When the Department of Education released its 2009 graduation statistics last week, headlines and press releases touted a record-breaking 63 percent graduation rate. However, they failed to address the fact that only one in four students with special needs graduates within four years.

Local advocacy group ARiSE Coalition (Advocates for Children is a member) released a statement today positing that this “deeply disturbing fact” is one of many that hasn’t been reported. “The DOE must share information for all students, including those with the most profound disabilities, regarding graduation rates broken down by the type of diplomas received (IEP, local, Regents, or Advanced Regents),” states ARiSE.

The information released by the DOE does not include data for students with disabilities that are measured by “alternate assessments” — using non-traditional approaches to judge student performance. Statistics from District 75 schools, which serve students with the most severe disabilities, are also poorly reported, as they are lumped in with data from local schools, according to ARiSE.

Graduation rates for students with special needs are improving — from 17 percent in 2005 to 25 percent in 2009 (see below), but advocates claim that celebrating this incremental increase detracts from the bigger issue. “Even if it represents a minute improvement over the cohort from the previous year, 1 in 4 is an abysmal statistic,” states ARiSE.

An angry crowd of parents, kids, and elected officials gathered outside City Hall yesterday to protest Chancellor’s Regulation A-812, which bars the sale of home-baked goods at school fundraisers, while sanctioning the sale of foods such as Baked Doritos.

The protest drew more than 100 parents and kids. Some decried the hypocrisy of banning the tradition of selling home-baked goods — all in the name of wellness — while approving the sale of processed foods.

“There are so many things they can do before they get into the bake sales, which has been the parents’ territory for generations, ” said Brooklyn New School parent Larissa Phillips who came to the protest with her daughter. “When they sell Snapple to make money it’s OK , but when we try to sell some baked goods, it’s unhealthy and not OK — that’s a double standard.”

Others who joined the protest, like Public Advocate Bill De Blasio, bristled at the lack of common sense shown in the matter. He echoed the frustration expressed by many protesters in the crowd. “You can’t make a school better without involving parents to the fullest, and right now, this decision, like so many others, was made with only the most superficial effort to engage parents. ”

The Bake-In drew a lot of news coverage. Gothamschools features commentary from Bake-In organizers Elizabeth Puccini and Anisa Romero, and NY-1 was there too.

Since this was a parent-led event, we’ll let a mom have the last word. Check out what the co-president of the NEST+M PTA, Susan Townes-West had to say:

As I type, concerned New Yorkers are protesting the impending “bake sale ban” outside City Hall. Parents, students and educators organized the “bake-in” to voice their discontent with the ban on selling home-baked goods in school fundraisers, while pre-packaged foods, such as Doritos and Pop-Tarts, are permitted.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and City Council member Gail Brewer are speaking on the issue. View more pictures, courtesy of our own Laura Zingmond, after the jump. We’ll have a full report up tomorrow morning.

When I sat down to write this post and found myself instead opening Facebook chat, gazing out the window, and experiencing a general lack of focus, I decided that “senioritis” was the most honest thing for me to write about. It seems that I am not the only one with senioritis on my mind — in Insideschools blogger Judy Baum’s last post, she responded to a parent concerned about her son dropping out as a senior.

I empathize with the student in question. As one senior friend of mine put it, “You’ve been doing the same thing for 12 years, you’re looking at these new exciting places to go and things to learn, and then you’re told that you should go and do more of the same thing. You can’t help but say ‘screw that.’” But, as Judy said, dropping out in senior year is still dropping out. And if kids are threatening to drop out just three months before graduation, something needs to change.

I changed my Facebook status to the following question: “I’m writing a post on an education blog about senioritis, can you take a second to answer this: how is senioritis affecting you? And can you think of a better way to do senior year?”

Though it was close to midnight, I got about 15 responses in the next few minutes. Many of them were something like: “Well I have a ten page paper due tomorrow and I’m on Facebook. Does that answer your question?” Many students voiced complaints such as “I have no motivation. I have a hard time getting myself to school, and if I do get myself there, it is past 10:00 a.m.” Students had a lot of ideas for alternatives, including internships, senior projects, and community service. And students are not the only ones thinking about trying something new.

(more…)

Dear Judy.

My son, who is a senior, is about to drop out of school. He is very frustrated because the school gave him a full day schedule, and classes that he doesn’t need and that he is taking with 9, 10 and 11 graders. The school said that their policy is that seniors have to attend full day. They are not offering college classes or any other classes that students can benefit from.Is there anything I can do?

Luz

Dear Luz

Your son is not alone in experiencing “senioritis.” Students who finish their diploma requirements by the end of junior year or first semester of senior year ask: why am I still here, when I could be out in the world? Of course, mid-March is not the most convenient time to start thinking about leaving - in effect he would be dropping out. If he walks out in the middle of the year without a diploma, he will face problems down the road attending college, joining the service, and getting good jobs. If he had planned earlier, he might have been able to enliven the 12^th grade with internships and co-op work situations, and taken electives in subjects that interest him that he didn’t have time for before. But if he leaves three months before graduation, what will he do? Even though he has fallen prey to senioritis, and the tendency to laze about at loose ends, there are better ways to use 12^th grade.

You haven’t told me what school he attends, so I can’t be specific. Many large schools do give kids a short day in senior year if they have only a few courses to complete, however, since your school has a stated policy to require a full day, your son is stuck with it.

First things first, make sure he does have all the credits he needs to graduate. Check his report cards and ask the guidance counselor if there is any doubt. If necessary, he can use his remaining time to make up a missing gym or Regents requirement. Credits established, look for ways to cut through his boredom: most high schools rely on student help in the office, audio-visual squad, after school activities - a way to fill the time, maybe learn a new skill. Or, how about joining the committee to plan the senior prom, work on the yearbook, or raise money for the class trip, and other senior activities. (more…)

 Have a school question for Judy?  Search archives | Contact Judy

NYC Green Schools, a parent clearing house on school food and environmental issues, is holding a rally on March 18 from 4-6 p.m. at City Hall, to protest Chancellor’s Regulation A-812.

