Education from A to Z

Written by Alexa Berman, Ava Elghanayan, Gia Miller and Elijah Willner

Designed by Anne Kennedy

Education covers a lot of ground—and it all starts with the basics, just like learning the alphabet. This A–Z guide doesn’t claim to have all the answers, but it will give you a snapshot of key facts, fresh developments and ideas for supporting your own or a loved one’s learning journey. Because education isn’t just for the classroom—it’s a lifelong adventure.

Art on the go

ArtsWestchester’s ArtsMobile, a colorful art oasis on wheels, is back, and it’s rolling around Westchester through October. to deliver free art programming (printmaking, ceramics, painting, botanical & landscape drawing and mask making) to children in unconventional settings. According to a study published in a 2023 edition of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, arts education reduces disciplinary violations, improves writing, and increases emotional empathy. Plus, elementary students also experience greater school engagement, college aspirations and cognitive empathy. You can catch ArtsMobile at Westchester festivals, neighborhood parks and community events or reach out to schedule a visit

BOCES helps build futures

Forget what you might know about BOCES; times have changed. Their Career and Technical Education (CTE) program offers high school juniors and seniors training in 18 different fields, ranging from animal science, architecture and cosmetology to culinary arts, nursing and TV/video production. After graduation, depending on the field, students either continue their education or have the skills needed to enter the workforce.

Celebrate kids’ books in Chappaqua 

Promoting children’s literacy is a cornerstone of a robust education. On September 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival will do just that. For the 12th year, they’re gathering over 150 authors and illustrators for engaging readings, interactive workshops and lively musical performances for young audiences. With free admission and parking, it’s an accessible celebration designed to inspire a lifelong love of reading.

Double the Learning 

Taking college courses while you’re still in high school leads to a higher likelihood that you’ll attend and complete college, according to an October 2024 report from Columbia University’s Community College Research Center. The report, which tracked the four-year outcomes of high school students who began taking dual enrollment courses in 2015, found that 81 percent of these students attended college in the first year after high school, compared to 70 percent of students who were not dually enrolled. And, four years later, 29 percent of dual enrollment students had completed a bachelor’s degree, while 31 percent were still enrolled in college. 

Electric buses are the future

School buses are cleaning up their act, thanks to the 2022 Environmental Bond Act. Starting in 2027, all new school bus purchases must be electric, and all fleets must be fully electric by 2035. Luckily, it won’t all come out of the districts’ pockets. The act comes with $500 million in funding for public school districts and contracted fleet operators. Plus, there are additional federal incentives and resources available.

Financial literacy could be mandatory

Many educators believe financial literacy, which includes topics like budgeting, saving, investment and taxes, should be taught in all schools because this knowledge is critical for real-world preparedness. NYS Senate bill S95, currently in committee, would establish a financial literacy course as a requirement for high school graduation. For those who want their children to learn as soon as possible, The First Bank of Greenwich is hosting a series of financial literacy programs targeted at middle school and high school students. Their Start to Save program allows children to learn the importance of developing savings habits and setting financial goals.

Girls who…do everything

Girls can do anything, and nationwide programs are empowering young women to break barriers in fields traditionally dominated by men. There’s Girls Who Code, which is an international nonprofit with summer camps, campus initiatives, after-school clubs, and more; the closest club is at the Greenburgh Public Library in Tarrytown. And there’s also Girls Who Invest, which offers fully subsidized educational programming for college women, including a 10-week summer intensive with an internship. Even Girl Scouts has gotten in on the action, offering a wide variety of coding badges for girls of all ages.

Hybrid learning has some pros and cons

Hybrid learning has moved from a pandemic necessity to a more nuanced educational model with distinct advantages as well as challenges. According to research published in 2024 in the National Library of Medicine, many post-pandemic college students say they prefer recorded lectures so they can learn at their own pace, and they also enjoy sharing resources through online platforms. However, many of those same students expressed concern about the teaching speed (too fast or too slow) and the need for face-to-face interaction with teachers.

Interpersonal skills are > tech skills

As AI and tech take over more tasks, you’d think technical skills are what matter most. But it’s actually the human stuff—like empathy, communication and emotional intelligence—that’s becoming more valuable than ever. So as we move into the AI age, children and adults will need to prioritize learning, and mastering, their soft skills.

