admissions

How NYC Department of Education Is Thwarting School Choice – And Integration
achievement gap · admissions · Blog · coronavirus · educational equity · Gifted & Talented · NYC School Admissions · NYC Schools Reopening · School Budget · School Choice · school diversity · School Integration · School Waitlists

How NYC Department of Education Is Thwarting School Choice – And Integration

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Mayor Bill De Blasio, multiple members of the City Council, and Chancellor Richard Carranza insist there is only one action which will solve all of New York City’s school woes —including over 50 percent of students performing below grade level, dismal college readiness rates, and more. That action is: Integration. You see, all of these… Continue reading How NYC Department of Education Is Thwarting School Choice – And Integration

Lost Scores, Retests & The Current State of Gifted & Talented Programs in NYC Schools
admissions · Blog · coronavirus · DOE Fails · DOE incompetence · DOE Screw Ups · Gifted & Talented · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · online learning · remote learning · School Waitlists

Lost Scores, Retests & The Current State of Gifted & Talented Programs in NYC Schools

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Last May, I reported on how the Department of Education lost dozens of Gifted & Talented tests — and waited almost four months to inform families (after weeks of telling them the tests weren’t lost, the parents must have done something wrong!). Retests were offered to those affected along with students new to New York… Continue reading Lost Scores, Retests & The Current State of Gifted & Talented Programs in NYC Schools

An Inconvenient Truth: The NYC Schools Math Problem Nobody Talks About
Accountability · achievement gap · admissions · educational equity · School Choice · school diversity · School Integration

An Inconvenient Truth: The NYC Schools Math Problem Nobody Talks About

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Last week we published a guest post by Tim DeRoche, author of A Fine Line: How Most American Kids Are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools, which asked the question: Do NYC School Zones Violate Federal Law? (Spoiler: He thinks they do.) DeRoche writes: Take a look, for example, at PS 8 Robert Fulton… Continue reading An Inconvenient Truth: The NYC Schools Math Problem Nobody Talks About

Do NYC School Zones Violate Federal Law?
admissions · educational equity · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Do NYC School Zones Violate Federal Law?

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

(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?

The Latest Word on Lost Gifted & Talented Scores
admissions · DOE Fails · Gifted & Talented

The Latest Word on Lost Gifted & Talented Scores

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

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

Never Waste a Good Crisis: How NYC Families (And Teachers And Advocates) Can Take Advantage, Too (Part #1)
admissions · coronavirus · educational equity · Finding the Right School · online learning · remote learning · School Choice

Never Waste a Good Crisis: How NYC Families (And Teachers And Advocates) Can Take Advantage, Too (Part #1)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

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)

Zero Transparency & Communication: NYC Mom Rages Against New Middle School Waitlist
admissions · DOE Fails · Finding the Right School · School Choice · screened nyc schools

Zero Transparency & Communication: NYC Mom Rages Against New Middle School Waitlist

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

(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

No Tests, No Grades, No Problem: What NYC Can Still Do
achievement gap · admissions · Blog · coronavirus

No Tests, No Grades, No Problem: What NYC Can Still Do

Alina Adams1 Comment

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

Your General Ed and G&T Kindergarten 2020 Admissions Questions – Answered!
admissions · Blog · Gifted & Talented · NYC Kindergarten

Your General Ed and G&T Kindergarten 2020 Admissions Questions – Answered!

Alina Adams4 Comments

Let me recap the New York City schools week of April 18 to April 24, 2020 for you. First, on Saturday, April 18, the Parent Portal, which malfunctioned so spectacularly in so many ways last year, continued to glitch in we-obviously-haven’t-fixed-it-yet ways. General Education Kindergarten offers of admission, at that point scheduled to be released… Continue reading Your General Ed and G&T Kindergarten 2020 Admissions Questions – Answered!

Will NYC Students Have To Repeat a Grade? Can They? Should They?
Accountability · achievement gap · admissions · coronavirus

Will NYC Students Have To Repeat a Grade? Can They? Should They?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Will They? On Saturday, April 11, 2020, New York City mayor Bill De Blasio announced that, due to Coronavirus, all school buildings will remain closed for the duration of the academic year, which is scheduled to end on June 26. Remote learning, however, will continue.  A few hours later, NY governor Andrew Cuomo countered with… Continue reading Will NYC Students Have To Repeat a Grade? Can They? Should They?