The regulation sets out policy for when parents can hold bake sales and what foods can be sold by parents and students to raise money in city schools. It is an issue that continues to engage parents’ attention, not only because the regulation limits fundraising opportunities, but also because what kids should eat in school and out is a hot topic these days. See our Cupcake Comeback post and the many comments it drew.

In their press release, rally organizers say that, “the regulation prohibits home-baked foods from being sold at school fundraisers, while permitting Doritos and Pop-Tarts instead! ” [sic]. These foods are among the approved, pre-packaged foods that the DOE permits. (more…)

After approving 19 school closures in January and 16 colocations in February, the Panel for Education Policy will vote on more than a dozen school utilization changes in March and April. Eleven co-locations plans and six school re-siting proposals, which would affect schools in three boroughs, are up for approval by the PEP

Among the Manhattan schools affected are District 2’s Clinton School for Writers and Artists and District 3’s new PS 452 on the Upper West Side. In a March 5 announcement, that took the school by surprise, the DOE changed its plans to move the Clinton School from its 30-year home in PS 11 to nearby PS 33, and instead move Clinton into the building housing the American Sign Language and Dual Language School, known as PS 47.

The new plan came just three days after Elizabeth Rose of the DOE’s portfolio office met with Clinton parents and told them the school would definitely be moving to PS 33. That proposal drew criticism because it would displace a special education program, PS 138. The latest proposal was submitted just under the wire to conform with a chancellor’s regulation that requires any change in location to be publicized six months before the start of the school year, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Clinton parents. (more…)

In last week’s poll, we asked how the kindergarten admissions process was treating you. Only eight percent of parents are “all set,” while 54 percent share some level of concern. See our recent blog post on the admission process for more information. This week we’d like to know if you’ll be taking part in the school environment survey.

Have you gotten that electric green envelope? The fourth annual NYC School Survey is out, and it can also be filled in online (you’ll need the eight digit code that appears on the bottom right hand corner of your paper survey). This year, all teachers citywide, as well as 6th through 12th grade students at 364 schools, will fill out the survey online, skipping the paper version entirely. The deadline is April 23.

The parent survey responses, along with teacher and 6th-12th grade student surveys responses, count toward 15% of the schools’ grades on the Progress Reports (student performance counts for 25%, and student progress makes up 60% of the total score).

The Learning Environment Surveys are also promoted as a way to provide valuable information to administrators and School Leadership Teams, pointing up places where improvements may be needed in areas such as academic expectations, communication, engagement, safety, and respect.

Among the changes in this year’s survey, the Chancellor’s office informed principals, are an “increased focus on how well schools create opportunities for teacher collaboration, and how well schools prepare students for ‘postsecondary success’.”

There’s also a new advertising campaign — complete with bus shelter posters and Internet ads and radio spots — encouraging participation.

In past years, the survey process and the Progress Reports have aroused some skepticism, and the increased pace in school closings has tensions running high in many buildings. How do you feel about the survey? Will you participate? Has your school encouraged you to fill it out, and if so, have you felt pressured to rate your school favorably? Please take our poll at left, and share your comments below.

Last week, the New York Times reported on a bill just passed in the House of Representatives, to protect school children from certain forms of punishment, including restraint and seclusion (as in solitary confinement). If it becomes law, this legislation will cover children at all schools receiving federal funds.

I was astonished that such legislation was not already in place. Although it obviously covers extreme cases, the bill, and the fact that it came out in the midst of the Department of Education’s Respect For All Week (see this Insideschools post), got me thinking about discipline – the everyday variety that takes place among very young students, such as kindergartners.

How does a teacher keep a room full of five- and six-year-olds under control? They can be pretty active, and I can’t imagine having to manage 20 or more of them at one time. Remember Kindergarten Cop? I’m fairly sure more than one teacher has fantasized about going military on a wild class, but most of us expect a less heavy-handed approach from our teaching professionals. (more…)

The first round of kindergarten applications for the 2010-2011 school year are due today, and already some schools have more applicants than seats available. However, new schools, and rezoning in some districts, may alleviate some of the overcrowding that caused 28 schools to turn 287 kindergarten students away last fall when classes were “capped.”

Parents had until 2 p.m. today to fill out applications. Final counts are not yet tallied, but at least two popular Upper East Side schools, PS 290 and PS 183, report far more applicants than slots available. By Thursday, PS 290 had 190 applications for 100 spots; PS 183 had 180 applicants for 125 spots.

Although most kindergarten classes are capped at 25 students, some accept a few more. Others, especially those with funds earmarked to lower class size, accept fewer. If there are more kindergarten applicants than slots available, a computerized lottery determines who is offered admittance. Schools will notify families of placements on March 22.

Many families hedge their bets by applying to private schools, gifted and talented programs, and unzoned schools, as well as their zoned schools. When some families eventually accept placement in other programs, their zoned slots are assigned to students on a wait list. Last year at this time, many Manhattan schools were flooded with applicants. In the end, only two had to “cap” their kindergarten classes, turning students away: PS 183 and PS 59. (more…)

How will the planned MTA cuts to student MetroCards affect education? That’s the topic of a City Council hearing on Friday, March 13 beginning at 1 p.m. in Council Chambers.

Insideschools student blogger Toni and the NYC Student Union have been actively opposing the cuts; MTA hearings over the past few weeks have attracted crowds of protesters. Prospects for resolving this are slim before the state passes its budget but, to have your voice heard, attend Friday’s meeting at City Hall. Public comment will likely begin after 3 p.m.

See the City Council’s hearing notice below for background information and details:

“New York City public schools serve approximately 1.1 million students, and while some students walk to school, nearly 600,000 are dependent upon subsidized transportation of some kind, with the vast majority of students relying on mass transit in order to travel to and from school. Non-public school students are also eligible for subsidized transportation. Currently, students can obtain subsidized transportation to school in a variety of ways: using a half-fare student Metrocard, using a no-fare student Metrocard, or by means of bus companies contracted through the DOE. (more…)

Parents who want to serve on the Citywide Council on Special Education (CCSE), or the new Citywide Council on English Language Learners (CCELL) now have until March 19 to nominate themselves. The original due date was March 12.

Applications are available online at powertotheparents.org. Paper applications are available through the Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy, or call 212-374-4118.

