New Science Labs Remain Unused, Without Teachers
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The city has spent more than $400 million to build brand new science labs in hundreds of schools, but NY1 has discovered that just because schools have laboratories doesn't mean they have the budget to use them. NY1’s Education reporter Lindsey Christ filed the following report. One day last week, fifth-grade students at P.S. 366 in Washington Heights spent the morning engrossed in a chemistry experiment in a brand new, state-of-the-art science lab – one of two at the school. It was the kind of hands-on science that might turn around the city's dismal middle school science scores.
“You could have fun but at the same time you are still gaining a lot of knowledge by just doing, more than just reading out of a textbook,” said student Zeny Gatdule.
But that was the only time they have used this lab. That's because there's no budget for a full-time science teacher. It's a void students from Yeshiva University noticed when they came to perform a magic show.
“They weren't getting a more fun, hands-on creative experience in science,” said Yeshiva University student Yair Saperstein.
So the college students volunteered to conduct several science labs this spring.
“It's kinda making the whole class feel better,” said P.S. 366 student Alexis Aquino. “Cause in science what we do is pretty much crack the books, but now we're actually doing experiments.”
City officials say they're working to ramp up middle school science. But in these tough budget times, one thing schools know they cannot count on is any additional science teachers to conduct the kind of hands-on experiments that kids were doing in the lab.
The college students spent weeks finding the money for supplies and planning lessons. Every table had its own student-teacher to help with the equipment and gently push the little scientists to connect-the-dots.
“It made a big difference, because we got all the focus from one person, rather than our teacher having to walk around the room telling us exactly what to do,” Gatdule said.
“This is something that wasn't just rote spit-back. It was getting them to really see the process from start to finish and how it develops logically and just really accessing that part of their brain,” said college student Talya Laufer.
Something that likely won't happen as long as there are no science teachers here to lead the way.