Gifted and Talented Programs

It’s Not a Plot, It’s Incompetence: Is the NYC Department of Ed Deliberately Undermining Some Schools?
Blog · coronavirus · DOE Fails · Gifted & Talented · NYC School Admissions · specialized high schools

It’s Not a Plot, It’s Incompetence: Is the NYC Department of Ed Deliberately Undermining Some Schools?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Even before COVID-19 struck in earnest, the 2019-2020 school year seemed more riddled with screw ups than usual (and that’s saying something). There were the traditional Parent Portal malfunctions when it came to applying kids to every grade level, from Universal Pre-K through High School.  Mayor Bill De Blasio first refused to close schools in… Continue reading It’s Not a Plot, It’s Incompetence: Is the NYC Department of Ed Deliberately Undermining Some Schools?

The Privilege (and Cost) Of Being “Well-Rounded.”
Accountability · Blog · Finding the Right School

The Privilege (and Cost) Of Being “Well-Rounded.”

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

About a year ago, I asked: Is an ‘Unenriched’ Spring Break Worth Living? I confessed that, despite offers flooding my inbox to sign my kids up for coding camp or a writing workshop or test prep, I was tired. So, over Spring Break, we did… nothing. In New York City, admitting you let a child… Continue reading The Privilege (and Cost) Of Being “Well-Rounded.”

These Are the Top 10 NYC School Outrages Which Appalled Parents in 2018 – Plus Tips On Navigating the New Parent Portal!
Blog · Finding the Right School

These Are the Top 10 NYC School Outrages Which Appalled Parents in 2018 – Plus Tips On Navigating the New Parent Portal!

Alina Adams1 Comment

Last year, our overview, Top 5 NYC School Issues That Enraged Parents in 2017 enumerated the posts that received the most hits during the course of the year, and speculated about what would happen in 2018. It says something about how much the Department of Education (DOE) cares about what New York City parents want… Continue reading These Are the Top 10 NYC School Outrages Which Appalled Parents in 2018 – Plus Tips On Navigating the New Parent Portal!

Could This Change Make NYC Kindergarten Admissions Easier – Or Harder?
Finding the Right School

Could This Change Make NYC Kindergarten Admissions Easier – Or Harder?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Are you a New York City parent applying your child to public school Kindergarten for September 2019? Congratulations! Here are just some of the forms you’ll need to fill out: Interested in a traditional zoned Kindergarten? That goes on Kindergarten Connect! (Whether it’s your zoned school or not.) Unzoned Kindergarten? Dual language Kindergarten? Magnet school?… Continue reading Could This Change Make NYC Kindergarten Admissions Easier – Or Harder?

Who Will (And Won’t) Benefit From Unscreened NYC Schools
Finding the Right School · School Choice

Who Will (And Won’t) Benefit From Unscreened NYC Schools

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Last month District 15 in Brooklyn announced the elimination of all screening processes for admission to middle school.  (Yes, even the performing arts one).) Instead of taking into consideration grades, test scores and more, Park Slope’s 11 middle schools will assign seats by lottery, with 52 percent of slots in every school set aside for… Continue reading Who Will (And Won’t) Benefit From Unscreened NYC Schools

What Happened The Last Time NYC Took Over School Admissions (Hint: Not What They Said Would Happen)
School Choice

What Happened The Last Time NYC Took Over School Admissions (Hint: Not What They Said Would Happen)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

On April 6, 2018, I published a post called Cynthia Nixon on Education: Look At What She Did, Not What She Says. In it, I called out the gubernatorial candidate for standing with Mayor de Blasio on removing the screening process from New York City’s top performing public schools, and with the teachers unions on… Continue reading What Happened The Last Time NYC Took Over School Admissions (Hint: Not What They Said Would Happen)

A Personal Story about Gifted and Talented Programming in NYC
Accountability · Educational Equity · School Choice

A Personal Story about Gifted and Talented Programming in NYC

Laura WatersLeave a comment

Just before I turned five years old, my parents moved me and my two younger sisters from our apartment on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx to a Queens neighborhood zoned for P.S. 115. While my old elementary school is now quite segregated (77 percent Asian, 18 percent White, 22 percent eligible for free and reduced… Continue reading A Personal Story about Gifted and Talented Programming in NYC

So Let Me Get This Straight: If Black Kids Come to a School, the School is Going to Automatically Fail?
Blog

So Let Me Get This Straight: If Black Kids Come to a School, the School is Going to Automatically Fail?

Vivett DukesLeave a comment

It’s over 50 years since the historic Supreme Court vote that ushered integration into public schools into the public school system of United States of America.  Yet in 2018 rich white people are still up in arms about the mere mention of allocating seats in their segregated schools for minority children. They didn’t want our… Continue reading So Let Me Get This Straight: If Black Kids Come to a School, the School is Going to Automatically Fail?

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)

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

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