There is no change in the dates for the citywide “advisory vote ” by parents on April 26-30 and the actual selection by PA and PTA officers on May 11-12 . Successful candidates will be announced May 31.

The special ed council is being reconstituted to bring it in line with the August 2009 amendments to State education law. Now, CCSE members must include parents or guardians of all students with individualized education programs (IEPs), not just parents of District 75 students. The CCELL is a new council established under the August law. Candidates must be parents of students in programs for English Language Learners.

All around the city, schools are embracing and thriving on green. Some are learning about climate change from teacher resources like Earth Day NY or Facing the Future. Others are building green roofs, using watt meters and composting food scraps.

The Green Gremlins of Grace Church school pairs middle school students with elementary schoolers to run green activities, which range from making used Christmas cards into valentines for people in a hospital, to recycling keys and used gift cards, or raising money for Haiti by selling old electronic games.

Seeds in the Middle, currently piloting at PS 91 in Brooklyn, teaches students how to grow, market, find and cook healthy food.

PS 333, the Manhattan School for Children, expects to break ground for a pilot greenhouse on the roof, this summer. When finished it will teach kids about environmental sustainability, food, and nutrition. (more…)

Long-awaited “main round” high school acceptance letters to 8th graders MAY be delayed, according to a report in today’s Daily News.

The letters with high school matches, due to be delivered to students on March 24, are being held up by court order because of a lawsuit against the Department of Education by the NAACP and the teachers union. The lawsuit charges that the DOE acted illegally in moving to close 19 schools.

According to the Daily News, “Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Joan Lobis ruled Tuesday to temporarily ban the city from making the matches, since their process isn’t factoring in the closing schools and isn’t matching kids with them. ”

The court is encouraging both sides to work together to resolve the issue and the DOE is allowed to go ahead and prepare to send out letters — just not send them - yet.

For thousands of anxious 8th-graders and their parents, a longer wait to receive confirmation of where they will be attending school next year means more nail-biting.

Are you among the 86,000 or so families awaiting acceptance letters? How do you feel about the delay?

Q: I will be applying to universities in the U.S. from France. My English is fluent and I lived in the U.S. as a child. My father is American, my mom is Colombian, and I have an American passport. We have been living in France for the past four years. Will this allow me to apply as an “international student” or would I be considered an American applicant? If I stress my international side, could my application be rejected as an “international student” when colleges see that I am an American citizen?

A: Being an “international student” is, strictly speaking, a matter of citizenship rather than residency. In other words, what counts is the legal citizenship of the applicant and not where he or she lives or goes to school. As an American citizen, you are an American wherever you live, whether it’s in France, Colombia, England, or the U.S. On the other hand, a student who is German — for example — a German citizen whose parents work for an German company with an office in Chicago, and who has lived in the U.S. and attends an American high school, must apply as an international student.

But there is more to consider. You will bring a real international perspective to the U.S. college you attend. Your life as a dual citizen and your experiences abroad count for something! Your viewpoint will enrich your classroom life in the U.S. While the German student living in Chicago will also bring an international viewpoint to the college he attends, so will you! Your combined experiences have created the person you are, and it’s the whole person you are who will be considered for admission. (more…)

 Have a question for Jane?  Search archives | Contact the College Counselor

New York City’s graduation rates are on the rise, Chancellor Klein and Mayor Bloomberg announced today.  The State Education Department released the latest graduation data revealing that New York City’s four-year graduation rate, counting only June graduates, climbed to 59& in 2009, up from 56.4% in 2008 and 46.5 % in 2005. Taking into account August graduations, something the city has done for years and the state started doing with the 2009 grads, the city’s four-year rate hit 62.7 %. The statewide graduation rate was 72% in 2009.

We’re still wading through all the data, but here are some of the highlights posted on the Department of Education’s website. Graduation rates rose for all all ethnic groups — white, black, Latino, and Asian students. Latino students crossed the 50% threshold for the first time with 52% graduating in June 2009; 56% counting August grads. English language learners made steady gains with 39.7% graduating in four years (June grads only) up from 35.8% in 2008 and 25. 1% in 2007.

Notably, fewer than half (44.6%) of all students graduating in 2009 earned a Regents Diploma, which will become the standard for all graduates starting with the class of 2012.

The city is still producing dismal results for special education students, with only  a quarter graduating on time in 2009.

For those unfazed by lots of numbers, columns, and charts, check out the latest graduation rate data and a webcast of NYSED’s news conference held Tuesday afternoon.

Share your comments below.

The 1,082 page, 20-year-old world history textbook sits on a desk next to the 1,114 page biology book. They weigh in at a good five pounds each. There’s no more room for them in the already overloaded backpack, stuffed with an equally weighty Spanish textbook, lunch (quite possibly including some of the old and uneaten variety), a mess of pens, notebooks, binders, power bars, and gym clothing. The thing totaled close to 30 pounds at a recent weigh-in.The insanity of hauling heavy backpacks around in a city where kids have long commutes and lots of stairways is well known. The question I’m posing, though, goes beyond the backpack issue. I’m puzzled about why so many schools are still making use of these old textbooks.

A recent Scholastic survey commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and released last week found few teachers believe traditional textbooks can engage today’s digital natives and prepare them for success. Teachers say they prefer digital and non-digital resources like magazines and books other than textbooks.

Only 12 percent of some 40,000 teachers surveyed said textbooks help students achieve, while only 6 percent said textbooks engage their students in learning. Eliminating textbooks (a $7 billion market in the U.S.) is also cost effective in these cash-strapped times; Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California proposed cutting the budget deficit by replacing “outdated” textbooks with electronic versions.

But what is replacing textbooks? I noticed that one city high school is running a workshop on how to use YouTube in the classroom, along with instructions on an animated tool called Prezi. Some schools are moving toward digital textbooks, known as FlexBooks, which can be downloaded, projected, and printed. (more…)

The process of applying to kindergarten has changed over the years.  For some, it’s simple: go to your zoned school, bring the paperwork proving your child’s age and place of residence, fill out some forms, and you’re basically done. You’ll be able to register without a problem in April.

