Alina Adams

Alina Adams is a New York City mom of 3 school-age children and a New York Times best-selling author of soap-opera tie-ins, figure-skating mysteries and romance novels. She is a contributing writer to TODAY Show Parenting, Mommy Poppins, BlogHer, Red Tricycle, Café Mom, and Kveller. After going through the NYC school application process with her own children and realizing just how convoluted, Draconian and needlessly complex it was, Alina resolved to help make all parents aware of all their school choices—and how to get them—via her books, “Getting Into NYC Kindergarten” and “Getting Into NYC High-School,” as well as her podcast, “NYC School Secrets: Parents Helping Parents.” Read more and listen at: www.NYCSchoolSecrets.com
It Cost More To Get My Kids Into Public Art Than Specialized High School (Why Aren’t More People Upset About That?)
admissions · arts in schools · Educational Equity · NYC high school · NYC School Admissions · screened nyc schools · specialized high schools

It Cost More To Get My Kids Into Public Art Than Specialized High School (Why Aren’t More People Upset About That?)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

In a non-Covid year, New York City 8th graders (and a small number of 9th graders) take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) and audition for arts high schools like LaGuardia, Frank Sinatra, Talent Unlimited, etc… in the fall. In a non-Covid year, only teens who relocated to NYC after the deadline are allowed… Continue reading It Cost More To Get My Kids Into Public Art Than Specialized High School (Why Aren’t More People Upset About That?)

What NYC Schools Can Learn From Simone Biles & Olympic Gymnastics
achievement gap · admissions · Advanced Placement · Educational Equity · Gifted & Talented · School Choice

What NYC Schools Can Learn From Simone Biles & Olympic Gymnastics

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

When I first planned to write this Olympic-themed post (back in 2020, oops), I was going to talk about two things: Simone Biles’ athletic feats being deliberately underscored due to “a fear that Biles is so good that she might run away with any competition she enters simply by doing a handful of moves that… Continue reading What NYC Schools Can Learn From Simone Biles & Olympic Gymnastics

If NYC Mayor Won’t Engage With Communities, We Bring the Community Engagement To Him! Parents Speak Out On Gifted & Talented ‘Reimagining’
achievement gap · admissions · Educational Equity · Gifted & Talented · NYC Kindergarten · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · Parents Helping Parents

If NYC Mayor Won’t Engage With Communities, We Bring the Community Engagement To Him! Parents Speak Out On Gifted & Talented ‘Reimagining’

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

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’

What Mayor Eric Adams Might Mean For NYC Schools
literacy · NYC Election · NYC Schools · School Choice · school diversity

What Mayor Eric Adams Might Mean For NYC Schools

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

As soon as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his $635 million dollar Academic Recovery Plan, focusing on early literacy, increasing digital access, college and career counseling, bolstering special education programs, building a new universal curriculum and expanding emotional support, supporters and detractors leapt in with follow-up questions. This isn’t surprising as, like… Continue reading What Mayor Eric Adams Might Mean For NYC Schools

Independence Day: How Covid Spurred NYC Families To Explore All Their School Options
Educational Equity · homeschooling · Hybrid Learning · NYC Schools · NYC Schools Reopening · online learning

Independence Day: How Covid Spurred NYC Families To Explore All Their School Options

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

“How’s homeschooling going?” I am asked regularly by those who know I allowed my middle child to leave Stuyvesant High School this past November, two months into his Junior year. (I was actually stopped on the street by a woman who pointed at me and told her kid, “That’s the mom who let her son… Continue reading Independence Day: How Covid Spurred NYC Families To Explore All Their School Options

George Clooney Loves School Choice: Now We Can, Too!
Blog · NYC School Admissions · School Choice

George Clooney Loves School Choice: Now We Can, Too!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Movie stars love school choice. Even (especially?) when they don’t realize they’re exercising it. For instance, Good Will Hunting himself, Matt Damon, narrated a documentary about how charters are “draining funds from our public schools” and why everyone should attend their zoned option in order to keep that from happening. While sending his own daughters… Continue reading George Clooney Loves School Choice: Now We Can, Too!

Just When You Thought NYC Gifted & Talented 2021 Couldn’t Get More Absurd…. Parents Tell All!
admissions · DOE incompetence · Educational Equity · Gifted & Talented · NYC Kindergarten · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · Parents Helping Parents

Just When You Thought NYC Gifted & Talented 2021 Couldn’t Get More Absurd…. Parents Tell All!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

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!

Which Mayoral Candidate Do You Trust With Your Child’s Education?
NYC Election · NYC Schools · Vote Local

Which Mayoral Candidate Do You Trust With Your Child’s Education?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Primary Election Day in New York City is Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Early voting began on the 12th and runs through the 20th. As I have stressed over and over, who the mayor is has a much greater effect on your child’s education than who the governor is, who the president is, or who the… Continue reading Which Mayoral Candidate Do You Trust With Your Child’s Education?

Choosing My Daughter’s High School To Please Mayor DeBlasio
admissions · NYC high school · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · School Choice · screened nyc schools

Choosing My Daughter’s High School To Please Mayor DeBlasio

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Regular readers of New York School Talk know how important Mayor Bill de Blasio’s approval is to this NYC mom. Hizzoner was most displeased with the high-school choices I made for my two older sons. I have only my daughter left. This is my last chance to get it right! When trying to figure out… Continue reading Choosing My Daughter’s High School To Please Mayor DeBlasio

NYC Mayor Promises Full Return To In-Person School, No Remote Option: Parents Respond
coronavirus · Hybrid Learning · NYC Parent Voices · NYC Schools · NYC Schools Reopening · online learning · Parents Helping Parents · remote learning

NYC Mayor Promises Full Return To In-Person School, No Remote Option: Parents Respond

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

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