achievement gap · Educational Equity · literacy · NYC Parent Voices · Parents Helping Parents

Is Your Child Learning To Read – Or To Guess?

(This is a guest post by Chad Alderman, NYC dad and the creator of ReadNotGuess.com, a program that sends short email lessons to help parents support and monitor their child’s early reading progress.) My 3rd grade son was reading to me recently when he came to the word “gargoyle.” Except he didn’t read it correctly.… Continue reading Is Your Child Learning To Read – Or To Guess?

Accountability · achievement gap · Advanced Placement · arts in schools · Educational Equity · NYC high school · Parents Helping Parents

Is the ‘Fame’ School Gonna Live Forever? Not Under This Principal!

(The author of this guest post wishes to remain anonymous.) The “Fame” school is not “gonna live forever”; that is, not if the current principal has anything to say about it. Since her arrival at LaGuardia High School in September 2019, Principal Yeou-Jey Vasconcelos has been on an anti-academics, anti-merit crusade, despite the alleged “dual… Continue reading Is the ‘Fame’ School Gonna Live Forever? Not Under This Principal!

achievement gap · admissions · Gifted & Talented · NYC Kindergarten · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · Parents Helping Parents · school diversity · School Integration · screened nyc schools

Which NYC Schools Will Open Promised New Gifted & Talented Programs in 2022?

(This is a guest post by David Gorvitz, who previously wrote NYC Drops Popular Gifted & Talented Program: A Parent’s Take.) I recently wrote this to the Superintendent of NYC DOE District 3 (Upper West Side/Morningside Heights/part of Harlem), which is considering allocating some of the 100 Kindergarten and 1,000 3rd-Grade seats being added to… Continue reading Which NYC Schools Will Open Promised New Gifted & Talented Programs in 2022?

achievement gap · Educational Equity · student voices

How To Even the Tutoring Playing Field For All Students

(This is a guest post by Moira Du. She is a Filipino student studying in Ateneo de Manila Senior High School and is a blog writer for Connect Me. She is also a volunteer tutor and a freelance writer.) In this world where money is everything, most, if not all, things are business deals. Every… Continue reading How To Even the Tutoring Playing Field For All Students

achievement gap · Diverse Books · Educational Equity · literacy · NYC Teacher Voices · Teacher Voices

School Librarians Are Critical to Students’ Literacy: Why There Should Be One in Every NYC Public School!

(This is a guest post by J.F. (Jenny) Fox, a mother, author, school book committee chairperson, and library advocate. She lives in New York City, where her sons attend public school in Brooklyn. Her books include Friday Night Wrestlefest (Roaring Brook) and the Head-to-Head History series (Kids Can Press). Her website is: jffox.com. Twitter: @bookishfox.… Continue reading School Librarians Are Critical to Students’ Literacy: Why There Should Be One in Every NYC Public School!

achievement gap · admissions · Educational Equity · Finding the Right School · Gifted & Talented · NYC Kindergarten · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · NYC Schools · School Choice

How NYC Can Implement – And Improve – Gifted & Talented Programs for 2022 and Beyond: A Parent’s Take

(This is a guest post by T. Hunter Dare, the parent of a 6th grader at MS104 where he serves on the School Leadership Team. He is also Co-Chair of PLACE NYC’s G&T Advocacy Team.  Hunter is passionate about developing a public school system that identifies, nurtures, and challenges all advanced learners, particularly those from… Continue reading How NYC Can Implement – And Improve – Gifted & Talented Programs for 2022 and Beyond: A Parent’s Take

achievement gap · Educational Equity · homeschooling · NYC high school · online learning · School Choice · student voices

What Students Can Do When Schools Cut Advanced Courses

(Ed. note: High schools are cutting back on Advanced Placement offerings nationwide, ranging from NYC’s LaGuardia HS to Stamford, CT to Washington state to the University of Chicago’s Lab School. In addition, some NYC middle schools are trying to get rid of honors math, while California looks to detrack all math classes.) TL;DR: You should… Continue reading What Students Can Do When Schools Cut Advanced Courses

achievement gap · admissions · Advanced Placement · Educational Equity · Finding the Right School · NYC high school · NYC middle school · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · School Choice · school diversity · School Integration

Why I REALLY Sent My Daughter to a ‘Diverse’ Public School

The New York City Department of Education defines racially representative schools as “those that enroll between 50 percent and 90 percent black and Hispanic students.”  By that definition, the public high school my sons attended, even though it was only 18 percent white, was still not diverse. That’s because it was also 71 percent Asian. … Continue reading Why I REALLY Sent My Daughter to a ‘Diverse’ Public School

achievement gap · admissions · Advanced Placement · Educational Equity · Gifted & Talented · NYC high school · NYC Kindergarten · NYC middle school · NYC School Admissions · school diversity · School Integration · screened nyc schools · specialized high schools

Finally! Even the NYT Admits What’s Really Needed To Diversify Specialized High Schools!

You can’t blame The New York Times for lagging behind. They’ve spent so many years arguing for the abolition of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), the exam that qualifies New York City students for entry into the eight Specialized High Schools believed to be the best, it’s inevitable they’d be a day late… Continue reading Finally! Even the NYT Admits What’s Really Needed To Diversify Specialized High Schools!

achievement gap · admissions · Educational Equity · NYC high school · NYC School Admissions · Parents Helping Parents · School Choice · School Integration · screened nyc schools · specialized high schools

All High Schools Are Equal… Some High Schools Are More Equal Than Others: NYC Admissions 2022

Earlier this month we looked at the changes – and hypocrisy – of this year’s Middle School admissions process. This week, we turn our gaze towards New York City public High School admissions for 2022. The application went live on Thursday, January 27, 2022 and is due by Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Specialized High Schools… Continue reading All High Schools Are Equal… Some High Schools Are More Equal Than Others: NYC Admissions 2022