For others, the process is fraught with worry.Parents who are applying to additional programs — charter schools, G&T programs, private or parochial schools — may register at their child’s zoned school with trepidation, hoping for a better option.

Some zoned schools are so popular that they may not have enough seats for all zoned kindergartners.

For those who have children who will turn five in 2010, how are you feeling about the kindergarten process thus far? For those whose children are now in kindergarten, how did it work out for you?

Please take our poll at the left and share your comments below.

Last week, as we marked the 100th day of the school year, we asked for a “gut check” on how your school is doing. More than half of you — 57 percent were feeling pretty good, and either had no complaints or were mostly pleased. Nineteen percent were disappointed, and 22 percent said you were angry, and that your school needed major changes.

In the comments, some praised their schools, while others had complaints. Our school reviews capture the environment inside New York City schools, and your comments help us paint these pictures. It’s so helpful when you share comments — both positive and negative — about your schools.

Have you posted a comment on your school’s profile page yet? Let us know what’s good or bad by posting one now!

This week New Yorkers gathered in each borough to protest MTA layoffs, budget cuts, and the cancellation of student MetroCards. The Insideschools staff was wrapping up its workday Thursday when chants of protest poured in through our 7th-story window. I grabbed my camera and bolted down the stairs.

After hopping a steel barricade and weaving through a crowd of police officers, I joined the thousands marching from a rally at Gov. Paterson’s office to the Fashion Institute of Technology — where MTA held a public hearing on the MetroCard cuts. Students waved picket signs and led chants. “Hands off our MetroCards,” rang down the canyon of mid-rise buildings lining 7th Avenue.

We were greeted at FIT by a three-story inflatable rat, installed by protesters. The crowd was corralled by another set of steel barricades. I hopped another fence and turned down 27th Street to find another crowd of students still standing outside the entrance to the hearing. “Let us in,” a small group of high schoolers chanted. The police informed me that the room was full and that “no one else is getting in.”

I attempted to blend in with the fashionable crowd on campus to find a back door, but my meager style sense didn’t cut it with campus security. Luckily, Gabriel Resto-Montero of DNAinfo made it in and provided a great report. The MTA board is expected to vote on the cuts on March 24.

Labor unions organized speakers at the corner of 7th Avenue and 29th Street.

Mandy Hass is a parent at Lower Lab, as well as the director of marketing and business development for Insideschools.org.

Last week’s Village Voice cover story, Inside a Divided Upper East Side Public School: Whites in the front door, blacks in the back door, has succeeded in bringing two co-located Upper East Side schools closer together: virtually everyone in the building feels he got much of the story wrong.

Author Steven Thrasher focuses on two schools — Lower Lab, a “gifted and talented” elementary school open to top-scoring kids throughout District 2, and PS 198, a zoned neighborhood school — which have shared a building for 22 years.

When Lower Lab was founded, in 1987, PS 198 had underutilized space. At that time, few schools in New York City shared buildings. Today, according Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld at the Department of Education’s press office, there are roughly 740 co-located schools, and next year, that number is likely to rise to about 750. That’s about half of the schools in the nation’s largest school system. The reasons for colocation have to do with real estate realities and the trend in education reform to break large schools down into smaller communities, as well as New York’s decision to allow charter schools to have space in traditional public school buildings. (more…)

As continuing budget shortages force schools across the city to cut music programs, PS 55 in Queens is about to get a new one. Last spring, LaGuardia High School senior instrumental major David Charles was taking his sister to school at PS 55, when he realized that there was no music program at the school.

He went inside, found the principal, and offered to start one. In his words, “[The principal] warned me that it would require a lot of work and planning, but I told him I was ready for it. We exchanged contact information and I made the first lesson plan and showed it to him. We went over ….[the] cost… the schools budget…who would be interested. Then we handed out letters to the parents explaining what this was going to be about. Parents seemed really interested in the idea….

“Our purpose was to bring diversity to the school and promote musical understanding…. The school found a place (Laconia Music) to buy used instruments for very cheap… I’m going to have to come in before I go to school or after school. I have free periods in the morning and can move some things around.”

Wow. (more…)

Got time for a protest today? Join The Alliance for Quality Education, and other other community and education groups, at one of 18 protests against statewide education budget cuts. There’s at least one protest in every borough, starting at 12:30 p.m.

Below is the press release from AQE with the details:

What: Parents, students, educators and community members will hold 18 press conferences, town hall meetings and protests across New York State on Thursday, March 4, to oppose Governor Paterson’s proposed $1.4 billion cut to state education funding. In New York City, nine events will be held throughout the day to oppose the governor’s proposal to cut $466 million in state school aid. Events will take place in all five boroughs.

Who: Alliance For Quality Education, Campaign For Fiscal Equity, NYC Coalition For Educational Justice, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, Education Voters Of NY, Make The Road NY, NY Communities for Change, United Federation Of Teachers and more.

When: All events will take place on Thursday, March 4^th. See exact details below.

Visuals: Parents, teachers, elected officials.

Where: Various events across the city (listed below)

MANHATTAN

Murry Bergtraum High School Press Conference, 411 Pearl Street; 12:30pm

Speakers at Murry Bergtraum High School Press Conference:

• Zakiyah Ansari, Alliance for Quality Education/ NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
• Michael Mulgrew, United Federation of Teachers, President
• Geri Palast, Campaign For Fiscal Equity, Executive Director
• John Elfrant, Murry Bergtraum High School, Chapter Leader
• Ernest Logan, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, President
• Glynda Carr, Education Voters of NY, Executive Director

Additional Events occurring in all five boroughs are listed below:

MANHATTAN

MS 54 Booker T. Washington School Press Conference, 103 West 107th Street, 3pm

BRONX

PS 11 Town Hall Meeting, 1257 Ogden Avenue; 5:30pm-8pm

BROOKLYN

IS 318 Eugenio Maria De Hostos Press Conference 101 Walton Street 3pm

PS 13 Roberto Clemente Press Conference, 557 Pennsylvania Ave. 12noon

IS 171 Abraham Lincoln Town Hall Meeting, 528 Ridgewood Ave. 6pm-8pm

QUEENS

IS 125 Thomas J McCann Press Conference, 46-02 47th Ave, Woodside, 3pm

Make the Road Press Conference, 92-10 Roosevelt Avenue, Elmhurst, 11am

STATEN ISLAND

PS 45R Press Conference, 58 Lawrence Ave., 2:30pm

According to the Department of Education’s 2010-2011 school calendar,  students will attend only one day of classes during the first week of school. Talk about a false start!

