Today the New York Times’ Dana Goldstein has an article on a new trend: advocates taking states to court to demand integrated schools. In the piece she quotes one particular education advocate who questions the assumption that integration is a panacea for inequity. That advocate is Khulia Pringle whose daughter attended a St. Paul charter… Continue reading If You Can’t Teach My Black Children, Admit It and Move On.
New York City has over 400 starkly segregated high schools. Mayor Bill de Blasio is obsessed with eight of them. Well, technically only three. Because these three of the city’s Specialized High Schools —Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech (all majority Asian, with many of those students classified as Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) recipients)… Continue reading Low Hanging Fruit (And the Horrifying Truths They Obscure): NYC’s High-School Diversity Initiative
The mother below wishes to remain anonymous: My son was denied entrance by our local zoned public school. Here is my story. In November 2017, I visited my zoned school, The Manhattan Beach School (PS 195). We had been displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Our home was a ticking time bomb and we had to move… Continue reading NYC Mom Deliberately Blackballed From Zoned School!
My friend’s daughter was called a nigger yesterday at her University of Miami STEM camp. Her angry mother, after experiencing and responding to this event, wrote the following. Toxic white women and toxic white feminism starts as little girls crying crocodile tears on the playground after they deny Black children their humanity. I wish I… Continue reading My Friend’s Daughter Was Called a “Nigger” Today at Her Summer STEM Camp
Not a day has gone by over the past couple of weeks that a family I’m working with hasn’t emailed to cheer that they’ve finally gotten off the waitlist at their first-choice school, usually kindergarten, but sometimes other grades, all the way up through high school. For most parents, summer is the time when you… Continue reading Summertime… And the Waitlists Are Moving: How NYC Families Can Get Into the Schools Of Their Choice
I know it may not always seem that way, but I try very hard not to offer opinions on subjects I know little about. My posts about Gifted & Talented, Accelerated High Schools, age cut-offs, the SHSAT, and diverse schools come from a combination of research, personal experience, and the varied experiences of the families… Continue reading Will Eliminating School Discipline Policies Be a “Disaster” For Kids?
When I work with families looking to find the best school for their child, one of the first things I offer them is, “tell me what you believe, and I’ll send you a study that confirms it.” I’m not joking. The education space is full of experts and studies, all proclaiming to know what’s best… Continue reading Relax, The Experts Know What’s Best For Your Child. They Just Don’t Agree On What It Is. Or How To Get It.
Shirley Jackson’s 1948 short story, The Lottery, is considered a classic of slow-building horror. A small town holds a lottery every year to decide which citizen will be ritually stoned in order to insure a good harvest. Everyone goes uncomplainingly along in the name of tradition, and, despite a few scattered grumbles, nobody outright says… Continue reading The Lottery: A NYC Schools Horror Story (With Apologies to Shirley Jackson)
I have a confession to make. I spend a lot of time on Twitter (@NYSchoolSecrets.com). As a result, I am often caught in multi-day, multi-participant conversations between various people, most of whom I only know as tiny avatar pictures. (Mine features my kids.) Here’s what I have learned from spending a lot of time on… Continue reading Doing the Math = School Choice
What To Expect When You’re Expecting a New SHSAT Plan (Part #4): Desperately Seeking a Silver Lining
In response to my post, What To Expect When You’re Expecting a New SHSAT Plan (Part #2): Who Will Win and Who Will Lose When It Passes, a reader commented: (W)ould be useful to also point out the specific types of students who would win under the new plan. Because, no way around it, some… Continue reading What To Expect When You’re Expecting a New SHSAT Plan (Part #4): Desperately Seeking a Silver Lining