Junior year is still the most important

For college-bound high school students, junior year is critical, as it’s the last full year of high school colleges will see when making admissions decisions. “Take rigorous courses wherever possible, especially in subjects you might want to pursue in college,” Alexandra Carozza, the senior associate director of college counseling at The Harvey School, recommends. “Continue with core subjects when possible, even if you’ve met your school’s graduation requirements, to demonstrate your willingness to engage in a wide range of topics. Or replace them with something equally rigorous relating to your interests to indicate your commitment to the subject.”

Kiri proves not all AI requires a screen

Kiri is an AI wooden block toy that teaches children languages. Built on Montessori principles, this talking block teaches kids the foundations of Spanish, Mandarin and English through self-directed multi-sensory play. According to Kiritoys.com, “Kids will simply place the smart block on top of a tile, and the block will say the word associated with that tile out loud. By first touching the block to the mode card, they can switch between explore mode and quiz mode and choose between three different languages.”

Learning through play

In 2022, researchers at Cambridge University conducted a meta-analysis of 39 studies and concluded that young children who learned through guided play rather than direct instruction had stronger math skills, shape knowledge, task switching and spatial vocabulary. “When we give children blocks, they experiment with math and science skills, such as building tall towers, creating ramps, counting and problem-solving,” explains Jeannine DiBart, co-director of Katonah Playcare ELC. “They also utilize social skills such as collaborative learning, taking turns, creativity and communicating with each other.”

Mentors can enhance educational success

The New York State Mentoring Program is the nation’s first school-based one-to-one mentoring program, and its impact is deeper than you might expect. Groundbreaking research released in January 2025 by Harvard University and the U.S. Department of the Treasury found that students with mentors reported greater enrollment in higher education, lower absenteeism in school, improved behaviors and social bonds, and increased salaries compared to those without. The Council on Children and Families runs the NYS program, which uses one-on-one mentoring to achieve these goals.

Numeracy briefs make math easy & fun

New York State wants to keep pace with evolving math standards, so this past May, the Department of Education introduced eight numeracy briefs created by internationally renowned expert Dr. Deborah Lowenberg Ball. These briefs are designed to support administrators and math teachers in providing high-quality, culturally responsive mathematics instruction. Some key points include debunking common misconceptions about math teaching/learning, incorporating physical representation (think pictures, models or blocks) and advocating for equitable environments in math instruction. Ultimately, the goal is to help teachers make math fun, easy to understand, and useful both inside and outside the classroom.

Outdoor education

Spending time learning in nature does more than just get kids outside—it can boost their confidence, teamwork skills and even their academic performance. In 2022, the National Library of Medicine reviewed 147 studies and found that outdoor learning in natural settings, like school gardens or the forest, helps students feel more engaged and take greater ownership of their education. It also supports their mental well-being and builds important social skills. “When students are outdoors, they immediately see the real-world implications of the lessons that textbooks try to give—everything from the physics that allow maple seeds to ‘helicopter’ to using the world around to inspire a poem, and so much more,” says Taro Ietaka, the assistant director of conservation for Westchester County Parks.

Public schools (in NYC) are getting a makeover

In May 2024, Mayor Adams and Chancellor Aviles-Ramos announced seven new New York City public schools opening this fall that will teach a little differently and add 3,842 new seats throughout the boroughs. Brooklyn’s new Middle School of Innovation will use digital technologies, AI and assistive tools, along with science, technology, engineering, arts and math to build creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In Queens, the Northwell School of Health Sciences will offer hands-on training, mentorship and real-life experiences to prepare high school students for careers in healthcare, and the HBCU Early College Prep High School will offer students the opportunity to earn up to 64 college credits for an associate degree in liberal arts from the HBCU Delaware State University (DSU) and are guaranteed admission to DSU. Also included are the Bronx STEAM Center, Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy, the Staten Island Rise Academy for students with unique needs, and the Queens International Secondary School for newly arrived multilingual learners.

Questions about entrepreneurship? 

Interested in learning how you can own your business? Small Business Resources is a free program offered through the Westchester Library System. It’s designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs at every stage—from learning the basics to turning concepts into actionable business plans. You can research databases and periodicals, attend local workshops from trusted organizations, access digital equipment, and more.

Regents scores are still below pre-pandemic levels

Despite the roughly four years that have passed since we returned to full in-person schooling in New York, scores on Regents exams have remained relatively stagnant since the decrease they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not an issue exclusive to New York. According to federal data, no state saw scores increase between 2022 and 2024 in fourth-grade reading, eighth-grade reading or eighth-grade math. Schools are fighting this decline by investing in recovery initiatives, such as tutoring and after-school programming, both of which are showing promise in restoring these scores back to their pre-pandemic levels.