Classes  will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 8 — two days after Labor Day — but students will have Thursday and Friday off for the Rosh Hashanah holiday! (Makes you  wonder how many families will skip the first week and send their children in the following Monday…)

Teachers and staff are due back on Tuesday, Sept. 7, assistant principals and supervisors on Aug. 30. The last day of the school year is Tuesday, June 28.

Check the calendar for other holidays and days off; the testing calendar hasn’t been posted yet.

The Department of Education is launching elections for a new citywide council composed of parents of students who are learning to speak English — known in DOE parlance as “English language learners” or ELLs. This is in addition to the already existent citywide council for special education parents, citywide council for high school parents, and community education councils in the 32 school districts.

Parents may nominate themselves for election at www.powertotheparents.org (deadline March 12). From April 12- 26, borough-wide forums will introduce the candidates. Parents of kids in ESL or bilingual education will be able to weigh in on an “advisory” vote between April 26-30. The official selectors - elected PA and PTA representatives - will vote May 11-12. All voting is online; results will be announced on May 31.

The establishment of a Citywide Education Council for English Language Learners is required by amendments to the state education law passed in August 2009. Advocates for Children has expressed concerns about voter eligibility, barriers for parents without online access, and council member training.

Parent participation is another concern. In June 2009, we reported that only 1,190 PTA officers out of an estimated 4,500 potential voters cast ballots in the Community Education Council elections. [CEC elections take place every two years. The next election is slated for May 2011.] A New York City PTA president commented that she did not vote because there were fewer candidates than seats. “Everyone was a shoe-in,” she wrote.

A new selection is also taking place in May to bring the Citywide Council on Special Education in line with the amended law. Now, CCSE members must include parents or guardians of all students with individualized education programs (IEPs), not just parents of District 75 students.

Parents or guardians who need paper applications, should contact the Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy at 212-374-4118 or e-mail ofea@schools.nyc.gov.

We’d like to know: Do you attend your district or citywide CEC meetings? If so, do parents actively participate? What can the city do to improve parent participation from ELL families?

New York City students can now anonymously report threats or acts of violence at their schools by calling 866-SPEAK-UP.

The toll-free hotline is operated by gun violence prevention group PAX, whose national service has received more than 35,000 calls since it was founded in 2002. City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn led the charge to promote 866-SPEAK-UP in New York City — with help from the Department of Education and the NYPD — in hopes of curtailing the popular “stop snitching” message among students.

“School should be a safe haven for students,” said Speaker Quinn in a press release. “Too many of our children fear retaliation if they report a violent incident that is about to happen and unfortunately authorities find out when it’s too late and innocent lives are affected. This program will empower students to take school safety into their own hands.”

A small number of New York City schools will participate in a pilot program to promote the hotline in their building. If you’d like to promote the service in your school, more information is available on the PAX website.

Gotham Gazette this week features a detailed look at bullying in NYC schools, concluding that data remains scarce as to whether the Chancellor’s Regulation designed to curb bullying has been effective.  The article came out in anticipation of Respect for All week, slated for March 8-12;

Is bullying or violence a problem at your school? Do you think this national hotline will be effective in curtailing it? And, is your school planning any “Respect for All” activities? Let us know in your comments below.

Dear Judy,

My client wants to withdraw her child from kindergarten because of child care problems. Is this allowed?

Social Worker

Dear Social Worker,

Withdrawing a child from kindergarten has no legal obstacles, but it does have other consequences for the child. It’s hard to believe, but in New York State, like most other states, kindergarten is not mandatory. In fact, only 13 states have legislated mandatory kindergarten. Compulsory school age in New York State begins at six, but elsewhere in the US, many states start requiring school attendance at age seven, or even as old as eight ( in Pennsylvania.)

I do not recommend doing without kindergarten or withdrawing in the middle of the year. These days, most kids in New York City schools have been in day care or pre-kindergarten (which in 2010 is the equivalent of what kindergarten used to be). Today’s kindergartners learn what 1st-graders used to - how to read and write and do arithmetic. Generally kindergarten teachers pay more attention to academics and less to play than they used to.

Good kindergartens do not eliminate play, because that’s the way for young children to solidify their understanding of the world and the social relationships they encounter in school. If the child is out of school, she not only misses out academics, but on important interactions with other kids. (more…)

 Have a school question for Judy?  Search archives | Contact Judy

Project Cicero launched its tenth annual book drive to help stock under-resourced public schools, community centers, and homeless shelters throughout the city. According to its website, over the past nine years Project Cicero has placed 1.3 million books in 7500 classrooms and libraries, reaching 300,000 students.

Through March 4, 2010, participating public, independent, and parochial schools will be collecting new and gently-used children’s and young adult books. For information on how to organize a book drive or to donate new books from Project Cicero’s Wish List on Amazon.com check out their website or email info@projectcicero.org.

Two Brooklyn parents are joining forces with Advocates for Children (AFC) to challenge the extension of PAVE Academy Charter School’s colocation with PS 15.

Despite public protest, the Panel for Educational Policy approved the extension during its January 26 meeting. In response, AFC filed a petition and request for stay — on behalf of PS 15 parents John Battis and Lydia Bellahcene — asking State Education Commissioner David Steiner to repeal the 8-4 decision. The petition argues that the Department of Education failed to properly assess the impact of PAVE’s colocation on PS 15, or provide an adequate period for public comment.

“The law requires a public process in which the DOE identifies the impact of their proposal on parents, students and the community, and allows for public comment,” stated Battis in a press release issued by AFC. “The DOE must comply with the law.” (more…)

The NY Post reports that 3,000 parents attended the third annual Harlem Education Fair, held Feb. 28 at the 369th Harlem Armory on 143rd Street. That’s far short of the 10,000 parents event organizers  predicted would turn out to  learn about dozens of  charter, parochial, private, and public schools in the area, or last year’s throng, estimated at 5,000.

