NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels Accused of Ignoring Calls to Dismiss PS 307 Principal
Parents repeatedly asked Chancellor Kamar Samuels to fire PS 307 principal Stephanie Carroll, but he took no action, and reading scores fell sharply during his tenure.
According to longtime DOE insiders, Chancellor Kamar Samuels, while superintendent of District 13, failed to act on repeated parent demands to remove Stephanie Carroll from the helm of PS 307, a Brooklyn school attended by journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’s daughter. Critics note that reading proficiency fell from 28% in 2019 to just 13.6% in 2022 under his oversight. Hannah-Jones described the school as chaotic in a recent one outlet Magazine essay, blaming systemic racism but not naming Carroll.
Parents launched a Change.org petition in 2023 to demand her dismissal; instead, Carroll was transferred in 2024 to become the DOE’s citywide director of literacy. Former officials argue the promotion is inconsistent with her poor performance, and they accuse Samuels of allowing problems to fester. Neither the DOE nor the Hannah-Jones family responded to comment requests.
Why it matters
It reveals potential neglect of accountability for school leadership in New York City’s public-school system.
How this story developed
- Sep 20 Creator of 1619 Project says she regrets school-choice decision for her daughter
- Sep 24 Hannah‑Jones disclosed that her daughter ultimately gained admission to a top test‑in high school.
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