Finding the Right School

Finding the right school is one of the most important decisions parents and families make for their kids, but it can sometimes be the hardest, especially in New York City.

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?”

Want To Know What New School Chancellor Will Do In NYC? Take a Look At San Francisco! (And How It Worked Out….)
Accountability · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Want To Know What New School Chancellor Will Do In NYC? Take a Look At San Francisco! (And How It Worked Out….)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

New York City’s new School Chancellor, Richard Carranza, comes to America’s largest district from San Francisco (after a suspiciously brief 18 month tenure in Houston). For the first 24 hours following the appointment, Carranza being in the International Mariachi Hall of Fame was the leading news fluff. Little about his policies. Which left NYC parents… Continue reading Want To Know What New School Chancellor Will Do In NYC? Take a Look At San Francisco! (And How It Worked Out….)

NYC High School Admissions: What the Department Of Education Refuses To Admit
Accountability · Finding the Right School · School Choice

NYC High School Admissions: What the Department Of Education Refuses To Admit

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

If it feels like I’ve written this post before, that’s because I’ve written this post before. (Think of it as Groundhog Day: High School Edition.) The highlights: September 12, 2016: Can Last Minute Test Prep Bring Diversity To NYC’s Specialized High Schools? September 26, 2016: As a NYC Parent, I Don’t Think the DOE’s Change… Continue reading NYC High School Admissions: What the Department Of Education Refuses To Admit

Richard Buery, formerly De Blasio’s Deputy, Moves to KIPP
Finding the Right School · School Choice

Richard Buery, formerly De Blasio’s Deputy, Moves to KIPP

Laura WatersLeave a comment

KIPP, the highly-regarded charter school network with 209 schools across the country serving 90,000 students, announced today the appointment of Richard Buery as Chief of Policy and Public Affairs. KIPP Chief Executive Richard Barth told the Wall Street Journal that Buery “will be responsible for advocating for federal and state policies that make it easier… Continue reading Richard Buery, formerly De Blasio’s Deputy, Moves to KIPP

Is NYC Education an Even Playing Field For All Families?
Accountability · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Is NYC Education an Even Playing Field For All Families?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

In response to my posts about how New York City parents can raise the odds of their children getting into a Gifted & Talented public school program, a reader wrote to sarcastically congratulate me on destroying what had previously been a perfectly even playing field. Her child, it seems, took the G&T test with absolutely… Continue reading Is NYC Education an Even Playing Field For All Families?

Three Guesses Why NYC’s New Schools Chancellor-to-Be Changed His Mind
Accountability · Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Three Guesses Why NYC’s New Schools Chancellor-to-Be Changed His Mind

Laura Waters1 Comment

Oops. Today’s headline from the New York Times: “Miami Superintendent Chosen to Lead New York City Schools.” And today’s headline from, to name a few media, the Wall Street Journal, Chalkbeat, the Daily News, the Post, the Miami Herald, and (I’m wiping a dab of egg off my face from the massive ova explosion) New… Continue reading Three Guesses Why NYC’s New Schools Chancellor-to-Be Changed His Mind

Should Parents Be Allowed To Pull Kids Out of School For Family Vacations, Sports or Other Extracurriculars? Should Schools Be Allowed To Penalize Them For It?
Accountability · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Should Parents Be Allowed To Pull Kids Out of School For Family Vacations, Sports or Other Extracurriculars? Should Schools Be Allowed To Penalize Them For It?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

My 5th grade daughter had all five days off from school for Presidents’ Week. We took a family trip to Washington DC. We visited the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the White House, the Capitol Building, the World War II and Vietnam Memorials, and the Supreme Court building. Many… Continue reading Should Parents Be Allowed To Pull Kids Out of School For Family Vacations, Sports or Other Extracurriculars? Should Schools Be Allowed To Penalize Them For It?

“As A Parent, You Want to Cry. As A Lawyer, You Want to Sue.” A Special Needs Mom Fights for Her Son’s Inclusion in his Brooklyn School.
Accountability · Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

“As A Parent, You Want to Cry. As A Lawyer, You Want to Sue.” A Special Needs Mom Fights for Her Son’s Inclusion in his Brooklyn School.

Laura WatersLeave a comment

Nine-year-old Wesley Clark is a fourth-grader at PS 8 in Brooklyn Heights. He and his family were recently profiled in the New York Post, which described PS 8 as a “supposedly progressive” public school “that talks a good game about inclusion but is purposely neglecting their child to try to get him to leave.”  Could this… Continue reading “As A Parent, You Want to Cry. As A Lawyer, You Want to Sue.” A Special Needs Mom Fights for Her Son’s Inclusion in his Brooklyn School.

Is Parental Engagement Necessary For a Child’s School Success? A Personal Story.
Accountability · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Is Parental Engagement Necessary For a Child’s School Success? A Personal Story.

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Celia Scott Wickham wasn’t just an HHLA board member. She was also my mother-in-law. On Friday, February 16, 2018, Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School (for those tracking such things, one of NYC’s most diverse public schools at 36 percent White, 30 percent Black, 29 percent Hispanic) dedicated the day to celebrating their neighborhood. Classrooms… Continue reading Is Parental Engagement Necessary For a Child’s School Success? A Personal Story.

Why Everyone  In NYC Has School Choice…And Why Everyone Doesn’t.
Finding the Right School · School Choice

Why Everyone  In NYC Has School Choice…And Why Everyone Doesn’t.

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

It’s National School Choice Week, which makes it the perfect time to discuss why everyone in New York City has School Choice. And why everyone doesn’t. In theory, NYC students have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to educational options. There is Universal Pre K in public schools, charter schools, community centers, and private… Continue reading Why Everyone  In NYC Has School Choice…And Why Everyone Doesn’t.