When Richard Carranza was the School Chancellor of New York City (April 2, 2018 – March 15, 2021), his repeatedly stated goal was to provide the exact same education to every single public school student in grades Pre-K through 12. That’s equity, his key professed value. He championed Computer Science… For All! (Despite not understanding… Continue reading How Carranza Could End Up Helping the Students of NYC After All!
Every school in New York City should become a community school, because it is the right thing to do, and because it’s better for students. Community Schools, which I’ve described in depth here, are essentially schools which offer services beyond those of a typical school in order to meet a wider range of students’ needs.… Continue reading Why Every School Should Be a Community School
Last week, we asked parents to weigh in on how New York City schools should spend the federal relief money coming our way. On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, President Joe Biden urged districts to use the funds to open all schools. However, according to the White House’s parameters, “all” schools are already “open.” The federal… Continue reading How Will NYC Schools Deal With Learning Loss…. Amidst Claims None Happened?
Community Schools are a small step in the right direction for New York City and for education as a whole. They have the potential to empower communities to support their own children using their own resources in their own ways. To understand why this is, though, requires understanding what Community Schools are right now, which… Continue reading Understanding NYC’s Community School, Renewal, Rise Programs
Last week, Chalkbeat reported: New York City public schools are projected to receive $4.5 billion in federal coronavirus relief, bringing a significant financial boost as education officials plan for the fall… (B)ig questions remain, including how state and city officials will use this new infusion of cash — roughly $4,500 more per student — to… Continue reading Parents Weigh In On How NYC Schools Should Spend Our Federal Relief Money
In June 2018, in a post entitled, What To Expect When You’re Expecting a New SHSAT Plan (Part #1): The Mayor’s Hidden Agenda, I wrote: Unlike the SHSAT schools, the Mayor doesn’t need a vote in Albany to change admissions to Screened Schools. He could implement his 7 percent plan with the stroke of a… Continue reading NYC Has a New School Chancellor: What This Change Means For Your Students
Last week, we answered the most immediate questions about how Gifted & Talented admissions will work for September 2021. This week, we dig deeper into the details. Question: Do we know if teachers at private daycares/early learning centers that are not DOE affiliated will be able to evaluate, or only pre-K for all? What about… Continue reading Answering Parent Questions About NYC Gifted & Talented Admissions 2021 (Part #2): Remote Evaluations, Waitlists & More
Students, organize! That’s all I ask, and all we need. Teachers and all other school staff have figured it out. The United Federation of Teachers has and enforces rules regarding how much time teachers can be asked to spend working, both in the classroom and outside of it. Imagine if students organized to support each… Continue reading Teachers Have a Union… Why Don’t Students: How They Can Help Each Other When the DOE Fails (Part 2)
Every adult in a school building gets a union. Most are members of the United Federation of Teachers, and together they are incredibly powerful and effective. They negotiate all the rules. They can influence hiring and firing procedures, and everything about teaching. They have negotiated an incredible list of policies and rights for their members,… Continue reading Teachers Have a Union… Why Don’t Students: How They Can Help Each Other When the DOE Fails
My December 21, 2020 post, Answering Parent Questions About Getting Into NYC Kindergarten 2021: COVID-19 Edition, prompted an avalanche of — what else? — more questions. On top of asking whether there will be Gifted & Talented testing and how seats will be filled at those schools if there isn’t (answer: we still don’t know;… Continue reading Will It Be Easier To Get Into Your First Choice NYC School For September 2021 – Or Harder?
