student voices

Students Helping Students: Want To Pursue an Alternative Educational Path? I’ll Help You Do It! Ask Me Anything!
Educational Equity · Finding the Right School · homeschooling · NYC high school · NYC middle school · School Choice · student voices · transferring schools

Students Helping Students: Want To Pursue an Alternative Educational Path? I’ll Help You Do It! Ask Me Anything!

Gregory WickhamLeave a comment

From Alina Adams: When my son, Gregory Wickham, convinced me to let him drop out of Stuyvesant High School and homeschool himself, one of my major conditions was that he do all of the work himself. Since then, due to both changes in the NYC public gifted, middle, and high school admissions system, and families’… Continue reading Students Helping Students: Want To Pursue an Alternative Educational Path? I’ll Help You Do It! Ask Me Anything!

How To Even the Tutoring Playing Field For All Students
achievement gap · Educational Equity · student voices

How To Even the Tutoring Playing Field For All Students

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

(This is a guest post by Moira Du. She is a Filipino student studying in Ateneo de Manila Senior High School and is a blog writer for Connect Me. She is also a volunteer tutor and a freelance writer.) In this world where money is everything, most, if not all, things are business deals. Every… Continue reading How To Even the Tutoring Playing Field For All Students

What Students Can Do When Schools Cut Advanced Courses
achievement gap · Educational Equity · homeschooling · NYC high school · online learning · School Choice · student voices

What Students Can Do When Schools Cut Advanced Courses

Gregory WickhamLeave a comment

(Ed. note: High schools are cutting back on Advanced Placement offerings nationwide, ranging from NYC’s LaGuardia HS to Stamford, CT to Washington state to the University of Chicago’s Lab School. In addition, some NYC middle schools are trying to get rid of honors math, while California looks to detrack all math classes.) TL;DR: You should… Continue reading What Students Can Do When Schools Cut Advanced Courses

Everything You Need To Know About Homeschooling in NYC But Didn’t Know Whom To Ask. Your Cheat Sheet Is Here!
Advanced Placement · coronavirus · homeschooling · Parents Helping Parents · School Choice · student voices

Everything You Need To Know About Homeschooling in NYC But Didn’t Know Whom To Ask. Your Cheat Sheet Is Here!

Alina Adams2 Comments

As the mom of a relatively recent homeschooler, Chalkbeat’s February 17, 2022, post entitled, Home schooling nearly doubled in NYC since pandemic’s start, instantly caught my eye. They reported that: This school year, roughly 14,800 children across the five boroughs have opted to learn outside of school walls, according to internal education department data obtained… Continue reading Everything You Need To Know About Homeschooling in NYC But Didn’t Know Whom To Ask. Your Cheat Sheet Is Here!

Don’t Let Any Lowly Bureaucrat Stop You: NYC Teen’s Guide to Getting Your High School Equivalency Diploma
coronavirus · homeschooling · NYC high school · student voices

Don’t Let Any Lowly Bureaucrat Stop You: NYC Teen’s Guide to Getting Your High School Equivalency Diploma

Gregory WickhamLeave a comment

In October, Gregory Wickham wrote Part #1 of Testing Center Makes Up Rules to Prevent Black Teen From Earning High School Equivalency Diploma, detailing his struggles with New York City bureaucracy. Here’s what happened next: The initial part of my story was much more exciting than the finale. After my first attempt at registration was… Continue reading Don’t Let Any Lowly Bureaucrat Stop You: NYC Teen’s Guide to Getting Your High School Equivalency Diploma

Testing Center Makes Up Rules to Prevent Black Teen From Earning High School Equivalency Diploma (Part #1)
Accountability · Educational Equity · homeschooling · student voices

Testing Center Makes Up Rules to Prevent Black Teen From Earning High School Equivalency Diploma (Part #1)

Gregory WickhamLeave a comment

The TASC is the high school equivalency exam used by New York State. It replaced the GED in 2014. As I have been homeschooling myself, I decided that it was time to take the TASC. Unfortunately, registering to take it was more complicated than registering for any other exam I’ve ever taken, including the Advanced… Continue reading Testing Center Makes Up Rules to Prevent Black Teen From Earning High School Equivalency Diploma (Part #1)

NYC Student On Importance of Having the Right Guide on the Road to College
achievement gap · Educational Equity · student voices

NYC Student On Importance of Having the Right Guide on the Road to College

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

(This is a guest post by Rova Raveloson, who was a student at Townsend Harris High School. He is now a sophomore at Vassar College where he is exploring the intersection of Economics and Chinese in International Economics. At Vassar, Raveloson is spearheading a potential video game design start-up with his friends, focusing on gamifying… Continue reading NYC Student On Importance of Having the Right Guide on the Road to College

Educational Reparations: Black Children Deserve the Same Chance to Succeed as Their White Peers (Part #2)
Accountability · achievement gap · Educational Equity · student voices

Educational Reparations: Black Children Deserve the Same Chance to Succeed as Their White Peers (Part #2)

Gregory WickhamLeave a comment

Last month, I wrote about a few of my recommendations regarding educational reparations for Black Americans. The potential reparations commissions that could be created by H.R. 40 in Congress and Assembly Bill A2619A in the New York State Legislature, if passed, should make sure to keep in mind that reparations need to be comprehensive in… Continue reading Educational Reparations: Black Children Deserve the Same Chance to Succeed as Their White Peers (Part #2)

Educational Reparations: Black Children Deserve the Same Chance to Succeed as Their White Peers (Part #1)
Blog · Educational Equity · student voices

Educational Reparations: Black Children Deserve the Same Chance to Succeed as Their White Peers (Part #1)

Gregory WickhamLeave a comment

H.R. 40 in Congress and Assembly Bill A2619A in the New York State Legislature, if passed, would establish commissions to investigate and develop a program of reparations to remedy the lasting effects of the enslavement and oppression of Black people in America and New York, respectively. Although neither of these bills have been passed yet… Continue reading Educational Reparations: Black Children Deserve the Same Chance to Succeed as Their White Peers (Part #1)

Why Getting Rid Of the SAT Won’t Bring Equity To College Admissions: Here Is the Only Thing That Will
Accountability · achievement gap · admissions · student voices

Why Getting Rid Of the SAT Won’t Bring Equity To College Admissions: Here Is the Only Thing That Will

Gregory WickhamLeave a comment

Advocates for requiring SAT or ACT for college applications revere these tests as an admissions factor which only strongly favors wealthier students instead of overwhelmingly favoring wealthy students.  They don’t seem to realize that it’s college admissions officers who intentionally and systematically do the favoring. These admissions officers are the people who decide what characteristics… Continue reading Why Getting Rid Of the SAT Won’t Bring Equity To College Admissions: Here Is the Only Thing That Will