Unzoned Schools

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

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

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

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

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

School Choice, Mom-Shaming, and My Conversation With a Genius
Blog · School Choice

School Choice, Mom-Shaming, and My Conversation With a Genius

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Shaming is bad. Fat-shaming, skinny-shaming, slut-shaming, gender-shaming, victim-shaming, and, of course, mom-shaming. Mom-shaming is the worst. Except, of course, when it comes to school choice. Then, it’s genius! After yet another speech where she criticized all parents (New York City parents, in particular) for choosing schools they believe are best for their children, MacArthur Genius… Continue reading School Choice, Mom-Shaming, and My Conversation With a Genius

Why Everyone  In NYC Has School Choice…And Why Everyone Doesn’t.
Finding the Right School · School Choice

Why Everyone  In NYC Has School Choice…And Why Everyone Doesn’t.

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

It’s National School Choice Week, which makes it the perfect time to discuss why everyone in New York City has School Choice. And why everyone doesn’t. In theory, NYC students have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to educational options. There is Universal Pre K in public schools, charter schools, community centers, and private… Continue reading Why Everyone  In NYC Has School Choice…And Why Everyone Doesn’t.

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!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

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!

Now That He’s Got Control, What Will NYC’s Mayor Do About “Chaos, Gridlock, and Corruption”?
Blog

Now That He’s Got Control, What Will NYC’s Mayor Do About “Chaos, Gridlock, and Corruption”?

Alina Adams1 Comment

On Thursday, June 29, 2017, the New York State Legislature voted to extend Mayor Bill de Blasio’s control of New York City schools for two years. The move was heralded by everyone from NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, who proclaimed it “the best way to provide education,” to former Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who asserted that… Continue reading Now That He’s Got Control, What Will NYC’s Mayor Do About “Chaos, Gridlock, and Corruption”?

Diminishing Choices: Why NYC Kids’ Pre-K Affects Where They Go To College
Blog

Diminishing Choices: Why NYC Kids’ Pre-K Affects Where They Go To College

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

New York City kids are coming to the end of the 2017 application cycle, with general education Kindergarten as well as all Middle School and High School placements set to be released next month. Yet, once again, families were not fully informed of all their choices, entering the process unaware that options diminish as students… Continue reading Diminishing Choices: Why NYC Kids’ Pre-K Affects Where They Go To College