The snow may have deterred some, but the parents who slogged through the slush, often with children in tow, were determined to explore all their school options. Many questioned the assertion by Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Archdiocese Schools Superintendent Tim McNiff, proclaiming  Harlem the “Parent Choice Capital of America.”

Parents we spoke with understood that the chances of actually getting your child into the school of your choice — particularly some of the more popular charter schools, which assign seats by lottery — are discouragingly slim.  One parent, who said her child is not being challenged at her neighborhood public school, PS 160, planned to apply to every charter school in order “to get my child the education she needs at the price I can afford.”

PS 241, an unzoned school that was one of a handful of public schools participating, got a lot of attention from a handwritten sign on its table saying “ALL are Welcome - NO LOTTERIES!”  A teacher at the school, which shares its building with two charter schools and earned an “A” on its school report card last year after nearly being closed, pointed proudly at colorful new promotional postcards.

The fair was  sponsored by the Success Charter Network, which operates a string of charter schools in Harlem and East Harlem and whose CEO is Eva Moskowitz, former chairperson of the City Council’s education committee. The fair took place  in the midst of the kindergarten registration season — public school kindergarten applications are due by March 12.  Most charter school applications are due by April 1.

We’d like to hear from parents who were at the fair and from those who live in the community. Is Harlem the “parent choice capital of America?”

Was your child born in 2005? 2006? If so, now is the time to register for a kindergarten or universal pre-kindergarten spot. If your child will be going into kindergarten, the application process began February 1^st; March 12 is the deadline to register. For upcoming pre-K’ers, registration begins today and runs through April 9. During this time, parents of prospective students can find an application, as well as a pre-k directory, online. Pre-k spots are given by lottery, with priority reserved for zoned siblings. Notifications will be sent out in early June.

Night Owl’s little sister is eligible for pre-K next year, so we’ll be first in line when the applications hit the PS29 office. As a zoned sibling, she’s supposed to be a shoe-in, but I can’t help but feel uneasy. The year we entered the lottery for Night Owl (2008) was the first year the lottery process had been centralized, and a glitch in the system caused even a few zoned siblings to fall through the cracks. I didn’t hear of any such snafus with the lottery last spring, but last year’s kindergarten registration was marked by overcrowding and kids being shut out of their own zoned schools, particularly on the Upper East Side. We can only hope the process this year goes more smoothly–at Night Owl’s school, the office does not report any unusual volume of kindergarten registrants so far.

Any reports from the registration front at your school?

It’s time for a new crop of  4-year-olds to begin applying to pre-kindergarten! The admissions process  for the 2010/2011 school year begins Monday, March 1 with  applications due by April 9.  All children who turn four  in 2010 are eligible for public pre-K, although they are not guaranteed a seat. Programs are housed in public schools or at  community-based organizations and the application process differs slightly depending on where a program is housed.

Public schools

There are two ways to apply for pre-K programs housed in public schools: by mail or online. To apply by mail, you must acquire a paper application and reply-envelope from this year’s pre-K directory. The directory will be available at all borough enrollment offices on Tuesday, March 2 and all elementary schools by March 8.  According to the DOE, the online application will be posted on the NYC Department of Education’s website on March 1.You may apply for a number of schools in one submission and rank those schools by order of preference.

Students with siblings who attend a school receive first priority; of those, families who live in the school zone receive first dibs in most cases. (There are a few places where this is not the case, such as Manhattan’s District 1 which has few zoned schools.)  Students without sibling preference are also ranked according to whether or not they live in the zone, or district. Admissions priorities are detailed  on the DOE’s pre-K information website.

Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)Applications for pre-K programs housed by CBOs are not handled by the DOE, although they are listed in the directory.   You must apply for each CBO program separately and deliver that application to the program’s site (no mail or online submissions) . The CBO will then contact you directly to let you know whether your child receives a spot.Applications are available at all CBOs now. They will also be available online — for printing — through the DOE’s website starting March 1. (more…)

It’s time again to bring out the sleds! At 6:15 this morning, after a night of snowfall, the Department of Education announced that all city public schools would be closed today. According to the announcement, “all after-school activities and PSAL events will also be cancelled. Administrative offices will remain open.”

Good luck to all parents who are faced with an unanticipated school  day with children at home! Let us know how your coping with childcare.

Parent-teacher conferences scheduled to take place today [Thursday, Feb. 25] at New York City intermediate and junior high schools will be rescheduled due to poor weather conditions, reports the NYC Department of Education in a press release.

“While we continue to monitor the weather, all indications are that schools will be open tomorrow. If conditions become worse than expected and schools do have to be closed, we will inform parents immediately,” states the release. After-school and PSAL programs will proceed as scheduled.”

The Panel for Educational Policy approved 13 charter school colocation proposals at its monthly meeting, held Wednesday night at the Fashion Industries High School in Chelsea.

New York City families packed the school’s 1,300-seat auditorium, according to NY1.   Charter school parents and students testified that their schools required more space to support growing populations, while public school families voiced frustration with the loss of valuable resources, such as science labs and libraries, to already-existing space constraints.

“I can understand why any school moving in would like more space, that makes sense,” said schools Chancellor Joel Klein at the hearing. “But what’s particularly interesting tonight Mr. Chairman is that all of a sudden, when charter schools are involved in sharing space there’s been a big political push back and we should see it for what it is,” Klein said.

Last month, the PEP voted to close 19 public schools before a packed auditorium of public school advocates at Brooklyn Tech High School. Some commentors accused the panel of pitting families against each other by placing charter schools in public schools.  Klein openly refuted this claim.

At last night’s meeting, Robert Jackson, chair of the City Council Education Committee, revived this accusation, citing that the disproportionate number of charter advocates in the evening’s crowd did not represent public opinion — many charter parents were bused to the event and provided dinner for attending, reports the Daily News.

How can public and charter schools share space efficiently and coexist? Share your thoughts!

In a surprising change of course, the Department of Education announced that it will cancel plans to move a charter school into a Bronx vocational high  school. The DOE’s decision comes after meetings with representatives from the construction industry, reports the The New York Times.

