Nikole Hannah-Jones Admits Educational Experiment Backfired on Daughter

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of The New York Times' 1619 Project, has revealed in a personal essay that her decision to enroll her daughter in struggling New York City public schools as an educational experiment ultimately backfired, leaving her daughter feeling deprived of a quality education.

Hannah-Jones, 50, stated that she and her husband chose to send their daughter, Najya, to two underperforming Brooklyn public schools starting in 2015. This choice was made despite their financial security and connections, which could have secured enrollment in more prestigious institutions. Hannah-Jones described the decision as a "sacrifice" aimed at contributing to the improvement of the city's education system, particularly for Black students, and influencing other families to do the same.

However, by her own admission, the experiment did not yield the intended results. Najya, now 16, expressed anger and frustration, telling her mother during a confrontation that she wished her parents had prioritized her individual needs over the collective good. "Sometimes I wish instead of always thinking about other kids, you would have thought about me," Najya said, according to the essay. "I never really got the education I wanted."

Hannah-Jones acknowledged the validity of her daughter's feelings, admitting, "I feel like you got cheated." She further reflected in the essay that she may have "failed both my values and my child" in the choices made regarding public education.

The schools Najya attended, PS 307 and Urban Assembly Unison, had significant challenges. In 2016, PS 307, located near DUMBO, had a student body that was 56% Black, with only 19% of students meeting state English standards, well below the citywide average of about 40%. Nearly 40% of its students had special needs. Urban Assembly Unison, serving the Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy areas, had a 69% Black student population, with 40% of students meeting state standards in 2024, compared to the citywide middle school average of 55%. About one-third of its students also had special needs.

Hannah-Jones detailed instances where the educational shortcomings became starkly apparent. In one case, she discovered that Najya's teachers had not been grading her schoolwork, leading Najya to believe she was proficient in subjects like math when she was not. "Najya believed herself to be good at math — it was her favorite subject. But now I understood she thought she was correctly solving all her problems because her teacher was not checking her work," Hannah-Jones wrote. She also noted that Najya’s writing assignments contained numerous uncorrected errors.

Despite these issues, Hannah-Jones kept Najya enrolled in public schools through 6th grade. Even at a middle school with a supportive principal, Najya reported that attentive students were neglected while misbehavior received attention. As Najya approached high school, she discovered the schools' poor performance online, which intensified her feelings of being let down.

Ultimately, Najya insisted on choosing her own high school, and Hannah-Jones agreed. However, upon entering the new school, it became evident that Najya was significantly behind in fundamental skills, requiring intensive tutoring to catch up.

The experience led Hannah-Jones to question her long-held convictions about educational choices. "I wanted my child to see it my way, to see the struggles she was having as part of a lineage and a mandate," she wrote. "But now I felt overcome with regret. Najya deserved better. They all did. But she was mine. This girl, my only child, looked to me to protect her, to give her what she needed to thrive. And I had not chosen her," she concluded.

The essay has drawn varied responses, with some critics labeling Hannah-Jones's decision as an act of virtue signaling that jeopardized her daughter's future. Others have defended her for attempting to live by her principles, though some suggested her analysis of the problem was flawed.

Hannah-Jones herself attended below-average schools in her hometown before pursuing higher education at the University of Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.