At the first PTA meeting of my son’s high school this fall, I showed up, like so many new parents, eager to participate and learn more about what to expect for the next four years. I was somewhat taken aback at the conversation: it barely moved past budget cuts and the need for all parents to...
Advocates for students with disabilities are often at odds with the Department of Education about how those children can be best served in the city's public schools. But today a parent advocacy group and the Department of Education came together in a collaboration to celebrate inclusion for all...
Two weeks ago my friends and I sent in our deposits to the colleges of our choice and put an abrupt end to the lengthy "college process." But for many parents and students reading this blog, the Fiske books are just coming out. The role of parents in the college process is delicate. Many of my...
Dear Judy We're considering moving to get into a better school zone for my son to attend a public kindergarten program in Fall 2011. By when do we have to move to establish residency for the Department of Education? Mobile Mom Dear Mobile Mom: It's best to live at the new address for at least...
The state's education department and teachers' unions have reached an agreement that will change the way teachers are evaluated. Under the new system, teacher' ratings would be linked to how well their students perform on state and local tests, as well as other factors. The agreement, which is...
Mayor Bloomberg last week announced his 2011 fiscal budget and the outlook for the city's school teachers -- and its classrooms --is grim. The budget calls for the elimination of 6,414 teachers --4,419 would be laid off and another 1,995 jobs would go unfilled. The final count will be determined...
Charter schools continue to dominate education news. With millions of dollars of Race to the Top money at stake, the push to raise the New York State charter cap is gaining momentum, thanks to a multimillion-dollar, pro-charter lobby funded by hedge fund managers. In our last poll we asked you...
It's been a bumpy ride this spring for kindergarten enrollment in tiny District 1, New York City's only full choice district, located on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Parents claim that kindergarten applications were lost, or processed inaccurately, causing potential overcrowding at some programs,...
My twelve-year-old has been asking one too many questions lately about high school admissions, even as I’ve tried to shield him from all discussions and preserve whatever innocence might possibly be left of his childhood. This week's seventh-grade state math tests prompted a new wave of...
While more than 6,600 8th graders are still sweating out this year's high school admissions process, it's time for the roughly 80,000 students in next year's class of 8th graders to start thinking about high school. Throughout the month of May, the Department of Education will be hosting high...
Q: My son will be applying to colleges in the fall. My question is about college interviews. Are college interviews given randomly or are they primarily given if the college is not quite sure about accepting the applicant? Is it just Ivy League schools who interview students or do many colleges...
More incoming kindergartners qualified for gifted and talented programs in the city's public schools this year, although fewer kids were tested. According to Department of Education data released today, 3,542 incoming kindergartners are eligible for district or citywide programs as compared to...
Last week the Department of Education announced that of the 80,412 8th graders applying to high school, 82% 92% of them --- 73,718 -- were matched to a high school. Not included in the announcement was the number of 9th graders who were matched to a new high school. Of the approximately 86,000...
The due date for Gifted and Talented applications for qualifying elementary school students is Friday, April 30. Among the hundreds who submitted commentsto Insideschools on this topic, some raised questions and asked us to clarify. Thanks to all the posters who chimed in to answer one...
Eighteen parents of students learning to speak English and 21 parents of children with special education needs have come forward to run for election to the newly created citywide parent council for English Language Learners and the Citywide Council for Special Education. The creation of the...
Some 2000 students and their parents attended last Thursday's supplementary round high school fair, according to aNY1 weekend report that featured an interview with Insideschools' director Pamela Wheaton. More than 6600 8th graders did not receive a match in the main round of high school...
Last week was a banner one for news coverage of charter schools. The Daily News reported that nepotism and conflicts of interest were rampant at some charters schools, while their oversight was the topic of a contentious hearing headed by State Senator Senator Perkins. Two intrepid reporters at...
It's "ELA day" for New York students in grades 3 through 8 who are taking the state standardized reading tests. After weeks filled with practice tests, skill assess ments, and endless sharpening of number 2 pencils, students sat down today for the first part of the state English Language Arts...
<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt; Normal 0 0 1 485 2768 23 5 3399 11.1287 &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt; 0 0 0 &lt;![endif]-->Recess. The word invites a rush of memories for most of us adults, whether remembrances of freedom or flashbacks to schoolyard bullying. My own...
Yesterday, we featured charter school expert Dirk Tillotson's advice [link] for voicing complaints to charter schools. Today, he explains the rights of students with special needs in the charter system: My child is in special education and an English language learner and we're applying to a...
My 7th grader chose to investigate his school’s lunch waste flow for his spring science fair topic. He mounted a waste reduction campaign to see if he could lower the amount of waste sent from his school to a landfill. He promoted “flip, tap and stack,” a technique to help Styrofoam trays take...
Earlier this week we reported that there were openings at two selective Manhattan high schools, Bard HIgh School Early College and Millennium High School, which were not listed as choices in the supplementary round. We asked the Department of Education to explain why. According to Danny Kanner...
In a complicated year for high school admissions, Chancellor Klein announced today that 86% of the 80,412 8th-graders who applied for high school were matched to one of their top five choices on a list of up to 12 schools to which they could apply. More than half -- 52% -- were matched to their...
Think of the best teacher you have ever had. She convinced you you could do it. He visited your home when something went wrong. She gave you hard feedback on an essay. He spoke to you with great respect. She engaged and pushed your thinking, and made you "smarter." How would you want him or her...
Tour dates for schools that will be offering G&T programs in 2010 are now posted on the Department of Education's website. Click here to see the links for each borough, and for a list of all the programs. Tours are being held this week and next; the deadline for submitting an application is...
