Regular readers of New York School Talk know how important Mayor Bill de Blasio’s approval is to this NYC mom. Hizzoner was most displeased with the high-school choices I made for my two older sons. I have only my daughter left. This is my last chance to get it right! When trying to figure out… Continue reading Choosing My Daughter’s High School To Please Mayor DeBlasio
New York City families who applied to private high schools this year were obliged to turn in their enrollment contracts — and put down a deposit on tuition — by noon of last Friday, March 12, 2021. In previous years, NYC Specialized, Screened, Arts, Ed-Opt, P-Tech, and all other public high schools would also notify… Continue reading Why NYC High School Admissions Will Be Very Different This Year: How Families Can Make It Better
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
In March, the New York City Department of Education announced they would be cancelling state tests for the 2019-2020 academic year. Then, at the end of April, they revised the grading system so that those in elementary school will receive a final Meets Standards or Needs Improvement assessment, while those in middle school might also… Continue reading No Tests, No Grades, No Problem: What NYC Can Still Do
When I give my “Getting Into NYC High School” workshops to parents and community groups around the city, I warn families that “getting Into NYC high school makes getting into NYC Kindergarten feel like puppies and kittens in a warm basket.” (I don’t even invoke getting into NYC middle school, which manages to combine the… Continue reading This Change Could Make Getting Into High School Easier For NYC Kids!
It was supposed to have been a done deal. As covered in great detail here, on Wednesday, March 3, after a series of cryptic and downright nonsensical statements about how coronavirus absences would affect middle and high school admissions for September 2021, Mayor Bill De Blasio said at a press conference: “Attendance will be frozen… Continue reading A Matter Of Trust: Coronavirus, the Department of Ed & NYC Families
At press time, there were no diagnosed cases of the novel coronavirus in New York City. However, also at press time, several schools were asking families who had traveled to affected areas over the President’s Week Break to self-quarantine for 14 days. All schools have been asking – begging! – for years for parents not… Continue reading NYC School Admissions…and Coronavirus?
