Nikole Hannah-Jones says she regrets enrolling daughter in low-performing NYC schools
The New York Times writer acknowledged that sending her daughter to under-resourced public schools did not meet her expectations and expressed concern that she may have failed both her values and her child.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, a journalist known for the 1619 Project, wrote in a New York Times Magazine essay that she and her husband chose to enroll their 16-year-old daughter, Najya, in schools serving predominantly low-income and Black students, hoping to contribute positively to those communities. After several years at schools such as PS 307 and Urban Assembly Unison, Hannah-Jones said Najya struggled with basic academic skills needed for high school and questioned the decision.
"Najya was asking what I’d accomplished by not choosing the ‘best’ school for her," Hannah-Jones wrote. "When it comes to the choices my husband and I have made about public education, these days I feel that I failed both my values and my child."
The essay prompted criticism from commentators who argued that parents have a responsibility to prioritize their children's education over broader activist goals. Some observers, including a founder of an education-policy nonprofit, said using a child as a vehicle for activism was inappropriate, while others noted the writer’s willingness to discuss the outcome.
Hannah-Jones, who purchased a $1.5 million brownstone in Brooklyn in 2018, said the family’s intention was to help improve the schools for all students, but she now questions whether the approach achieved that aim.