In August 2019, the School Diversity Advisory Group (SDAG) recommended that the New York City Department of Education (DOE) get rid of elementary school Gifted & Talented programs. Their argument was that G&T programs cause segregation, and that offering enrichment to some, rather than all, children was inequitable. They proposed instead an “Enrichment For All”… Continue reading Are Dual Language Programs Next On the Chopping Block?
Princess Francois is an Assistant Principal at the Math, Engineering, and Science Academy Charter High School (MESA), in Bushwick, Brooklyn. In 2019, she was New York State’s only winner of the National Milken Educator Award. What makes this educator outstanding and how can her practices be extended to other NYC schools? New York School Talk… Continue reading Forget the Academy Awards, Meet the NYC Assistant Principal Who Won the ‘Oscars’ Of Teaching!
I have been called a racist many, many times. Because I don’t agree with the Mayor’s proposal to get rid of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). Because I don’t think that sitting low-achieving students next to high-achieving students will magically raise test scores. Because I think school rezoning is just a way to… Continue reading If This Is a Victory For Integration Then, Yup, I’m a Racist
New York City General Education public school Kindergarten applications for 2020 were due on Tuesday, January 21. At the last minute, the Department of Education extended the deadline to Sunday, January 26. It was absolutely, positively not due to technical glitches with the very expensive MySchools Parent Portal. (For tips on how to circumvent the… Continue reading A Revolutionary Rezoning Plan To Increase School Diversity, Bring in More Funding & Make Parents’ Lives Easier! Would You Support?
I have a confession to make: I’ve always been confused by New York City calling itself “progressive” when it comes to education. To me, progressive means moving forward, implementing new, bold, downright radical ideas, bucking the status quo and breaking down old – especially failed – systems. Yet when it comes to educational policy, NYC… Continue reading New Report Asks: Why Does Progressive New York City Have Larger Student Achievement Gaps?
It’s Kindergarten application season in NYC! Four year olds are being interviewed for Hunter College Elementary School and getting tested for public school Gifted & Talented programs while their parents are navigating the online portal to apply them to General Education Kindergarten, which includes zoned, unzoned, magnet, dual language options and more. Last year, we… Continue reading NYC School Application Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong
A new year doesn’t mean an end to New York City’s education woes. In honor of 2020, we highlight 20 stories which are bound to continue vexing NYC families, ranked by how much traffic they received in 2019: 20: The Big Con: Why NYC’s Plan For Raising Student Achievement Isn’t Close To Good Enough For… Continue reading Top 20 NYC Education Stories To Follow In 2020
Heading into 2019 and 2018, I wrote about which New York City education issues vexed parents the most based on their post’s popularity. I have another planned for the end of this year: 20 issues for 2020! But, over the past 12 months, there have also been topics that didn’t get the attention they deserved.… Continue reading 10 NYC Education Stories You May Have Overlooked In 2019 – And Why They Matter
“All I need is for the legislature to get out of the way, repeal that law and then hold me accountable for the quality of those schools,” New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza boldly proclaimed on Tuesday, November 19 during a Town Hall meeting in the Bronx. He was referring to the Specialized High… Continue reading Carranza Offers To Accept Accountability…. After He’s Out Of Office?
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he was running for President — as a Democrat, after being elected in NYC first as a Republican, then as an Independent — on Sunday, November 24th. As with other political candidates, I am only going to talk about his education policy record. Here are two major… Continue reading Second Round Shenanigans: Hunter, Special Music School & Other NYC Schools’ Subjective Admissions
