building management systems.

However, nowadays, these systems pose additional cyber risks that could have major effects on critical infrastructure as they become increasingly linked to IT networks and the internet.

According to Business Wire, over the last five years, industrial cybersecurity risks have grown by 60%, and cybercriminals have mostly targeted vital infrastructure. Among other key concerns, rising ransomware, supply chain vulnerabilities, and state-sponsored assaults underscore the urgent need for improved OT cybersecurity.

The Expanding Attack Surface in OT Systems

Unlike conventional IT networks, OT systems were not first intended with cybersecurity in mind. Cybercriminals often find these systems appealing because they rely on outdated systems and lack modern security mechanisms. 

By combining IT and OT, the attack surface has been expanded, and industrial control systems (ICS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems have been exposed to cyber vulnerabilities that were once contained within IT networks.

Events such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, which disrupted fuel supplies across the U.S. East Coast, highlight how combining IT and OT systems without proper segmentation and OT resilience can expose vulnerabilities and trigger preemptive shutdowns.

Traditionally, OT systems were isolated from the internet and IT networks to reduce cybersecurity risks. However, as modern industrial environments adopt connected OT to IT for remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, cloud analytics, and much more, the increase in exposure to cyber threats is much larger than before.

Other Vulnerabilities

OT systems are highly dependent on third-party vendors for hardware, software, and maintenance. Unlike traditional IT, where software can be more easily secured and patched, OT networks rely on specialized industrial components and vendors that provide critical updates, diagnostics, and ongoing support. This reliance introduces a significant security challenge—supply chain attacks.

In March 2020, hackers compromised the SolarWinds’ Orion software update process by inserting a backdoor (SUNBURST malware) into legitimate software updates. This incident demonstrated how supply chain vulnerabilities can impact OT networks by exploiting vendors and suppliers that may lack strong cybersecurity protections.

Another vulnerability in OT systems is the rapid acceptance of IIoT devices, or the Industrial Internet of Things, in industrial environments. Many IIoT devices are readily targeted by cybercriminals who use them as access points into OT networks, since many lack appropriate authentication mechanisms and are typically online and exposed.

Although IIoT enhances operational efficiency, predictive maintenance, and automation, it also expands the attack surface in OT systems. Most IIoT devices lack strong authentication mechanisms, use outdated or unpatched firmware, or employ weak or no encryption, which increases cyber risks.

Resolving the OT Cybersecurity Challenge

As IT and OT systems continue to converge in today’s industrial environment, the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats has never been more pressing.

As stated by Dr. Tom Holt, Director and Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, “The Colonial Pipeline breach demonstrated how ransomware attacks can significantly impact supply chains, how critical infrastructure can be an attractive target for cybercriminals, and how it is a necessity to have cybersecurity systems and protocols in place to prevent and respond to these types of attacks.”

Companies have to be proactive in improving OT security to help reduce these new risks, such as:

  • Use network segmentation to isolate OT networks from outside and IT connections, reducing exposure.
  • Establish rigorous access controls, ongoing authentication, and least-privilege restrictions for every user and device in accordance with Zero Trust Principles.
  • Many OT systems use antiquated software; companies should develop a robust patching plan to address security flaws.
  • Improve issue response procedures unique to industrial operations and apply security monitoring solutions designed for OT environments.
  • Enhance supply chain security by conducting cybersecurity analyses of external suppliers and ensuring demand adheres to security guidelines.

By prioritizing security as an integral part of OT operations, industries can protect their assets, customers, and national security interests from cyber threats.

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