Gifted and Talented Admissions

State Senator Speaks On The Future of SHSAT, Screened Schools & G&T Programs
New York City · State Legislature

State Senator Speaks On The Future of SHSAT, Screened Schools & G&T Programs

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(This is a guest post by Yiatin Chu, Maud Maron, and Amy Tse, Founding Members of Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curricula and Education, a.k.a. PLACE NYC.) On December 12th, 2019, over 100 parents crowded around lunchroom tables of East Side Middle School to hear State Senator John Liu speak about Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposal… Continue reading State Senator Speaks On The Future of SHSAT, Screened Schools & G&T Programs

Ditch “Gifted” Testing & Accelerate Any Child Who Wants It? NYC Parents Weigh In!
Finding the Right School · New York City · School Choice

Ditch “Gifted” Testing & Accelerate Any Child Who Wants It? NYC Parents Weigh In!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Earlier this month, I offered A Modest Proposal for Turning NYC School Admissions Upside Down – & Letting Parents Decide the Education They Want For Their Kids. The gist of it boiled down to: What if … A computer algorithm more sophisticated than the one in use now aggregated students by interest and location to… Continue reading Ditch “Gifted” Testing & Accelerate Any Child Who Wants It? NYC Parents Weigh In!

“Implying That Black and Hispanic Kids Only Do Better When They’re In School With White Kids Is Racist.” A NYC Mom Speaks Out.
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“Implying That Black and Hispanic Kids Only Do Better When They’re In School With White Kids Is Racist.” A NYC Mom Speaks Out.

Alina Adams1 Comment

When news dropped late last month (literally 10 minutes before my middle child’s birthday dinner) about a proposal to get rid of New York City’s Gifted & Talented programs, The NY Daily News asked me to write an editorial on the topic. It ran on August 27 and was entitled, Eliminate Gifted & Talented Programs?… Continue reading “Implying That Black and Hispanic Kids Only Do Better When They’re In School With White Kids Is Racist.” A NYC Mom Speaks Out.

The Mom Who Did Everything Right When Applying Her Child To NYC Public School Kindergarten – And What Happened Next
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The Mom Who Did Everything Right When Applying Her Child To NYC Public School Kindergarten – And What Happened Next

Alina Adams3 Comments

Last week, I shared the stories of several New York City parents who, after a great deal of perseverance, hard work, and a whole lot of anxiety, were finally able to get their children accepted at the public schools of their choice. This week, in her own words, we’ve got the account of a mom… Continue reading The Mom Who Did Everything Right When Applying Her Child To NYC Public School Kindergarten – And What Happened Next

Parents Helping Parents – When the Department of Ed Won’t (Gifted & Talented Edition)
Blog · Finding the Right School

Parents Helping Parents – When the Department of Ed Won’t (Gifted & Talented Edition)

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

It’s been an extremely difficult season for New York City public schools admissions. The new Parent Portal found novel and exciting ways to malfunction. Placements would appear and disappear. Results were posted for high school and Gifted & Talented admission, only to be nullified and families informed they weren’t official. One parent shared with me:… Continue reading Parents Helping Parents – When the Department of Ed Won’t (Gifted & Talented Edition)

How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!
Accountability · Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

New York City families who’d been ripping their hair out for over two months finally learned where their children had been placed for General Education public school kindergarten on March 28th. The results had been posted for nearly a full day before the Department of Education notified anxiously waiting parents that they were available. When… Continue reading How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!

The Sorting Hat: How NYC’s Kindergarten Admission Really Works
Accountability · Finding the Right School

The Sorting Hat: How NYC’s Kindergarten Admission Really Works

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Last week, I received the following email from a parent: I‘m being told by the parent coordinator at our zoned school (PS 11Q) that general ed school choice is not real, and my child will be attending the zoned school no matter what I ranked. The PS 11Q parent coordinator did not schedule any open… Continue reading The Sorting Hat: How NYC’s Kindergarten Admission Really Works

Say Goodbye To Hollywood: How Much For a ‘Good’ NYC Public School?
Blog · School Choice

Say Goodbye To Hollywood: How Much For a ‘Good’ NYC Public School?

Alina Adams1 Comment

News broke last Tuesday, March 12th, that some rich parents, including actors Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) and Lori Loughlin (Full House), paid from $15,000 to $500,000 to fraudulently arrange their children’s acceptances into colleges ranging from Yale to University of Southern California. The usual suspects made the appropriate shocked noises. Like when Major Strasser learned… Continue reading Say Goodbye To Hollywood: How Much For a ‘Good’ NYC Public School?

NYC Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence! (Part #2)
Finding the Right School

NYC Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence! (Part #2)

Alina Adams2 Comments

On January 21, I wrote about Kids Left Waiting In the Cold as NYC Public Schools Cancel G&T Testing – But Don’t Notify Parents! This disaster was hardly the only one of the 2018-2019 admissions season. After my post  ran, more parents contacted me. You can read their Department of Education stories of incompetence below.… Continue reading NYC Parents Sound Off On Department Of Education Incompetence! (Part #2)

Kids Left Waiting In the Cold as NYC Public Schools Cancel G&T Testing – But Don’t Notify Parents!
Accountability · Finding the Right School

Kids Left Waiting In the Cold as NYC Public Schools Cancel G&T Testing – But Don’t Notify Parents!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

When word of a snowstorm predicted to hit New York City over Martin Luther King Day weekend first surfaced, I sent out an email to my mailing list letting them know that the public school Gifted & Talented testing scheduled for that weekend might also be cancelled, and how to maximize their strategy for rescheduling.… Continue reading Kids Left Waiting In the Cold as NYC Public Schools Cancel G&T Testing – But Don’t Notify Parents!