Smartphones are banned in K-12 public schools 

Sorry kids, on May 6, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law that requires K-12 schools to implement “bell-to-bell restrictions” on smartphones. New York State’s distraction-free schools policy goes into effect this fall. Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains has had a “no cell phones during class” policy for three years and experienced positive results. “Student engagement has significantly increased as they are no longer distracted or triggered by cell phone notifications,” says vice principal Frank Portanova. “It used to be like Pavlov’s dog with their phones; students were waiting for that notification stimulus, so it took some reconditioning. But now with increased engagement, class is more productive. More notes are taken, more discussion ensues and more critical thinking occurs.”

Testing (for college) isn’t an accurate prediction

According to research published in the 2020 edition of Sage Journals, high school grade point averages (HSGPA) are a stronger and more consistent indicator of college readiness than the ACT test. “Most colleges admit students based more on their transcript (HSGPA) performance than on test scores,” says Neal Schwartz, CEP, owner of College Planning of Westchester in Armonk. “The concept is that if they perform well in high school, they will do the same in college. But if a student is applying to a more selective college, they should still focus on both HSGPA (with the best possible course rigor) and test scores. For less selective colleges, they can focus more on HSGPA.”

Universities open their own AI labs 

AI is coming to higher education. About a dozen universities in New York now feature AI labs or research centers. NYU’s Global AI Frontier Lab hosts research and AI applications. Cornell University is the host of an initiative that focuses on collaborative research in AI, and the Cornell Tech campus in New York City holds active seminars and projects on the subject. Similarly, SUNY University of Buffalo’s new Department of AI and Society will train students to use AI. There’s also the AI & Society Research Center at SUNY University of Albany, the Institute for AI and Society at SUNY Binghamton, the NSF AI Institute for Artificial and Natural Intelligence at Columbia University (which is part of the National AI Research Institutes Program), the RIT Center for Human-Aware AI, Pace’s Artificial Intelligence Lab and more.

Virtual reality is coming to classrooms

Since the mid-2010s, educators have occasionally used virtual reality to provide “real life” learning experiences from the comfort of their classrooms. Now, tech moguls are racing to make VR technology as accessible and available to as many people as possible. Companies like Apple and Meta are continuing to invest in virtual reality, and experts predict an educational revolution as this technology advances and becomes more widespread.

Westchester Children’s Museum helps kids disconnect

Disconnect 2 Reconnect is a county-wide initiative encouraging play and interaction as an easy alternative to screen time. Beginning in April 2025, the Westchester Children’s Museum now offers activity kits that facilitate off-screen learning that feels like playtime. These kits were crafted with ages 0–6 in mind, but “they are fun for everyone, whether you’re 3 or 33,” says Kathy Vernace, the museum board’s vice president. Some of the immediate takeaways of analog interaction include active exploration to strengthen motor skills, creative play to foster problem-solving and talking/listening to enhance communication skills.

Xylophones enhance creative & cognitive development

Yes, we’re talking about music. (What else could we use for X?) According to a 2021 report from the National Library of Medicine, music strengthens students’ intellectual and social development by improving skills such as deductive reasoning, creativity, graphic design, reading, spelling, and value education. On a more personal level, music is beneficial for boosting empathy and reducing anxiety; thus, researchers recommend music as a key feature of education at all levels.

YouTube is a 24/7 classroom

You might view it as a hub of entertainment, but YouTube has played an important role in education since its inception 20 years ago. With 500 million educational videos viewed every day, it has become a key learning tool worldwide. YouTube also provides living salaries to many teachers who use it as a side hustle, with channels such as Heimler’s History and the Amoeba Sisters amassing millions of subscribers. This change has been widely regarded as an improvement in education, with 73 percent of teachers agreeing that YouTube helps their students learn and 77 percent of parents believing it makes learning more fun for their children.

Zzzzz’s are very important

We’re ending this article with a very important message to all students: Listen to your parents and go to sleep! According to a 2024 study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), irregular sleep and late bedtimes are linked to worse grades and more school-related behavioral problems among teens. A study of 800 adolescents found that students who went to bed at different times each night had a greater chance of receiving a D or lower compared to those with more consistent bedtimes. The same students were also more likely to have been suspended or expelled in the past two years. So yes, kids, sleep is that important.

This article was published in the September/October 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.