(This is a guest post by Tim DeRoche, author of A Fine Line: How Most American Kids Are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools, published on the 66th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling.) The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted issues of educational access in our public schools, since there are stark… Continue reading Do NYC School Zones Violate Federal Law?
(This is a guest post by Dr. Joiselle Cunningham, CEO of Pathways to Creative Industries and Senior Advisor at HERE to HERE. Joiselle previously served in the Obama Administration and received her doctorate from Harvard Graduate School of Education. You can find resources to learn more about trauma informed practices on pathwaystocreativeindustries.com.) We all find… Continue reading Navigating the New Reality: Child and Teen Caregiver Tips for Dealing with COVID-19
Every year, I brace myself. Every year, as soon as it’s time for the New York City Department of Education to take some kind of action, my email box instantly fills up with questions from confused and frustrated parents. This year, it was Thursday, April 23. That was the day the DOE was supposed to… Continue reading The Latest Word on Lost Gifted & Talented Scores
Last week I hammered home one of my favorite points: One educational size doesn’t fit all. This applies to traditional versus progressive learning, ethnocentric classrooms, acceleration, dual language programs, and more. While engaging in my favorite activity of advocating for giving every family what they want, and giving every student what they need, I asked… Continue reading Never Waste a Good Crisis: How NYC Families (And Teachers And Advocates) Can Take Advantage, Too (Part #2)
(The author of this guest post wishes to remain anonymous.) We have all been hearing about looming budget cuts for NYC public schools in the fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2020. We also know that September’s students will need a tremendous amount of support, whether they are in buildings or at home. While it may… Continue reading How Upcoming Budget Cuts Might Affect Your Child’s School
Ever since New York City School Chancellor Richard Carranza advised colleagues that one should “never waste a good crisis” in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, NYC parents have been in a panic. They assume he’ll use it as a backdoor method for ramming through all the changes he hasn’t been able to make via the… Continue reading Never Waste a Good Crisis: How NYC Families (And Teachers And Advocates) Can Take Advantage, Too (Part #1)
(The author of this post wishes to remain anonymous.) Based on my recent experience with the middle school admission process, I can say that there are many issues with the new system. First of all, removing the appeals process makes things worse and quite difficult. For example, my kid got a surprisingly low score on… Continue reading Zero Transparency & Communication: NYC Mom Rages Against New Middle School Waitlist
(This is a guest post by Dana Kaplan. Dana has her MA in Early Childhood Education with an additional certification in Gifted Education. Dana joined PS 33, Chelsea Prep for the 2006-2007 school year. During Dana’s tenure at PS 33, she taught Pre-K for two years, launched the ICT-Kindergarten class, and independently created, piloted, and… Continue reading How To Choose a Gifted & Talented Program For Your Child
In March, the New York City Department of Education announced they would be cancelling state tests for the 2019-2020 academic year. Then, at the end of April, they revised the grading system so that those in elementary school will receive a final Meets Standards or Needs Improvement assessment, while those in middle school might also… Continue reading No Tests, No Grades, No Problem: What NYC Can Still Do
(This is a guest post by Padraig Shea, an educator and baseball coach in the South Bronx. He has taught in Arkansas, South Korea, and Houston. His writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, Valley Advocate, and Fulbright Korea Infusion.) New York City’s coronavirus quarantine has reached biblical proportions; schools and many businesses closed more… Continue reading Remote Learning Shines Spotlight On Why Schools MUST Change
