Waiting Lists

Different Families Get Different G&T Deadlines: Where’s the Fairness and Equity? I Go To the DOE For Answers!
DOE Screw Ups · Gifted & Talented · NYC School Admissions · School Waitlists

Different Families Get Different G&T Deadlines: Where’s the Fairness and Equity? I Go To the DOE For Answers!

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Last month I got to the bottom of why some parents’ Pre-K, Kindergarten, Gifted & Talented, Middle and High School waitlist numbers were moving in the wrong direction. This week we tackle the question of why, unlike in previous years, when there was a hard deadline issued by the Department of Education, different families are… Continue reading Different Families Get Different G&T Deadlines: Where’s the Fairness and Equity? I Go To the DOE For Answers!

10 Questions About NYC’s Newest High School Admissions Plan.
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10 Questions About NYC’s Newest High School Admissions Plan.

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

After two years of trying to get rid of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) and railing against the lack of diversity in New York City Schools, on Thursday, August 15, 2019, the Mayor and School Chancellor finally unveiled the first change to the NYC High School admissions process in 16 years… which won’t… Continue reading 10 Questions About NYC’s Newest High School Admissions Plan.

The Mom Who Did Everything Right When Applying Her Child To NYC Public School Kindergarten – And What Happened Next
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The Mom Who Did Everything Right When Applying Her Child To NYC Public School Kindergarten – And What Happened Next

Alina Adams3 Comments

Last week, I shared the stories of several New York City parents who, after a great deal of perseverance, hard work, and a whole lot of anxiety, were finally able to get their children accepted at the public schools of their choice. This week, in her own words, we’ve got the account of a mom… Continue reading The Mom Who Did Everything Right When Applying Her Child To NYC Public School Kindergarten – And What Happened Next

Happily Ever After In NYC: Parents Share School Choice Success Stories – And How They Made Them Happen
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Happily Ever After In NYC: Parents Share School Choice Success Stories – And How They Made Them Happen

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

I didn’t always write about education. Once upon a time, I wrote books – romances, mysteries, non-fiction. I also worked in soap operas – ABC Daytime, Procter & Gamble Productions, the Daytime Emmy Awards. But then I had children. And I applied those children to schools in New York City. And I found out how… Continue reading Happily Ever After In NYC: Parents Share School Choice Success Stories – And How They Made Them Happen

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!

Why Our NYC School Chancellor Is Absolutely Right About Gifted & Talented Programs… And Why He Is Absolutely Wrong
Finding the Right School

Why Our NYC School Chancellor Is Absolutely Right About Gifted & Talented Programs… And Why He Is Absolutely Wrong

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

After announcing his plans to change admissions to New York City’s Specialized High Schools, and after expressing confusion as to why any family would opt for a screened school (despite his own daughter doing so in San Francisco), and after calling a mother “racist “ who objected to District 3 middle-schools setting aside 25% of… Continue reading Why Our NYC School Chancellor Is Absolutely Right About Gifted & Talented Programs… And Why He Is Absolutely Wrong

Why Every Day Is Groundhog Day In New York City Schools (UPK Edition)
Accountability

Why Every Day Is Groundhog Day In New York City Schools (UPK Edition)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

In the 1993 movie, Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s cynical anchorman is doomed to relive the same day, over and over again, until he learns his lesson. (For the local angle, it was also a Broadway musical, last year.) With the holiday that inspired the movie coming up this Friday, February 2, what better time to… Continue reading Why Every Day Is Groundhog Day In New York City Schools (UPK Edition)