The New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industries was slated to replace some vocational programs at the Bronx’s Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School. The school’s building programs are on the chopping block due to low graduation rates.

The DOE will now work with construction industry representatives to develop a new school in the building. Smith’s principal René Cassanova told the Times that, while she hasn’t spoken to the DOE regarding the plan, she is pleased: “What we want is our industry partners at the table and the programs at Smith.”

AECI plans to rent private space for the 2010/2011 school year to house its growing student population. Controversy has plagued the school since founder Richard Izquierdo Arroyo was indicted on charges of embezzlement last summer.

For more information, see articles from the Daily News and The New York Times  online.

Monday marked the 100th day of the school year. So in this week’s poll, we ask: how’s it going?

Some classrooms celebrate this milestone with special activities. This year, the 100th day fell on the first school day after winter break. Needless to say, many students were not in the mood to celebrate.

If you’re a parent, student, or educator, what’s your gut feeling about how your school is performing? Please take our poll at left, and share your thoughts below.

And if there have been significant changes at your school during the last 100 days — good or bad — please share the updates on your school’s profile page here at Insideschools.org..

In our last poll, we asked how you feel about your school’s lunches. Fifty-eight percent of you said your school does NOT serve healthy lunches. Twenty-three percent said the food is healthy. Seventeen percent of you pack your own lunches, and said you’re not sure.

In the comments, more than a few students and parents characterized their cafeteria food as “disgusting,” “nasty,” or “gross” — regardless of its purported nutritional value. “My school serves partially healthy lunch, but the food is disgusting,” wrote a student. “Frozen foods are often given, and taste horrible. Watery, tasteless veggies, tacos, dry chicken nuggets, it’s really bad..”

But a parent at PS 84 tells us that due to a partnership with Wellness in the Schools and the efforts of the school’s wellness committee, their kids have a hot vegetarian entree option and salad bar every day — though the the high fructose corn syrup in the chocolate milk remains a subject of debate.

If you could change the menu at your school’s cafeteria, what would you serve?

A few weeks back, Insideschools attended the yearly New High Schools Fair. We were lucky enough to speak with faculty and staff from each  school about their hopes and plans for the 2010/2011 school year.

We’ve condensed all of this information into fact-packed profiles that will help you determine whether one of these new schools is right for your child:

• In Brooklyn: Academy For Health Careers.
• In the Bronx: Bronx Bridges High School.
• In Manhattan: Renaissance Charter High School For Innovation,  Frank Mccourt High School,  Hudson High School Of Learning Technologies, Murray Hill Academy, Manhattan Academy Of Arts & Language,  and International High School At Union Square.
• In Queens:  High School For Community Leadership, Queens Metropolitan High School, Cambria Heights Academy, and Hillside Arts & Letters Academy.

Three new transfer schools will open in September as well. You can find information on those schools in the Department of Education’s New High Schools Directory.  As we reported last week, the due date for high school applications has been extended to Thursday, Feb. 25.

Good luck!

There are many reasons why high school choice in New York City is so fraught and frightening for parents. In a city where parenting can resemble a competitive sport, important questions abound. But as our children age, we learn that these questions are only the beginning.

Concerns from parents who must decide on a specialized high school or other placement for their child have dominated conversation on Insideschools and in countless households. Class size, academic quality, commute time, and advanced placement offerings are all being weighed, along with the role of sports and arts.

Other pressing questions are close behind, because the inevitable and lifelong separation process is dramatically stepped up when your child enters high school. For example, what happens four years later? What percent of students graduate on time (in a city where half don’t) and how well prepared will graduates be for college? What is the quality of college counseling in city high schools, and how do college admissions officers regard graduates of say, Bronx Science vs. Eleanor Roosevelt?  Just how much should college concerns weigh upon what happens after 8th grade?

Those who have survived the intensity of New York City school admissions all the way to high school may feel like grizzled veterans when it comes time to pick a college. Still, it’s a shock to the system to consider our unformed adolescents as young adults who will, if all goes well, be out the door and making their own decisions before long.

Assumptions we make while dragging our 12 and 13-year-olds on school tours may be struck down as their interests and abilities change. I’ve always found one of the oddest and most difficult parts of school choice in New York City, starting with pre-kindergarten, can be making choices based on what I imagine my child will be like a full year later. (more…)

“Mommy, will Insideschools miss you after you say a big goodbye?”

Sadly, Brooks’s question arose because last week, I left my position here as Web Developer. While I will continue to write this blog for as long as InsidesSCOOP will have me, my technical career is moving on to The Paley Center.

I have to admit that as excited as I am to begin my new professional opportunity, I am also truly saddened to leave Advocates For Children (AFC), Insideschools’ parent organization. I will sorely miss this small but feisty group of really smart and compassionate folks, many of them special education parents themselves, who work so hard for the interests of all public school children with educational challenges. It is no exaggeration to say that AFC has fundamentally changed the kind of special education parent I am.

When I started here two years ago, I was a tremendously grateful autism mom: my little boy’s life had been saved by publicly-funded programs. New York State’s Early Intervention Services (EI) and New York City’s Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) had given Brooks 20 to 30 hours a week of intensive therapies that my husband and I would never have been able to afford privately. And Brooks had just secured a coveted kindergarten spot in the much-admired public school ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Nest program.

Now, two years later, my son’s integrated program at P.S. 178 has more than lived up to its promise. Everyone — teachers, therapists, and students — understands on some level that Brooks is different, but they also completely and totally accept him. This finely-tuned inclusion environment not only benefits my son, but also his whole class and his whole school, since they are all learning first-hand to accept, value and, most importantly, befriend kids who aren’t exactly like them. To witness a New York City public school prioritize teaching kindergartners the value of diversity, right up there alongside academics, is nothing less than breathtaking. (more…)

City Limits devotes its entire March issue to Harlem Children’s Zone, featuring a comprehensive report by Helen Zelon, long-time contributor to Insideschools.org. The lead article, “Is the Promise Real,” chronicles the history and status of the initiative, developed by charismatic leader Geoffrey Canada, to envelop whole neighborhoods with social services from cradle to college.

