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How Are De Blasio’s School Improvement Plans Doin’? Some Answers from NAEP
Accountability · Blog · School Choice

How Are De Blasio’s School Improvement Plans Doin’? Some Answers from NAEP

Laura WatersLeave a comment

“How’m I doin’?” Ed Koch used to ask, when taking the temperature of the Gotham electorate. How are you doing, Mayor de Blasio, specifically regarding New York City traditional public schools’ showing in the just-released “gold standard” assessment called NAEP, short for  the “National Assessment of Education Progress”? Don’t ask. Or, more productively, let’s dig… Continue reading How Are De Blasio’s School Improvement Plans Doin’? Some Answers from NAEP

Have We Made Any Progress Since Brown v. Board of Ed? Not In My Experience.
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Have We Made Any Progress Since Brown v. Board of Ed? Not In My Experience.

Vivett DukesLeave a comment

In 1951, a class action suit was filed against the Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. The plaintiffs were thirteen Topeka parents on behalf of their 20 children.  What a strong example of parental engagement this landmark case models for us, right? This case… Continue reading Have We Made Any Progress Since Brown v. Board of Ed? Not In My Experience.

What Should Teachers Know About How Mass Incarceration Intersects With The Classroom?
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What Should Teachers Know About How Mass Incarceration Intersects With The Classroom?

Vivett DukesLeave a comment

Our guest today is Whitney Q. Hollins. She is a special educator in the NYC DOE, a Research Assistant at We Got Us Now and a doctoral student at C.U.N.Y. Graduate Center. Whitney and I do advocacy work together and what struck me most about her when we first met was her sharp mind. She’s… Continue reading What Should Teachers Know About How Mass Incarceration Intersects With The Classroom?

Wesley’s Story, Part II: “You’re Telling Me That a Child in a Wheelchair Would Be Denied a Ramp?”
Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Wesley’s Story, Part II: “You’re Telling Me That a Child in a Wheelchair Would Be Denied a Ramp?”

Laura WatersLeave a comment

Back in February I interviewed Kim Williams Clark about her heroic efforts to create an inclusive education for her son Wesley, a lively, loving, and artistic nine-year-old with Down Syndrome. When the family lived in Montclair, New Jersey, Wesley was fully included with his typical peers. The family’s move to Brooklyn Heights was based on… Continue reading Wesley’s Story, Part II: “You’re Telling Me That a Child in a Wheelchair Would Be Denied a Ramp?”

Is An “Unenriched” Spring Break Worth Living? (Hat-Tip: Socrates)
Blog · School Choice

Is An “Unenriched” Spring Break Worth Living? (Hat-Tip: Socrates)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Even before Spring Break kicked off in New York City, my email box was flooded with offers of what I could do to “enrich” my children over that time period. They could learn to code. Or cook. Or write a novel. Sharpen their basketball/tennis/lacrosse skills, design an outfit, or take part in a musical theater… Continue reading Is An “Unenriched” Spring Break Worth Living? (Hat-Tip: Socrates)

Letters from John: My Educational Autobiography
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Letters from John: My Educational Autobiography

Vivett Dukes1 Comment

This is a guest blog from my husband, John Dukes. You’ve read his writing before in an ongoing series here at NYST entitled “Letters from John.” Throughout the series, John speaks poignantly, passionately, and truthfully about his journey along the school-to-prison pipeline. John is currently incarcerated and is enrolled in Mercy College. He had an assignment… Continue reading Letters from John: My Educational Autobiography

Cynthia Nixon on Education: Look At What She Did, Not What She Says
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Cynthia Nixon on Education: Look At What She Did, Not What She Says

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Emmy-winning Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon threw her hat into the New York gubernatorial race two weeks ago and, since then, she been traversing the state, stumping for a variety of issues. While the usual suspects parse her stance on subways, minimum wage, and women’s/LGBTQ rights, I am going to focus (to the… Continue reading Cynthia Nixon on Education: Look At What She Did, Not What She Says

How Deeply Do You Think About Language?
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How Deeply Do You Think About Language?

Vivett DukesLeave a comment

“I’m having a hard time getting through this because of the language. The constant referral to incarcerated individuals as inmates speaks to the inhumane vantage point from which they are viewed by society. Imagine if we all were forever referred to by the result of our worst decision in life?” This was my response to… Continue reading How Deeply Do You Think About Language?

Letting My 14 Year-Old Make His Own Educational Decisions
Blog · School Choice

Letting My 14 Year-Old Make His Own Educational Decisions

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Today, Monday, March 26, is the day when all New York City eighth-graders must either decide which public High School offer they are going to accept or, if they were given no match during the First Round, turn in their application for the schools left in Second Round. (For tips on why and how you… Continue reading Letting My 14 Year-Old Make His Own Educational Decisions

An Interview With Queens School Community Walkout Organizer Mikaila King
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An Interview With Queens School Community Walkout Organizer Mikaila King

Vivett DukesLeave a comment

On March 22, 2018, I met and interviewed Makaila King, the young lady who encouraged our school to get involved in the National Walkout that took place last week, which I also participated in. I wanted to get to know Makaila better and to find out what drove her to take charge and organize the… Continue reading An Interview With Queens School Community Walkout Organizer Mikaila King