achievement gap

The Needs Of the Many Outweigh the Needs Of the Few: NYC Schools Edition
achievement gap · Blog · coronavirus · DOE Screw Ups · Hybrid Learning · online learning · Parents Helping Parents · remote learning · School Budget

The Needs Of the Many Outweigh the Needs Of the Few: NYC Schools Edition

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

As we shared last week, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio unexpectedly held a press conference the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend to announce the school re-opening plan he’d promised the previous Wednesday but then said would be coming sometime in early December. (Got that?) Hizzoner proclaimed that while middle and high schools would remain… Continue reading The Needs Of the Many Outweigh the Needs Of the Few: NYC Schools Edition

Is Outside Of School Education Hurting All of America’s Kids?
achievement gap · educational equity

Is Outside Of School Education Hurting All of America’s Kids?

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

(This is a guest post by Pawan Dhingra, author of Hyper Education: Why Good Schools, Good Grades, and Good Behavior Are Not Enough. He has been published in The New York Times, CNN, and elsewhere. He and his work have been featured in The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and USA Today. He can… Continue reading Is Outside Of School Education Hurting All of America’s Kids?

The Other Epidemic: Majority of American High School Seniors Aren’t Proficient at Reading Or Math
Accountability · achievement gap · DOE Fails · educational equity

The Other Epidemic: Majority of American High School Seniors Aren’t Proficient at Reading Or Math

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

The National Assessment for Education Progress (NAEP) — nicknamed “America’s Report Card” — released their 12th grade scores at the end of October.  The horrifying results: Just 37% of 12th-graders reached or exceeded the academic preparedness benchmarks for both math and reading that would qualify them for entry-level college courses. (Ed. note: They are being… Continue reading The Other Epidemic: Majority of American High School Seniors Aren’t Proficient at Reading Or Math

#VoteLocal: Who Is Really Responsible For Your Child’s Education? (Cuomo, De Blasio, and More!)
Accountability · achievement gap · Blog · DOE Screw Ups · NYC Schools Reopening

#VoteLocal: Who Is Really Responsible For Your Child’s Education? (Cuomo, De Blasio, and More!)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

I have been offering open-to-the-public Getting Into NYC Kindergarten and Getting Into NYC High School workshops for about 15 years now. But it was only four years ago that I started hearing the question: How will Betsy DeVos being Secretary of Education affect my child’s school? My reply is to ask parents to name the… Continue reading #VoteLocal: Who Is Really Responsible For Your Child’s Education? (Cuomo, De Blasio, and More!)

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