Op-ed: Schools Chancellor Banks opened doors to city’s employers

During almost three years as the leader of the city’s public school system, Chancellor David Banks has made his mark, setting high standards for student and teacher performance, establishing programs to compensate for learning losses suffered during the pandemic, and absorbing some 40,000 children of incoming asylum seekers into the schools.

From my perspective, however, the chancellor’s most important contribution has been to ensure that the education of every student, from grade school through high school, includes awareness of their future career possibilities. Under his leadership, the department forged sustainable partnerships with employers to prepare young New Yorkers for the full range of jobs available in the city and beyond. No prior chancellor has been as determined or as effective in advancing the career prospects of our city’s youth.

There are many examples of how Chancellor Banks engaged the city’s businesses and major nonprofit institutions in support of his ambitious goals. One that my organization co-sponsors is Career Discovery Week, where thousands of high school students spend a full day of immersion at one of the city’s great companies. For many, this is their first time inside a corporate office setting and their first interaction with young professionals whose backgrounds they can relate to. The experience is often transformative.