Honor NYU Metro Center Anniversary

2018 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and commend those institutions of true purpose and high achievement whose exemplary programs and accomplishments clearly demonstrate an enduring pursuit of excellence in the education of the youth of the Empire State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend NYU Metro Center upon the occasion of its 40th Anniversary to be feted with a Born After Brown Celebration from May 17-20, 2018; and WHEREAS, Founded in 1890 as the first School of Pedagogy at an American University, NYU Steinhardt exemplifies the University's commitment to public service and seeks to advance knowledge, creativity, and innovation at the crossroads of culture, education, and human development; and WHEREAS, Metro Center's leadership reflects that commitment to public service and the dream of an equitable education system; and WHEREAS, For four decades, NYU Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, commonly known as Metro Center, has promoted equity and opportunity in education through engaged science work: applied research, program evaluation, policy analysis, community engagement, and professional assistance to educational, governmental, and community agencies serving vulnerable populations; and WHEREAS, NYU Metro Center engages staff and personnel from more than

13,160 through comprehensive implementation and assessment, 10,814 through teacher development, 11,484 through programs designed to promote understanding and implementation of standards and academic content, and over 20,000 through conferences, workshops, and special events; and WHEREAS, Born of the dream of achieving equity in public education, the NYU Metro Center was founded in 1978, by Dr. LaMar P. Miller with a Teacher Corps grant from the United States Department of Education; Dr. Miller's vision was to examine and find solutions for the problems facing the country's public schools, especially as they affect low-income and minority children; and WHEREAS, In 2004, Dr. Pedro Noguera was named Metro Center's second Executive Director; in this capacity, he oversaw numerous funding and programmatic expansions, including a landmark Gates Foundation study on Black and Latino males in single-sex schools, as well as both an Asian and Spanish Bilingual Technical Assistance Center; and WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure, Dr. Pedro Noguera grew the Center and advanced its mission and work, forging NYU Metro Center into one of the nation's leading organizations committed to educational equity and school transformation; and WHEREAS, Since 2015, Dr. David E. Kirkland has served as the Executive Director of NYU Metro Center; in this role, he has expanded NYU Metro Center's strategic partnerships and piloted a resource center for school diversity with funding from the New York City Council; and WHEREAS, Today, NYU Metro Center is nationally and internationally renowned for its work on educational equity and school improvement; the Center brings together scholars, educators, and innovators from diverse backgrounds to collaborate on a range of projects to strengthen and improve access, opportunity, and educational quality across varied settings, but particularly in striving communities; and WHEREAS, NYU Metro Center also boasts a broad and bold research agenda that touch topics ranging from girls and juvenile justice to the education, language, and literacy of men and boys of color; research activities include topics on the impacts of poverty on student learning, multilingual education, school climate and discipline, disproportionality, gender identity and gender presentation, restorative justice, PBIS, RTI, culturally relevant education, "over-the-counter" students, SIFE/SLIFE, abilities and special education, as well as diversity and integration; and WHEREAS, Since its inception, NYU Metro Center has been dedicated to the pursuit of academic excellence and social justice for all children; for 40 years, NYU Metro Center has been a partner and resource for schools and school districts throughout the United States and beyond; and WHEREAS, NYU Metro Center's professional development programs prepare teachers, school leaders and staff, and parents to improve school culture and climate, reduce referrals to special education, and better support the unique needs of students, such as emergent bilingual students, students across a range of abilities, LGBTQIA children and youth, and students from vulnerable backgrounds; its research initiatives inform the policy and intervention communities on how educational reforms will impact the most vulnerable populations in and beyond our school systems; and WHEREAS, NYU Metro Center has continually demonstrated an impressive dedication, an unparalleled devotion and an unremitting enthusiasm for the quality of educational programs and opportunities offered for the benefit of its faculty and students as well as for the entire community; and WHEREAS, NYU Metro Center is proudly aware of its distinguished past, eager to fulfill its present commitment to parents, students and the community, and planning with vision and purpose for the ebb and swell of growth and change it will encounter in the years to come; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend NYU Metro Center upon the occasion of celebrating its 40th Anniversary from May 17-20, 2018; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Dr. David E. Kirkland, Executive Director, NYU Metro Center.