Gifted & Talented Programs

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)

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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)

Algebra in 8th Grade Is Good! Algebra in 8th Grade is Bad! Pick One, Mr. Chancellor.
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Algebra in 8th Grade Is Good! Algebra in 8th Grade is Bad! Pick One, Mr. Chancellor.

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Like Computer Science for All, Algebra For All is a New York City initiative which predates our current school chancellor, Richard Carranza. According to the official nyc.gov website: Through Algebra for All, by 2022, every student will have access to algebra in eighth grade, complete algebra no later than ninth grade, and there will be… Continue reading Algebra in 8th Grade Is Good! Algebra in 8th Grade is Bad! Pick One, Mr. Chancellor.

It’s the Hypocrisy, Stupid: NYC School Choice For… Some
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It’s the Hypocrisy, Stupid: NYC School Choice For… Some

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We really should be used to it by now. The hypocrisy, that is. News broke last week that Cheryl Watson-Harris, whom New York City School Chancellor Richard Carranza promoted to First Deputy Chancellor in July of 2018, had somehow gotten her children into two of Brooklyn’s top screened middle-schools — at least one of whom… Continue reading It’s the Hypocrisy, Stupid: NYC School Choice For… Some

The Butterfly Effect: Good and Bad News About Your NYC Public School Waitlist
Blog · Finding the Right School

The Butterfly Effect: Good and Bad News About Your NYC Public School Waitlist

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Spring is a major holding pattern for New York City families. Middle school placement, Universal Pre-K, and Gifted & Talented scores are due “any minute.” Kindergarten General Education, charter schools, and high school offers are out. But the process is far from over. High schools hold a Second Round for those unhappy with their initial… Continue reading The Butterfly Effect: Good and Bad News About Your NYC Public School Waitlist

Some Families Don’t Know How To Exercise School Choice. Others Don’t Know They’re Already Doing It: An Open Letter To Both
Finding the Right School

Some Families Don’t Know How To Exercise School Choice. Others Don’t Know They’re Already Doing It: An Open Letter To Both

Alina Adams1 Comment

Kindergarten Connect, the form New York City parents use to apply to public school Kindergarten for September 2019, came out on December 5 after being delayed from its originally announced date, December 3, presumably due to the ongoing disaster that is the new Parent Portal. Kindergarten Connect was designed to help all families exercise school… Continue reading Some Families Don’t Know How To Exercise School Choice. Others Don’t Know They’re Already Doing It: An Open Letter To Both

Is NYC Education an Even Playing Field For All Families?
Accountability · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Is NYC Education an Even Playing Field For All Families?

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In response to my posts about how New York City parents can raise the odds of their children getting into a Gifted & Talented public school program, a reader wrote to sarcastically congratulate me on destroying what had previously been a perfectly even playing field. Her child, it seems, took the G&T test with absolutely… Continue reading Is NYC Education an Even Playing Field For All Families?

Top 5 NYC School Issues That Enraged Parents in 2017 – And What Will Happen In 2018
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Top 5 NYC School Issues That Enraged Parents in 2017 – And What Will Happen In 2018

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

2017 was a big year for New York City school news. Universal Pre-K was rolled out for 3 year-olds, even as the program for 4 year-olds struggled. There was a contentious elementary school rezoning on the Upper West Side, middle-school admissions came under the microscope, and yet another plan to diversify Specialized High Schools went… Continue reading Top 5 NYC School Issues That Enraged Parents in 2017 – And What Will Happen In 2018

5 Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking Schools on Kindergarten Connect – And How You Can Avoid Them
Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

5 Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking Schools on Kindergarten Connect – And How You Can Avoid Them

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Kindergarten Connect, the online form that New York City parents use to apply their children to Kindergarten for 2018, opened on Tuesday, November 28. It is scheduled to close on January 12, 2018. Every year, I receive frantic emails from parents who made a mistake in ranking their choices, and are now stuck with a… Continue reading 5 Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking Schools on Kindergarten Connect – And How You Can Avoid Them

Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking NYC School Choices, From Pre-Kindergarten to High School
Finding the Right School · School Choice

Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking NYC School Choices, From Pre-Kindergarten to High School

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

As I wrote last week, it’s school application time  for 2018 in New York City! Public high school applications are due on December 1 (excluding Specialized schools). Public Middle-School applications will become available in November and are also due on December 1. Kindergarten Connect, for all public school general ed programs, is scheduled to open… Continue reading Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking NYC School Choices, From Pre-Kindergarten to High School

Beyond The Zone: All Your NYC Elementary School Options (And How To Get Into Them) Explained!
Finding the Right School · School Choice

Beyond The Zone: All Your NYC Elementary School Options (And How To Get Into Them) Explained!

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For her last post in Education Week’s Bridging Differences blog, education scholar and advocate Deborah Meier writes: The notion that we can leave (education) to the whims of individual parent choice in marketplace fashion is problematic. Good parents are inclined to put their own children’s immediate interests first. Meier, as her bio states at the bottom,… Continue reading Beyond The Zone: All Your NYC Elementary School Options (And How To Get Into Them) Explained!