admissions · Finding the Right School · Gifted & Talented · NYC high school · NYC Kindergarten · NYC middle school · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · Parents Helping Parents · School Choice · screened nyc schools

Plan B: Alternatives For NYC Parents Unhappy With Their Public School 2022 Options

Changes in admissions for New York City public middle and high schools have left many parents on edge, wondering what choices their children will have for September 2022. Meanwhile, the families of younger children are still waiting for word on whether there will even be a Gifted & Talented elementary option moving forward. (Read our… Continue reading Plan B: Alternatives For NYC Parents Unhappy With Their Public School 2022 Options

achievement gap · admissions · Advanced Placement · Educational Equity · Gifted & Talented · NYC high school · NYC Kindergarten · NYC middle school · NYC School Admissions · school diversity · School Integration · screened nyc schools · specialized high schools

Finally! Even the NYT Admits What’s Really Needed To Diversify Specialized High Schools!

You can’t blame The New York Times for lagging behind. They’ve spent so many years arguing for the abolition of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), the exam that qualifies New York City students for entry into the eight Specialized High Schools believed to be the best, it’s inevitable they’d be a day late… Continue reading Finally! Even the NYT Admits What’s Really Needed To Diversify Specialized High Schools!

admissions · Finding the Right School · NYC School Admissions · NYC Schools · Parents Helping Parents · School Choice · School Waitlists

What We Know So Far: Applying to NYC Schools for 2022

Anywhere else in the country (the world?), the idea that New York City families start worrying about where their children will attend school over a full year in advance is considered insane. But that’s when the official process starts here. NYC private schools put up their applications as early as August, but no later than… Continue reading What We Know So Far: Applying to NYC Schools for 2022

admissions · Gifted & Talented · NYC School Admissions · NYC Schools · NYC Schools Reopening · School Waitlists

Where’s the Transparency? Behind the Scenes With NYC Public School Waitlists – And What Families Can Still Do To Get In!

This past May, I wrote a post called, How NYC School Waitlists Work – And How They Don’t. What I should have called it was How NYC School Waitlists Are SUPPOSED To Work. Consider this post to be the And How They Don’t part (with tips on what you can still do about that). 2021… Continue reading Where’s the Transparency? Behind the Scenes With NYC Public School Waitlists – And What Families Can Still Do To Get In!

admissions · DOE incompetence · Gifted & Talented · NYC high school · NYC Kindergarten · NYC middle school · NYC School Admissions · screened nyc schools

Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing: NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s Education Legacy

As a whopping 40+(!) candidates gear up to run for Mayor of New York City, we thought we’d take a comprehensive look at the education legacy of Gracie Mansion’s current occupant. Bill de Blasio was sworn in as NYC’s 109th Mayor on January 1, 2014. He told a Tale of Two Cities and promised to… Continue reading Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing: NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s Education Legacy

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

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

achievement gap · admissions · Blog · coronavirus

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

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

Accountability · achievement gap · admissions · coronavirus

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

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?

admissions · coronavirus · Finding the Right School · School Choice

How To Choose a School — When Schools Are Closed: Tips for Families On What To Ask (And How To Evaluate the Answers)

New York City notified 8th graders of their public high school placement for September 2020 on March 19th, and 5th graders of their middle school placement on April 6. Most charter schools held their lotteries on April 1 for all available grade levels. Still to come is General Education Kindergarten placement in “late April,” according… Continue reading How To Choose a School — When Schools Are Closed: Tips for Families On What To Ask (And How To Evaluate the Answers)

Accountability · admissions · Blog

A Matter Of Trust: Coronavirus, the Department of Ed & NYC Families

It was supposed to have been a done deal. As covered in great detail here, on Wednesday, March 3, after a series of cryptic and downright nonsensical statements about how coronavirus absences would affect middle and high school admissions for September 2021, Mayor Bill De Blasio said at a press conference: “Attendance will be frozen… Continue reading A Matter Of Trust: Coronavirus, the Department of Ed & NYC Families