Superintendent Marcel Deans describes Bronx parent outreach and Civics Fair
Marcel Deans, Bronx High School Superintendent for Districts 8, 10, and 11, describes parent outreach through a Bronx Museum Civics Fair. He says Seal earners in his district grew from 9 in 2022 to 780 in 2026, and notes over 78% of students are Title I.
Good afternoon.
Got to turn the power on.
Thank you, Chair Dinowitz, for mentioning that to me.
Marcel Deans, I'm the Bronx High School Superintendent for Districts 8, 10, and 11.
I want to talk a little bit about parent outreach.
At the school level, participating schools develop a SEAL program plan that includes how they will communicate with students and with families about eligible courses, projects, experiences, and the benefits of the SEAL.
That's an important starting point.
But in our district, we want to go beyond simply telling families the opportunity exists.
We want them to see the learning and understand why it matters.
One way we do that is through our annual Bronx Museum Civics Fair.
Students bring their civic projects into a public space, present their thinking, and engage with families, community members, and cultural partners.
Through relationships with institutions such as the Museum of the City of New York and the Intrepid, we are helping students see that learning extends beyond the classroom.
And families get...
to see their children as researchers, as problem solvers, and young people with something meaningful to contribute.
The growth has been encouraging over the years.
We went from nine students earning the seal in 2022 to 780 young people in June of 2026.
And getting back to Chair Dinowitz's question earlier, we're a district with over 78% Title I.
And so our economically challenged families and young people are benefiting.
Greatly and deeply from this work.
But I do want to use, I do not want us to confuse growth in numbers with full measures of success.
The real question is whether more students, including multilingual learners and students with disabilities, are consistently experiencing this level of rigor, rigorous and relevant learning.
For us, outreach is also about making those opportunities visible, making those opportunities valued, and increasing accessibility for the families that we serve in Bronx North.
Well, I won't call it Bronx North because it's Northeast, but Bronx High School Districts 8, 10, and 11.