Q: My son is so stressed out with senior year and college applications that he's actually lost his enthusiasm for going to college. He says he wants to take a year off. Is this a good idea? Will universities look down on him if he graduates a year late or starts college a year late? A: ...
Bard High School Early College and Millennium High School, two highly selective high schools in Manhattan, have a lot of seats available for incoming 9th graders. Here's the catch: neither are included in the supplementary round of admissions for students who weren't matched anywhere during the...
Like many New York City public school parents, I spend a fair amount of time thinking about schools and anticipating the next move. To avoid stressing out my seventh-grader needlessly, though, I decided to put a moratorium on the conversation about high schools until absolutely necessary – like...
In a Friday afternoon press release, the Department of Education announced the closing of a Brooklyn charter school, East New York Preparatory Charter School. In February 2009 the school, which received its charter in 2005, was put on probation for improperly discharging some students and...
Score reports and applications for students who qualified for kindergarten and 1st grade gifted and talented programs are to be sent no later than today, April 16, according to the Department of Education.Letters will be mailed to eligible students who then must fill out an application for seats...
Forums to meet the candidates for the new citywide council for English language learners (CCELL) and the newly reconstituted special education council (CCSE) are underway. Forums in Staten Island and Queens were held this week; still to come are those for Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. In...
The City and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT ) the union representing the New York City's more than 80.000 members, reached an agreement today to close the city's notorious Rubber Rooms, where teachers awaiting disposition of charges against them languish while the system stalls. Under the...
"Break a leg, Alan and Laura!" This was the phone message Brooks left on our friends' answering machine the night before the reading of their new musical. It's clear to us now that Brooks understands the abstract concept of this phrase; that it means good luck and that it has nothing to do with...
While the New York City Department of Education faces up to $1.2 billion in budget cuts, rookie teachers across the city are fearing the loss of their jobs due to seniority rules, a policy known as "last in, first out." However, a bill sponsored by two Democratic state lawmakers aims to rewrite...
Last SaturdayClass Size Matters held a Citywide Parent Conference at Manhattan'sSchool of the Future. Local officials, educators, and families gathered to discuss school governance, parent involvement, overcrowding and other issues relating to the New York City public school system. An afternoon...
The Department of Education has not yet released the numbers of how many 8th-graders were not matched with a public high school for September and we will share the information as soon as we get it -- possibly later today. Last year the number of unmatched students was 7500; this year it may be...
This year, state-mandated standardized tests for students in grades 3-8 are being held later than customary -- in April and May rather than in January and March. When the testing schedule was announced last spring, some Insideschools.org readers worried that the later schedule would mean too much...
In the last poll's angst-o-meter, the largest percentage of you -- 44% -- were most annoyed by the Department of Education's delay in sending high school placement letters. And, indeed, the DOE still has not released news about how many students were placed in high schools after the main round,...
Two regulations that significantly affect parents' participation in schools have been posted by the Department of Education. One, Chancellor's Regulation A-660 Parents Associations and the Schools, is up for approval by the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) at its April 20 meeting. The document...
Applications for the Specialized High Schools Institute (SHSI), a free course run by the Department of Education that helps economically disadvantaged children prepare for the Specialized High School Admissions Test, are due, Friday, April 9th. All students admitted will attend five-week...
The nail biting is over for most 8th graders who received their high admissions letter in the mail over spring recess. Unfortunately for some, uncertainty will linger a bit longer. Many 8th graders are first learning today from their middle school's guidance counselors where -- and whether --...
UPDATE 4:40 p.m. April 7: A new kindergarten waitlist released by the Department of Education shows that close to 1500 students (1492) are actually still on a waitlist, not the 1367 that was reported on the earlier version. Among the numbers on the new list: 111 waitlisted at PS 87, not the 91...
By the time your kid hits eighth-grade in New York City, you should be a grizzled admissions veteran. You’ve already negotiated finding an elementary school or perhaps chosen to live in a certain neighborhood because of one. You’ve most likely dragged your fifth-grader through countless middle...
Many people do not yet know that there is a major reform coming to special education in New York City. Before leaving the city last June, Garth Harries, former Department of Education executive, wrote a memo that outlined a new, bold vision for improving the way our city addresses the needs of...
Q: My daughter has a 3.70 GPA and has not been accepted to any of the colleges of her choice. She is on a waitlist but this does not make us feel safe. Should she be applying to more colleges, even at this late date? A: This is not an unheard-of situation. When I was an admissions officer, a...
Parent Association officers are now eligible to serve on Citywide and Community District Education Councils. That change is among several described under newly issued Chancellor's Regulationswhich set out new rules for selection, nomination, and filling vacancies for parent councils: Community...
Dear Judy, I was recently denied the right to observe my daughter in her public high school. I was not given a reason. I contacted the district and filed a complaint with the District Family Advocate. She told me that by rule of the Chancellor I would have to get permission from every parent of...
District 3 parents got official word late last week regarding the admissions policy for PS 452, slated to open in the PS 44building in September to alleviate overcrowding in a few Upper West Side schools. In a March 26 letter to the Community District Education Council, Elizabeth Rose of the...
The fight goes on. The MTA has decided to postpone its vote on the issue of student MetroCards, saving the final decision until June. During these next few months it is more important than ever that we make our voices heard and keep the pressure on! A few weeks ago, students from the Urban Youth...
The "angst-o-meter" we've been gauging in this week's poll spilled out onto the steps of Tweed Courthouse yesterday as parents and advocates gathered to voice their discontent with the recent actions of the Department of Education. Topics addressed at the "speakout" centered on the impact on our...
Because I was only working 20 hours a week last summer, I was able to patch together part-time child care and the ASD Nest half-day camp in July into a workable model. This year, with my husband and I both in full-time positions, we are joining the "summer camp challenged" ranks. The good news:...
