Alina Adams

Alina Adams is a New York City mom of 3 school-age children and a New York Times best-selling author of soap-opera tie-ins, figure-skating mysteries and romance novels. She is a contributing writer to TODAY Show Parenting, Mommy Poppins, BlogHer, Red Tricycle, Café Mom, and Kveller. After going through the NYC school application process with her own children and realizing just how convoluted, Draconian and needlessly complex it was, Alina resolved to help make all parents aware of all their school choices—and how to get them—via her books, “Getting Into NYC Kindergarten” and “Getting Into NYC High-School,” as well as her podcast, “NYC School Secrets: Parents Helping Parents.” Read more and listen at: www.NYCSchoolSecrets.com
All We Hear Is Radio Ga-Ga: Is Anyone Really Listening When It Comes To NYC Schools?
Blog · School Choice

All We Hear Is Radio Ga-Ga: Is Anyone Really Listening When It Comes To NYC Schools?

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Last week, I wrote about The Surprising Integration Skeptics of NYC (It’s Not Who You Think). As one mom on the Lower East Side advised, “Integration activists need to touch base with people they are trying to help” when it comes to proposed school rezoning and mergers. This week, we’re headed uptown for a hearing… Continue reading All We Hear Is Radio Ga-Ga: Is Anyone Really Listening When It Comes To NYC Schools?

The Surprising Integration Sceptics Of NYC (It’s Not Who You Think!)
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The Surprising Integration Sceptics Of NYC (It’s Not Who You Think!)

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As the 2018-2019 school year came to an end last June, incoming families at East Village Community School (EVCS), a progressive Pre-K to 5th grade elementary school in New York City’s unzoned District 1 where state test scores place it at #5 in the District, received the following email from Principal Bradley Goodman (excerpted below):… Continue reading The Surprising Integration Sceptics Of NYC (It’s Not Who You Think!)

Follow the Money and See Where It Goes: NYC Schools Edition.
Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Follow the Money and See Where It Goes: NYC Schools Edition.

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On Monday, September 23, the Community Education Council of Brooklyn’s School District #16 (Bedford-Stuyvesant) voted to ask New York City to get rid of all Gifted & Talented programs as advised by the Student Diversity Advisory Group (SDAG). There was the by now familiar rhetoric of how District #16’s schools are not racially or socio-economically… Continue reading Follow the Money and See Where It Goes: NYC Schools Edition.

3 Things NYC Can Do TODAY To Integrate Public High Schools!
Blog · Finding the Right School

3 Things NYC Can Do TODAY To Integrate Public High Schools!

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I give up. New York City School Chancellor Richard Carranza has decreed that the most important issue facing our public high schools isn’t that close to 80% of students aren’t graduating college-ready, SAT scores are well below the national average, or there’s a  lack of access to Advanced Placement (AP) classes. No, according to the… Continue reading 3 Things NYC Can Do TODAY To Integrate Public High Schools!

What’s “Enrichment,” Anyway? Can It Really Replace Gifted & Talented Programs?
Blog · Finding the Right School

What’s “Enrichment,” Anyway? Can It Really Replace Gifted & Talented Programs?

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When I give my Getting Into NYC Kindergarten workshops to community organizations, I explain the differences between New York City’s two types of Gifted & Talented programs. The five Citywide G&T’s are Accelerated. That means that, because there is no such thing as a G&T curriculum, these schools take the standard NYC school curriculum and… Continue reading What’s “Enrichment,” Anyway? Can It Really Replace Gifted & Talented Programs?

“Implying That Black and Hispanic Kids Only Do Better When They’re In School With White Kids Is Racist.” A NYC Mom Speaks Out.
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“Implying That Black and Hispanic Kids Only Do Better When They’re In School With White Kids Is Racist.” A NYC Mom Speaks Out.

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When news dropped late last month (literally 10 minutes before my middle child’s birthday dinner) about a proposal to get rid of New York City’s Gifted & Talented programs, The NY Daily News asked me to write an editorial on the topic. It ran on August 27 and was entitled, Eliminate Gifted & Talented Programs?… Continue reading “Implying That Black and Hispanic Kids Only Do Better When They’re In School With White Kids Is Racist.” A NYC Mom Speaks Out.

Calls For Closing All NYC Gifted & Talented/Screened Schools – Where Does Hunter Fit In?
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Calls For Closing All NYC Gifted & Talented/Screened Schools – Where Does Hunter Fit In?

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On Tuesday, August 27, 2019, New York City’s School Diversity Advisory Group released a proposal that formally called for the closing of all Gifted & Talented programs and Screened schools. Not included in the report was Hunter College Elementary and High School, the most coveted NYC gifted school of them all. Full disclosure: My husband… Continue reading Calls For Closing All NYC Gifted & Talented/Screened Schools – Where Does Hunter Fit In?

10 NYC Public Schools Which Went Up In Test Scores in 2019 — And 10 That Went Down.
Accountability · Finding the Right School · School Choice

10 NYC Public Schools Which Went Up In Test Scores in 2019 — And 10 That Went Down.

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New York City released elementary school test scores for the 2018-19 school year on Thursday, August 22, 2019. In the past, I’ve listed the Top 10 Schools by Test Scores for 2017, and the Top 25 Schools by Test Scores for 2018. While there is some juggling for placement every year, the top-scoring schools tend… Continue reading 10 NYC Public Schools Which Went Up In Test Scores in 2019 — And 10 That Went Down.

10 Questions About NYC’s Newest High School Admissions Plan.
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10 Questions About NYC’s Newest High School Admissions Plan.

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After two years of trying to get rid of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) and railing against the lack of diversity in New York City Schools, on Thursday, August 15, 2019, the Mayor and School Chancellor finally unveiled the first change to the NYC High School admissions process in 16 years… which won’t… Continue reading 10 Questions About NYC’s Newest High School Admissions Plan.

NYC Schools Of Choice: Then and Now
Finding the Right School

NYC Schools Of Choice: Then and Now

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In my 2017 post, Beyond the Zone: All Your NYC Elementary School Options (And How To Get Them) Explained, I mentioned Deborah Meier as someone who didn’t believe that the primarily African-American and Hispanic families of Harlem should be forced to settle for the education their zoned public schools were offering. In 1974, she founded… Continue reading NYC Schools Of Choice: Then and Now