admissions · Educational Equity · NYC high school · NYC School Admissions · School Choice · specialized high schools

Expert Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) Tips

(This is a guest blog by Lisa Speransky, the founder of Ivy Tutors Network, a mission-driven private education company and proud vendor to department of education schools. For over 20 years, IVY has empowered students to succeed through personalized education and mentorship – because the right team makes all the difference!)  Each year, approximately 30,000… Continue reading Expert Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) Tips

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!

Finding the Right School · NYC high school · NYC Kindergarten · NYC middle school · NYC Parent Voices · NYC Schools · Parents Helping Parents

Parents Reveal What It Would Take To Get Them Back Into NYC Public Schools

According to Chalkbeat: Overall, K-12 enrollment has dropped by 9.5% since the pandemic began. Officials are expecting 30,000 fewer K-12 students to be on the rolls this fall compared to last year.  In this most recent school year, three-quarters of schools saw fewer students, a Chalkbeat analysis previously found. Enrollment of Black and white students… Continue reading Parents Reveal What It Would Take To Get Them Back Into NYC Public Schools

admissions · DOE Fails · DOE Screw Ups · Educational Equity · Finding the Right School · New York City · NYC high school · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · NYC Schools · Parents Helping Parents · School Waitlists

NYC Mom Exposes School Admissions Deception

It’s been a long, arduous, and stressful New York City public school admissions season. And, unfortunately, it’s not over yet. The Department of Education (DOE) has now pushed admissions to public Gifted & Talented programs for grades Kindergarten through 3rd to “late July.” Meanwhile, families of rising 9th graders are still hoping for a seat… Continue reading NYC Mom Exposes School Admissions Deception

Educational Equity · Finding the Right School · homeschooling · NYC high school · NYC middle school · School Choice · student voices · transferring schools

Students Helping Students: Want To Pursue an Alternative Educational Path? I’ll Help You Do It! Ask Me Anything!

From Alina Adams: When my son, Gregory Wickham, convinced me to let him drop out of Stuyvesant High School and homeschool himself, one of my major conditions was that he do all of the work himself. Since then, due to both changes in the NYC public gifted, middle, and high school admissions system, and families’… Continue reading Students Helping Students: Want To Pursue an Alternative Educational Path? I’ll Help You Do It! Ask Me Anything!

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

admissions · Finding the Right School · Gifted & Talented · NYC high school · NYC Kindergarten · NYC middle school · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · Parents Helping Parents · School Choice · screened nyc schools

Plan B: Alternatives For NYC Parents Unhappy With Their Public School 2022 Options

Changes in admissions for New York City public middle and high schools have left many parents on edge, wondering what choices their children will have for September 2022. Meanwhile, the families of younger children are still waiting for word on whether there will even be a Gifted & Talented elementary option moving forward. (Read our… Continue reading Plan B: Alternatives For NYC Parents Unhappy With Their Public School 2022 Options

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

coronavirus · homeschooling · NYC high school · student voices

Don’t Let Any Lowly Bureaucrat Stop You: NYC Teen’s Guide to Getting Your High School Equivalency Diploma

In October, Gregory Wickham wrote Part #1 of Testing Center Makes Up Rules to Prevent Black Teen From Earning High School Equivalency Diploma, detailing his struggles with New York City bureaucracy. Here’s what happened next: The initial part of my story was much more exciting than the finale. After my first attempt at registration was… Continue reading Don’t Let Any Lowly Bureaucrat Stop You: NYC Teen’s Guide to Getting Your High School Equivalency Diploma

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!