Parent Voices

How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!
Accountability · Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

New York City families who’d been ripping their hair out for over two months finally learned where their children had been placed for General Education public school kindergarten on March 28th. The results had been posted for nearly a full day before the Department of Education notified anxiously waiting parents that they were available. When… Continue reading How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!

By the Numbers: Math the NYC Department of Education Really Doesn’t Want Parents To Do
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By the Numbers: Math the NYC Department of Education Really Doesn’t Want Parents To Do

Alina Adams2 Comments

When my editorial, The Drive To Change Elite School Admissions Is All About Killing the Messenger, ran in the New York Post on March 21, I received many compliments from friends and readers. My husband was not impressed. He started peppering me with questions: What are the numbers for this? What are the numbers for… Continue reading By the Numbers: Math the NYC Department of Education Really Doesn’t Want Parents To Do

The Sorting Hat: How NYC’s Kindergarten Admission Really Works
Accountability · Finding the Right School

The Sorting Hat: How NYC’s Kindergarten Admission Really Works

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Last week, I received the following email from a parent: I‘m being told by the parent coordinator at our zoned school (PS 11Q) that general ed school choice is not real, and my child will be attending the zoned school no matter what I ranked. The PS 11Q parent coordinator did not schedule any open… Continue reading The Sorting Hat: How NYC’s Kindergarten Admission Really Works

My Worlds Converge: A Personal Story About My Special Needs Son and The Contraction of Education Reform
Accountability

My Worlds Converge: A Personal Story About My Special Needs Son and The Contraction of Education Reform

Laura WatersLeave a comment

March is National Disabilities Month, but in my family we observe this designation every day.  Our fourth child, Jonah, has Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic mutation that can cause (as it does in our son’s case) a constellation of symptoms including global developmental delays and autistic-like behaviors. My sister is afflicted by both physical disabilities… Continue reading My Worlds Converge: A Personal Story About My Special Needs Son and The Contraction of Education Reform

Say Goodbye To Hollywood: How Much For a ‘Good’ NYC Public School?
Blog · School Choice

Say Goodbye To Hollywood: How Much For a ‘Good’ NYC Public School?

Alina Adams1 Comment

News broke last Tuesday, March 12th, that some rich parents, including actors Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) and Lori Loughlin (Full House), paid from $15,000 to $500,000 to fraudulently arrange their children’s acceptances into colleges ranging from Yale to University of Southern California. The usual suspects made the appropriate shocked noises. Like when Major Strasser learned… Continue reading Say Goodbye To Hollywood: How Much For a ‘Good’ NYC Public School?

How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth It Is To Have Ungrateful NYC Families!
Finding the Right School

How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth It Is To Have Ungrateful NYC Families!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

On Monday, March 3, 2019, the Board of Trustees for the State University of New York approved 13 new charter school applications. However, only 7 of those will be allowed to open, due to the charter cap. Among them is a new middle school for Manhattan’s District 3 (Upper West Side and parts of Harlem)… Continue reading How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth It Is To Have Ungrateful NYC Families!

Universal Pre-K Closes Without Warning, Kids Left With Nowhere To Go: Parents Tell All!
Accountability · Blog · Finding the Right School

Universal Pre-K Closes Without Warning, Kids Left With Nowhere To Go: Parents Tell All!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

I’ve been keeping a close eye on New York City’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program since Mayor Bill de Blasio first triumphantly announced his signature initiative in 2014. I read every press release about what would happen… and compared it to what actually happened. I explained why, despite posters insisting it was so, UPK was neither… Continue reading Universal Pre-K Closes Without Warning, Kids Left With Nowhere To Go: Parents Tell All!

A SHSAT School For All Who Want One!
Finding the Right School

A SHSAT School For All Who Want One!

Alina Adams3 Comments

New York City public high school placement letters usually come out mid-March. But expect a delay in 2019. At issue is Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vow to set aside 20 percent of seats in Specialized High Schools for low-income students attending low-income middle schools who just missed the qualifying cut-off score for admission. Asian-American groups… Continue reading A SHSAT School For All Who Want One!

NYC Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence! (Part #2)
Finding the Right School

NYC Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence! (Part #2)

Alina Adams2 Comments

On January 21, I wrote about Kids Left Waiting In the Cold as NYC Public Schools Cancel G&T Testing – But Don’t Notify Parents! This disaster was hardly the only one of the 2018-2019 admissions season. After my post  ran, more parents contacted me. You can read their Department of Education stories of incompetence below.… Continue reading NYC Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence! (Part #2)

Is It Cultural Appropriation To Believe In School Choice For All?
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Is It Cultural Appropriation To Believe In School Choice For All?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Ballet Hispánico School of Dance © Christopher Duggan This past weekend, I sat at Ballet Hispánico, watching my 15-year-old son perform in their annual Winter Showcase. His exhibition consisted of three performances: Ballet, Modern Dance, and Flamenco. My three children are not even a little bit Hispanic. When my older son spit in… Continue reading Is It Cultural Appropriation To Believe In School Choice For All?