The HCZ now includes the Baby College, starting with pre-natal services, pre-school (Harlem Gems), three Promise Academy charter schools covering elementary through high school, and more than a dozen family and employment support organizations. It has caught attention and praise from philanthropists and politicians, including President Obama, who see it as a template for the nation’s troubled school children. A substantial sum of federal funds will go to 20 school districts to replicate the initiative.

The report offers an analysis of the schools’ practices and early results and describes the difficulty of measuring social service impact. It also examines the potential for replication in cities less saturated with social services and patrons than New York.

Check out the Q&A with founder Geoffrey Canada, and a video of interviews with Harlem residents online at City Limits. To read the full report, you’ll have to buy the journal at a newstand or subscribe..

Dear Judy - I have been reading about the [schools that are closing] and I am wondering: what happens to students at those schools? Are they allowed to transfer? Also, if they have not accumulated enough credits to graduate by the time the school is closed, what do they do?

—Worried about the kids

Dear Worried about the kids:

According to Liz Sciabarra, director of enrollment at the Department of Education, 9th- graders in phasing out schools will be offered the opportunity to apply for another school. Kids should speak to their guidance counselor about how to proceed. Another option: visit the local enrollment office.

Tenth graders will also be helped to transfer, if they wish, but by and large, the DOE expects students, especially in the upper grades in phase-out schools, to stay put and graduate. Be aware that many schools do not accept kids after 10th grade and sometimes the new placement will be no better than the current situation. It would be wise to contact the guidance counselor or the enrollment office 212-374-2363 as soon as you can to start the process. (more…)

 Have a school question for Judy?  Search archives | Contact Judy

I admit it: this time of year, my children don’t get enough exercise. It’s hard to drag them outside to play when we live in a northern, urban environment with no yard, and the playgrounds are sad and frozen.

There are only so many after school activities one can sign up for. The school does what it can, but its indoor facilities have limits, and if the temperature dips below freezing the teachers can’t risk frostbitten children. On not-so-bitterly cold days, the kids adjourn to the playground for recess, and I see them running around giddily, as though gulping fresh air for the first time.

When the weather’s too harsh to venture outside, the students sometimes watch a movie in the auditorium — to their intense delight. I don’t mind the occasional movie, but it’s no substitute for the kids moving their bodies. (more…)

This week’s snowstorm forced the postponement of open houses at specialized and new high schools. Because of the delays, the Department of Education is giving 8th graders and their families a few more days to make up their minds about whether to apply to new high schools, or, for those lucky enough to have a choice after the first round of high school acceptances, which school to accept!

The due date has been changed from Tuesday, Feb. 23 to Thursday, Feb. 25. From the comments on InsideSCOOP and our forum, some families are having a tough time making a decision. If you’ve got experience to share about the schools, please chime in.

And, see the Department of Education’s website for a rundown of all weather-related schedule changes, including the new open house dates for specialized high schools, and hearings about hotly-contested school utilization plans.

Hot on the heels of the (partial) reinstatement of PTA bake sales, a new brochure was circulated today by the Office of Family Engagement at the Department of Education called “Yes, You Can: A Fresh Look at Healthy Fundraisers for Schools.”

This attractive guide, produced by the East Harlem District Public Health Office and the Strategic Alliance for Health, a program of the Centers for Disease Control, aims to counter fundraisers that “involve selling foods high in fat, sugar, salt, and calories.”

One section I like is called “Combining Fitness and Fun.” This describes how parents or schools can design “Do-It-Yourself Fitness-A-Thon” fundraisers. Some organizations that can help set up fitness fundraisers are the New York Road Runner Foundation or Fitness Fundraising. (more…)

Meredith Kolodner of the Daily News has been following the story of Rosa Bracero, a newly homeless senior in high school, who was unable to take the state-mandated English Regents exam in January because her presence was required at a homeless intake center for a seven hour meeting. She took the exam at her high school the following day but the state education department refused to score the exam. The English Regents was the only missing piece for Rosa who hoped to graduate in January and attend the Lincoln Technical Institute during the second semester.

After an uproar by advocates for the homeless and others, the New York City Department of Homeless Services announced they had changed the policy. “The Department of Homeless Services is revamping our policy so that once a family presents at the intake center, a student may be excused from the shelter application process for important exams that do not offer make-up sessions, like Regents or some college preparatory exams, while their family continues to be processed. The incident of a student missing the Regents Exam was unfortunate and unusual, but these steps will ensure that no child faces a similar situation again.” (more…)

Wondering what to do today with your kids who are out of school?

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreations has some suggestions for every borough.

Check them out at this link.

And let us know how the day is going. Comment below.

Last week, the Department of Education announced that they would be seeking to develop “richer assessments of learning” over the next few years to complement the standardized tests. In his explanation, the DOE’s Director of Accountability, Shael Suranksky quoted President Obama: “It’s about being smarter about our assessments. It’s about measuring not only whether our kids can master the basics, but whether they can solve challenging tasks, do they have the skills like critical thinking and teamwork and entrepreneurship.”

Suransky went on to say that a new collaboration with the Gates Foundation will lead to more opportunities to engage in performance-based assessments (where students “perform” their learning in more open- ended ways).

At Arts & Letters we are already doing such assessments. In fact, on that same day, at Arts & Letters, we completed our third day of “Roundtables,” a practice adapted from many small schools across the city and the country.

Roundtables are based on a simple belief: students should have the opportunity to share, reflect on, and discuss the work they have done during the semester, and they should do it with an audience who knows and cares about them. Visitors should see what goes on all day in our public schools. This is one way that we show how deep and complex learning really is. (more…)

All New York City public schools will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 10 due to “anticipated inclement weather,” states a  press release from Chancellor Joel Klein issued today. After-school activities and PSAL events are also called off.

The announcement  comes alongside a  “Winter Storm Warning” issued by the  National Weather Service that calls for “significant snowfall tonight into Wednesday night.” The warning will remain intact through Thursday evening. Schools will be open Thursday, pending further announcements from the Department of Education.

“We are making this decision today to give parents as much time as possible to make alternative plans for tomorrow,” states the release.

View the DOE’s press release here.