NYC Department of Education

NYC School Application Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong
Accountability · DOE Fails · New York City

NYC School Application Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

Alina Adams1 Comment

It’s Kindergarten application season in NYC! Four year olds are being interviewed for Hunter College Elementary School and getting tested for public school Gifted & Talented programs while their parents are navigating the online portal to apply them to General Education Kindergarten, which includes zoned, unzoned, magnet, dual language options and more. Last year, we… Continue reading NYC School Application Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

The Spooky Case Of the Mysterious, Missing SHSAT Tickets: Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence (Part #3)
Accountability · Blog · Finding the Right School · New York City · School Choice

The Spooky Case Of the Mysterious, Missing SHSAT Tickets: Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence (Part #3)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

In late 2018, the New York City Department Of Education (DOE) unveiled their brand new, online Parent Portal, MySchools, which was supposed to make applying to all levels of the school system — Universal Pre-K, Kindergarten, Gifted & Talented, Middle and High School — more streamlined, efficient, and convenient. In 2019, some parents couldn’t register.… Continue reading The Spooky Case Of the Mysterious, Missing SHSAT Tickets: Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence (Part #3)

My Son Has Autism and This School Taught Him to Say ‘Mom’
School Choice

My Son Has Autism and This School Taught Him to Say ‘Mom’

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(This is a guest post by Violet Stevens, a 44-year-old mom of four living in the Bronx, New York City. Her youngest child, Niko, is on the spectrum. She has two passions, autism awareness and God. It was originally published at Education Post.) At 5, my son, Niko, was still in diapers. He didn’t know… Continue reading My Son Has Autism and This School Taught Him to Say ‘Mom’

NYC Kids Forced To Start Kindergarten Before Age 5 – Two Parents’ Perspectives
Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

NYC Kids Forced To Start Kindergarten Before Age 5 – Two Parents’ Perspectives

Alina Adams2 Comments

As we have noted before, New York City has the latest school birthday cut-off in the country, December 31st. This means that one-quarter of children are forced to start kindergarten before they turn five years old. There is research to support both sending young children to school and holding them back. So what should you… Continue reading NYC Kids Forced To Start Kindergarten Before Age 5 – Two Parents’ Perspectives

NYC’s Plan “Isn’t Going to Cut it”: Striving toward Universal Literacy
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NYC’s Plan “Isn’t Going to Cut it”: Striving toward Universal Literacy

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There are certain cruel realities that are seen in schools everyday. Teachers see the multitude of barriers students face from bullying, to poverty, to learning difficulties. Schools offer various methods to help students cope with these issues, many of which are a part of policies like DASA (the Dignity for All Students Act) that offer… Continue reading NYC’s Plan “Isn’t Going to Cut it”: Striving toward Universal Literacy

Remembering Avonte Oquendo
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Remembering Avonte Oquendo

Vivett DukesLeave a comment

A few days ago I was walking by a school and I heard what sounded like door alarms going off. Usually alarms indicate an alert to impending danger that creates a sense of urgency to protect oneself and others. In this case, however, everything (from the outside looking in) appeared to be business as usual.… Continue reading Remembering Avonte Oquendo

A Teacher Tosses a Seven-Year-Old Out the Door and Keeps His Job?
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A Teacher Tosses a Seven-Year-Old Out the Door and Keeps His Job?

Laura WatersLeave a comment

Two days before Christmas, seven-year-old Ka’veon Wilson came to class at P.S. 194 in Harlem with a tray of cupcakes for his classmates. His teacher, Osman Couey, shoved him out the door and locked it. Ka’veon, a special education student, started banging on the door to get back in. School psychologist Steven Castiglia heard the… Continue reading A Teacher Tosses a Seven-Year-Old Out the Door and Keeps His Job?

Why You Do NOT Want Me On Your Education Council
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Why You Do NOT Want Me On Your Education Council

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

As they have already done with Kindergarten, Gifted & Talented, and Universal pre-K applications, the New York City Department of Education has pushed back their deadline for parents wishing to run for a spot on various education councils, including Citywide Council on High-Schools, English Language Learners, Special Ed, and several District offices. The final forms… Continue reading Why You Do NOT Want Me On Your Education Council

Diminishing Choices: Why NYC Kids’ Pre-K Affects Where They Go To College
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Diminishing Choices: Why NYC Kids’ Pre-K Affects Where They Go To College

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

New York City kids are coming to the end of the 2017 application cycle, with general education Kindergarten as well as all Middle School and High School placements set to be released next month. Yet, once again, families were not fully informed of all their choices, entering the process unaware that options diminish as students… Continue reading Diminishing Choices: Why NYC Kids’ Pre-K Affects Where They Go To College

Is the US Education Bar Set Too Low For All Kids?
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Is the US Education Bar Set Too Low For All Kids?

Alina Adams1 Comment

Earlier this month I suggested that grouping New York City schoolchildren by ability rather than age would address two issues that stymie the NYC Department of Education: strict birthday cut-offs that ignore readiness and the perennial shortage of Gifted and Talented seats. In this post I cited a report which asserted that, in some American… Continue reading Is the US Education Bar Set Too Low For All Kids?