As a whopping 40+(!) candidates gear up to run for Mayor of New York City, we thought we’d take a comprehensive look at the education legacy of Gracie Mansion’s current occupant. Bill de Blasio was sworn in as NYC’s 109th Mayor on January 1, 2014. He told a Tale of Two Cities and promised to… Continue reading Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing: NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s Education Legacy
(This is a guest post by M. Baranski, a parent in the NYC public school system.) The DOE’s movement spearheaded by the school chancellor Carranza and encouraged by the Mayor is trying to completely undermine our already barely functioning educational system by eliminating the concept of “education” and merit based achievement from DOE’s agenda. Carranza,… Continue reading NYC Parent Rails Against “DOE Attack on Literacy in New York City’s Public Schools”
On October 29, Brooklyn City Council member Brad Lander reached out to his New York city colleagues: I am writing to request your support for Reso 1397 which would prohibit the use of screens for admission into community school district middle schools for the 2021-2022 school year. To counter, I shared my May 2019 post,… Continue reading An NYC Schools Admissions Plan So Crazy It Just Might Work – For Everyone
(The author of this post wishes to remain anonymous.) Based on my recent experience with the middle school admission process, I can say that there are many issues with the new system. First of all, removing the appeals process makes things worse and quite difficult. For example, my kid got a surprisingly low score on… Continue reading Zero Transparency & Communication: NYC Mom Rages Against New Middle School Waitlist
The whispers started in early February. Numerous parents reported they’d heard that the Department of Education was quietly planning to unscreen high schools for September 2021 admissions. As one wrote me: At the school where I teach we found out that out of all the available seats for incoming freshmen, three quarters now will be… Continue reading The Department Of Ed That Cried Wolf: Why Parents & Students Have Trouble Trusting It