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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Shirley Aubin, Panel for Educational Policy Member of New York City Public Schools
5:06:13
ยท
4 min
Shirley Aubin, a Panel for Educational Policy Member for New York City Public Schools, testified in support of amending the administrative code to report on school librarians and library access. She emphasized the crucial role of libraries and cultural institutions in ensuring equity in arts education and culturally relevant sustaining education.
- Aubin highlighted the importance of libraries as community centers and supplemental resources for schools, providing access to arts, technology, and cultural experiences.
- She stressed the positive effects of early exposure to arts on children's cognitive, social, emotional, and academic development.
- Aubin advocated for not cutting arts budgets, promoting STEAM education, and emphasized how arts education aligns with NYC Public Schools' initiatives for critical thinking and problem-solving.
Shirley Aubin
5:06:13
Good afternoon, chair Joseph, chair Rivera, committee members, city council members.
5:06:20
My name is Shirley Aubame, and I'm the Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, appointed for New York City Public Schools Panel for Educational Policy, and a long time parent leader.
5:06:30
And, I'm speaking on my own capacity, and thank you for the opportunity today.
5:06:35
I'm in the support of amending administrative code to reporting on school librarians and the uses and access to school libraries in schools because libraries will play a key support and pivotal role in ensuring equity access in the arts and cultural relevant sustaining education.
5:06:55
The historical inequities in resources and opportunities are commonly seen in uninvested schools and communities, and marginalized schools and marginalized groups.
5:07:06
Our libraries and cultural arts institutions and in the international intergroup relations can help close those gaps in these inequities.
5:07:15
I believe the library is the ultimate community center, The ultimate community center in our communities because it service infants to senior citizens.
5:07:25
Libraries are supplemental resources and support for all schools, especially internet access, workshops, programs, technology, digital context.
5:07:35
Libraries also give us direct access to the arts through books, films, pictures, music, etcetera, but also the cultural path that they provide to visit these cultural institutions in our New York City.
5:07:49
The libraries not only prevent have culturally relevant and sustaining education, also the experience and the environment along with the cultural institutions are linked to shape our well billions of our well rounded scholar and community members.
5:08:06
Could you imagine the impact if we have many public libraries in all our public schools, with all the resources that can have to supplement them and create those environments to where they can flourish.
5:08:21
We need to ensure that cultural institutions are in each of enough of them are in each of our boroughs, and have them partners with schools within and outside of the boroughs will prove beneficial.
5:08:31
If they are exposed to arts at a young age, we know that significant positive effect effects on children's cognitive, social, emotional, and academic development.
5:08:43
For instance, they'll score better in tests.
5:08:45
Low income students four more times likely to be recognized for academic achievement, and three more times likely to receive an award for school attendance.
5:08:54
And it's very key, especially in the high schools to give them other reasons to make sure they show up for school.
5:09:01
Emphasizing CRC and discovery of self voice, autism has an enormous impact on social emotional wellness and increased emotional intelligence.
5:09:11
17 in 17% improvement in peer interaction.
5:09:15
20% increase in emotional regulations.
5:09:18
I'm gonna skip down because you have my testimony at hand besides self esteem.
5:09:23
There are three key points of for my testimony.
5:09:29
Not to be cut off from the budget.
5:09:32
Even if we want to improve math scores and reading scores, we should not be cutting the arts in the schools because the arts enhance in grades in fabric of core subjects, and shows real life applications.
5:09:45
And, the arts show more related issues on how it impacts our lives, how we can relate to it, the students, to the subject matters.
5:09:54
And, we need to push STEAM and not STEM to ensure equity communities, and then just diversify and offer more pathways to this.
5:10:07
In closing, libraries and cultural institutions ties to cultural and responsive sustaining education and social emotional wellness, which aligns with New York City Public Schools, New York City Reads, New York City Solves, Art Counts, New York City Cares.
5:10:25
It's simple.
5:10:26
Art opens the mind to possibilities, beauties, and beauties that individuals can produce and see in the world.
5:10:34
It resonates.
5:10:35
It has a lasting impression, greater appreciation of arts.
5:10:40
And bottom line, these initiatives promote critical thinking and problem solving versus rope learning.
5:10:46
Do we want communities that are filled with robotic like members?
5:10:49
Or do we want caring, inspiring, innovative, solution based approach minded, productive community members making our city excel and beautiful.
5:11:00
Thank you for letting me speak a little longer.