achievement gap

How NYC Department of Education Is Thwarting School Choice – And Integration
achievement gap · admissions · Blog · coronavirus · educational equity · Gifted & Talented · NYC School Admissions · NYC Schools Reopening · School Budget · School Choice · school diversity · School Integration · School Waitlists

How NYC Department of Education Is Thwarting School Choice – And Integration

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Mayor Bill De Blasio, multiple members of the City Council, and Chancellor Richard Carranza insist there is only one action which will solve all of New York City’s school woes —including over 50 percent of students performing below grade level, dismal college readiness rates, and more. That action is: Integration. You see, all of these… Continue reading How NYC Department of Education Is Thwarting School Choice – And Integration

Straight From the Trenches: Parents Report What Really Happened During NYC’s First Days Of School
achievement gap · Blog · coronavirus · DOE Fails · DOE incompetence · DOE Screw Ups · educational equity · Hybrid Learning · NYC Parent Voices · online learning · remote learning

Straight From the Trenches: Parents Report What Really Happened During NYC’s First Days Of School

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Even though they had six months to plan for re-opening New York City’s schools, Mayor Bill De Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza still insisted on doing everything at the last minute.  Schools were supposed to begin remote learning for all on Wednesday, September 16, and blended/hybrid for those who chose it on Monday, September 21. … Continue reading Straight From the Trenches: Parents Report What Really Happened During NYC’s First Days Of School

What We Can Learn From Educators in the Pandemic: Remote Teaching and Learning Guides
achievement gap · coronavirus · educational equity · Hybrid Learning · NYC Teacher · online learning · remote learning

What We Can Learn From Educators in the Pandemic: Remote Teaching and Learning Guides

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

(This is a guest post by Rebecca O’Neill, executive director of the Robertson Center at Success Academy. She previously served as Vice President of Communications at Teach For American and Vice President of Pro-Social Initiatives at CIVIC. She completed her graduate work at Columbia University’s Institute for Research in African American studies, where she focused… Continue reading What We Can Learn From Educators in the Pandemic: Remote Teaching and Learning Guides

An Inconvenient Truth: The NYC Schools Math Problem Nobody Talks About
Accountability · achievement gap · admissions · educational equity · School Choice · school diversity · School Integration

An Inconvenient Truth: The NYC Schools Math Problem Nobody Talks About

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Last week we published a guest post by Tim DeRoche, author of A Fine Line: How Most American Kids Are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools, which asked the question: Do NYC School Zones Violate Federal Law? (Spoiler: He thinks they do.) DeRoche writes: Take a look, for example, at PS 8 Robert Fulton… Continue reading An Inconvenient Truth: The NYC Schools Math Problem Nobody Talks About

Never Waste a Good Crisis: How NYC Families (And Teachers And Advocates) Can Take Advantage, Too (Part #2)
achievement gap · coronavirus · educational equity · online learning · remote learning · School Choice · school diversity

Never Waste a Good Crisis: How NYC Families (And Teachers And Advocates) Can Take Advantage, Too (Part #2)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Last week I hammered home one of my favorite points: One educational size doesn’t fit all. This applies to traditional versus progressive learning, ethnocentric classrooms, acceleration, dual language programs, and more. While engaging in my favorite activity of advocating for giving every family what they want, and giving every student what they need, I asked… Continue reading Never Waste a Good Crisis: How NYC Families (And Teachers And Advocates) Can Take Advantage, Too (Part #2)

No Tests, No Grades, No Problem: What NYC Can Still Do
achievement gap · admissions · Blog · coronavirus

No Tests, No Grades, No Problem: What NYC Can Still Do

Alina Adams1 Comment

In March, the New York City Department of Education announced they would be cancelling state tests for the 2019-2020 academic year. Then, at the end of April, they revised the grading system so that those in elementary school will receive a final Meets Standards or Needs Improvement assessment, while those in middle school might also… Continue reading No Tests, No Grades, No Problem: What NYC Can Still Do

Remote Learning Shines Spotlight On Why Schools MUST Change
achievement gap · coronavirus

Remote Learning Shines Spotlight On Why Schools MUST Change

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

(This is a guest post by Padraig Shea, an educator and baseball coach in the South Bronx. He has taught in Arkansas, South Korea, and Houston. His writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, Valley Advocate, and Fulbright Korea Infusion.) New York City’s coronavirus quarantine has reached biblical proportions; schools and many businesses closed more… Continue reading Remote Learning Shines Spotlight On Why Schools MUST Change

Will NYC Students Have To Repeat a Grade? Can They? Should They?
Accountability · achievement gap · admissions · coronavirus

Will NYC Students Have To Repeat a Grade? Can They? Should They?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Will They? On Saturday, April 11, 2020, New York City mayor Bill De Blasio announced that, due to Coronavirus, all school buildings will remain closed for the duration of the academic year, which is scheduled to end on June 26. Remote learning, however, will continue.  A few hours later, NY governor Andrew Cuomo countered with… Continue reading Will NYC Students Have To Repeat a Grade? Can They? Should They?

It’s a Matter of Equity: Petition Demands Free Internet for ALL Low Income NYC Families
achievement gap · coronavirus · educational equity · remote learning

It’s a Matter of Equity: Petition Demands Free Internet for ALL Low Income NYC Families

Laura WatersLeave a comment

As the COVID-19 pandemic closes schools for New York City’s 1.1 million students, remote instruction — teachers providing instruction through platforms like Zoom and Google Meet and YouTube — is the new normal. At least for the students who have access to laptops and the internet.  Yet many students are not so lucky, largely because… Continue reading It’s a Matter of Equity: Petition Demands Free Internet for ALL Low Income NYC Families

NY State Cancels ELA & Math Exams for 2020 – What Might Happen Next
Accountability · achievement gap · admissions

NY State Cancels ELA & Math Exams for 2020 – What Might Happen Next

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Following the closing of schools due to Coronavirus, New York state announced that English Language Arts (ELA) and Math assessments would be canceled for the 2019-2020 academic year. Though these annual exams are required by law, NYC applied for and was promptly granted a waiver from the federal government, in light of the ongoing health… Continue reading NY State Cancels ELA & Math Exams for 2020 – What Might Happen Next