My daughter took Algebra 1 in 8th grade. (This despite New York City remaining unsure whether that was a good or a bad thing.) She did not take the Algebra 1 Regents exam, however, due to the pandemic. Her school didn’t offer the exam, and no public school would allow her into the building to… Continue reading “Make Them Show You the Rule”… and Other Tips For Dealing With the NYC School System
New York City’s vaccine mandate, which required anyone who works in a public school or a community-based center contracted by the Department of Education (DOE) to have gotten at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine in order to continue working, finally went into effect on Monday, October 4, 2021. Although Mayor Bill de Blasio… Continue reading NYC Vaccine Mandate Doesn’t Stop Teachers Protesting Or Parents Debating
New York City public schools reopened on Monday, September 13. Despite the demands of some parents for a remote option – and a threat to keep their children home in protest – those who lobbied for in-person only carried the day. Immediately, I heard from families: SS: DOE’s Health screening app that parents must submit… Continue reading Vaccine Mandates, New Quarantine & COVID Testing Rules: NYC Parents React
Yesterday, we wrote about parents threatening to strike on the first day of New York City public school — and beyond — because they don’t trust the Department of Education to protect their children’s health. They demand a remote schooling option until Covid, including the Delta variant, is no longer a threat. We heard from… Continue reading NYC Parents Against Any Remote Schooling Option
In February 2021, when describing the new Gifted & Talented programs he was planning for the 2022-2023 school year, New York City Mayor De Blasio promised: “We will spend the next year engaging communities around what kind of programming they would like to see that is more inclusive, enriching, and truly supports the needs of… Continue reading If NYC Mayor Won’t Engage With Communities, We Bring the Community Engagement To Him! Parents Speak Out On Gifted & Talented ‘Reimagining’
A month ago, I asked: Where Is the Equity? Different Students Face Different Tests for NYC Gifted & Talented School Admissions. The current state of affairs is so absurd it even got covered nationally. Qualifications letters went out on June 4. When I notified my mailing list about it, a parent wrote back, “It’s so… Continue reading Just When You Thought NYC Gifted & Talented 2021 Couldn’t Get More Absurd…. Parents Tell All!
(This is a guest post by Charleen Ang, working mother to three young children, 2 of whom are of elementary school age currently in the NYC public school system.) When our 4.5 year old son failed to make the cut-off score in last year’s Kindergarten G&T test, my husband & I were not overly concerned… Continue reading NYC Mom Calls Out Unfairness in 2021 G&T Admissions for 1st-3rd Grade
New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced on March, 24, 2021 that, come September, all public school students would be back in the classroom, five days a week, in front of live teachers. A remote learning option would no longer be available, and medical accomodations for teachers would be severely curtailed. Here is what the… Continue reading NYC Mayor Promises Full Return To In-Person School, No Remote Option: Parents Respond
(In our May 10, 2021 post, NYC Endorses Gifted & Talented Approach Determined To Do Least Good For All Students (But Especially Minority and Low Income Ones), we printed an excerpt from a PS 163 parent about their school dropping its G&T program. We now present the letter in its entirety.) On or around June… Continue reading NYC School Drops Popular Gifted & Talented Program: A Parent’s Take
After his own Panel For Education Policy voted down renewing the contract that had been used to test students for New York City public school Gifted & Talented programs in January of 2021, Mayor Bill De Blasio swore that parents of incoming Kindergarteners would still be able to apply their children for admission… somehow. In… Continue reading Where Is the Equity? Different Students Face Different Tests for NYC Gifted & Talented School Admissions
