Of the 55 million students who attend U.S. schools, 46 percent will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime. And one in five of our young people live with a mental health condition, but less than half receive treatment. These are staggering statistics that speak volumes about an epidemic facing our school children, especially… Continue reading Mental Illness in Our Schools: A National Crisis
With a new school year underway, one of the major issues my school district will be tackling is one that is a growing problem across the United States, chronic absenteeism. Since the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act “fifth indicator” mandate of absenteeism, more and more states are tracking and reporting absences, and that is shedding… Continue reading Did You Know That 28 Percent of New York Students Are Chronically Absent? What’s The Solution?
“Study of N.Y. Schools Finds Wide Racial, Ethnic Disparities in Advanced High School Courses.” That’s the alarming headline that recently captured my attention, based on unpublished state Education Department data from the 2016-2017 school year analyzed by the New York Equity Coalition. The Coalition comprises the State Business Council, the New York Urban League, Albany… Continue reading “I Thought I Was Taking Algebra But It Was Really Pre-Algebra”: the Racial and Ethnic Gap in New York’s Gateway Courses
Since the start of this school season — my daughter’s junior high school year — a big focus in our household has been on SAT preparation. My daughter chose to take the SAT rather than the ACT because she is not as strong in math and the SAT better caters to her overall skills and… Continue reading The “Big Business” of SAT/ACT Preparation: A Mom’s Story
During a recent trip to my hometown, I reconnected with some old schoolmates. As we were recounting our high school days, someone mentioned our class valedictorian, which evolved into a discussion on class rank, and none of us could recall where we stood in the pecking order. It was not something that I remember reviewing… Continue reading Is Class Ranking a Thing of The Past? A Long Island Mom Considers Her Daughter’s Experience
It was not until I had a recent conversation with my daughter’s guidance counselor about another matter that I was aware that she is on track to graduate with an Advanced Regents Diploma. This was news to me, as it was the first time I had heard about the different diploma options available. Traditionally, students… Continue reading What’s the Value of an “Advanced Regents Diploma”? Parents Weigh In.
The start of my daughter’s junior year — and diving head first into the college prep process — is officially here. As I was going through a list of things to start tackling, results from a recent National Association for College Admission Counseling report caught my eye: the most important factor that colleges consider when… Continue reading What’s Wrong with Grade Inflation? Ask This Long Island Mom.
Guidance counselors are an important resources to students, especially during the crucial junior and senior years of high school. Guiding and advising students about the college preparation and application process and the almighty question of “how to pay for it,” are invaluable services. The true significance of counseling has just begun to dawn on me,… Continue reading New York State is Understaffing High School Guidance Departments: What Can Parents Do?
Recently, the results of two new studies prompted me to delve deeper into the complex world of how effectively our teachers are being evaluated in New York. Collectively, the studies show that despite states’ efforts to make evaluations tougher, principals continue to rate nearly all teachers as “effective,” and when principals are asked their opinions… Continue reading If All The Teachers of Honors Courses Are “Effective,” What’s Up With These A.P. Test Scores?
As the mother of a daughter who will be entering the 11th grade this fall in a Long Island, New York public high school, my summer months have been consumed with thoughts about these final two years and if they will truly prepare her for the transition to college. While the testing has become more… Continue reading This Long Island Parent Asks, Is My Daughter’s School Preparing Her For College?
