In October, Governor Paterson proposed $686 million in school budget cuts. Democratic Senate Leader John Sampson stated yesterday that these cuts “are not going to happen.” The official decision is still pending, but the vote is in process and may be settled as early as Monday evening.

Paterson’s budget office projects a deficit for the remainder of the current fiscal year of $4.1 billion, with deficits of $7.8 billion and $15.7 billion over the following two. Citing these dire economic straits, his plan calls for major cuts in education, as well as healthcare spending. “I will mortgage my political career on this plan,” he told a joint session of the Legislature on Nov. 9th.

The Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) is urging New Yorkers to ask their representatives to oppose these cuts. AQE’s Executive Director Billy Easton told the New York Times that “school aid has to be off limits because of the constitutional obligations that are going unmet.”

You can contact your representative at OurKidsCantWait.org.

In our last poll, we asked how you felt about the future of our public schools in the wake of  Mayor Bloomberg’s reelection. It turns out that many of you – 32% — are angry: you feel our kids were pawns in a costly campaign and wish the money had gone to schools instead.

Fifteen percent have confidence that the mayor  has done a lot to make the schools better and that he can keep up the momentum. Fifteen percent are determined to get our kids the best education possible regardless of who’s in charge, and 18% are worried things will get worse. Only 10% said they were optimistic that the schools will improve, and just 7% were disappointed that Thompson didn’t win.

This week, we’d like to know how your parent-teacher conferences went. Vote now! You’ll find this week’s poll near the upper left hand side of this page, and you can share your comments here.

A notice went out in the Principal’s Weekly last week inviting schools from all over the city to participate in the Green Cup Challenge, a national student-driven energy challenge. Please talk to your principal or interested teachers if you think they might enjoy having an energy scavenger hunt for four weeks in January with the goal of reducing the school’s electricity use.

The Challenge also encourages students to submit a video. Take a look at last year’s winning video here. Some suggested activities during the Green Cup Challenge month include having a waste-free day in the cafeteria, enforcing a school lights-off-at-night and turn-off-the-computer-after-hours policy, hosting an assembly about climate change, showing a documentary such as The Story of Stuff, or inviting a speaker.

Speaker, book, and film ideas are posted at EducatingTomorrow.org, the UFT’s (Teacher’s Union) green committee site. This is the first year that NYC public schools can participate in the Green Cup Challenge and the more schools that participate, the more fun the competition will be.

Interested schools can register online. An introductory meeting and training for interested schools will be held on Dec. 8 from 9-11 am at the Urban Academy School for Green Careers on West 84th Street in Manhattan. For more information or questions about signing your school up to participate in the green Cup Challenge contact Ozgem Ornektekin.

Last year 120 schools nationwide participated in the Green Cup Challenge and collectively reduced their carbon emissions by 2.5 million pounds, the equivalent of taking 220 cars off the road for a whole year. New York City schools can make a difference!

A new batch of future-kindergartners will be “turning 5″ soon, and the Department of Education is preparing for their arrival. The kindergarten admissions season is set to begin Feb. 1 for children who will turn five in 2010. The pre-K admissions season will open a month later, on March 1 according to the DOE’s timeline. Eligible students are those will turn four by Dec. 31, 2010.

Turning 5 Fairs  for children with special needs will begin on Nov. 30. Taking place across the city, these events acquaint parents with the public school special education admissions process. The 2009-2010 guide for “Preschool to School Age Orientation” will be available soon on the DOE’s Special Education website.

In January, a handful of schools in District 75, which serves only disabled students, will hold open houses and tours.

Many public schools are already scheduling tours and open houses for prospective parents. For dates, it’s best to check the school’s website or call the parent coordinator.

Uncertain of what is your zoned school? Visit the DOE’s School & Zone Finder or call 311. Looking for another option? Search for “unzoned”  or “charter” schools in the Insideschools Find a School section.

Q: How can I possibly make my application special when colleges are getting thousands of them? How can mine be different and get their attention?

A: How can you make your application stand out? It’s a challenge, especially when you are using the Common Application, which makes every application look the same — neat, yes, but also visually uniform and therefore potentially boring for admissions officers facing stacks of identical applications.

Of course, the contents of your application, rather than its appearance, ought to be its most outstanding aspect. Still, adding some visual spice can have the effect of making the people reading your application slow down a bit and really notice the contents.

But be careful. (more…)

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

Dec. 4 is the date when high school applications are due to school guidance counselors. If you’re like the average New York City public middle school parent, you have spent the fall accompanying your 8th grader to school tours and open houses, you’ve perused the thick high school directory and you’ve bookmarked Insideschools’ noteworthy high school profiles and ref+erred to them regularly. And if you’re like the average 8th grader, you’ve been agonizing with your friends about where you’ll end up next year. But now you must sit down and make some decisions.

Our advice: Be very careful drawing up your list of high school choices. You will be assigned to a high school based on how you rank your schools and how the schools rank you. You may list up to 12 choices, but you will receive only one offer. If you have taken the exam for the specialized high schools or auditioned for LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts, you may have a choice between one of those schools, should you be accepted, and your list of 12. There are also a few charter schools to consider which have a separate application and lottery. Apply only to schools you are willing to attend. If you get assigned to a school you hate but have listed it on your application, it will be very hard to get placed in a different school. (more…)

Nearly half — 45% — of all New York City public high schools are “A” schools, according to their grades on progress reports released today by the Department of Education. An additional 30% of the more than 300 high schools graded received a “B.” The high school grades lag behind those of the elementary and middle schools released in September.

High elementary and middle school grades reflected, in large part, the improvement of students’ scores on state standardized exams; high school grades are based on the school’s graduation rates and Regents scores, which did not improve as much.

The high number of elementary and middle schools receiving top grades — 84% received A’s — led some to question the validity of the grading system, while state officials vowed to toughen up its procedures.

Today’s press release, reports that 87% of the schools that received an A last year earned an A again this year; 67% of the schools that earned D’s and F’s last year earned C’s this year. (more…)

Last week, our student blogger Toni wrote about the City Hall protest against the DOE bake sale ban.

Channel 11 and Gotham Schools covered the event. In addition to assertions that this ban takes away a vital fundraising source in this era of steep budget cuts, one student made this simple argument:  “cookies are good for the soul.”

How is your school dealing with the ban?

When someone asked me what high schools I might be thinking about for my 7th-grader recently, my answer came swiftly and might have sounded a bit snippy.

“I’m not thinking about it at all,” I said, which of course, isn’t true, much as I’d like it to be, since it feels like we just got him happily settled in middle school.

It is a fact of life for New York City parents: You are always thinking about schools, from pre-school (which can be a grueling ritual of its own) until high school graduation, when the focus shifts to paying for college. (more…)

On Nov. 12, the Panel for Educational Policy approved changes to the Department of Education’s promotion standards, imposing stricter passing guidelines for students in grades 4 and 6. Changing the retention policies for students in grades 3-8, and ending “social promotion”, has been a hallmark of Mayor Bloomberg’s education agenda.

The panel approved the policy with little comment or dissension, although two members voted against it. This was in stark contrast to the outcry that followed the 2004 passage of the 3rd grade retention policy. Now all students in grades 3-8 (who take the state standardized reading and math tests) will be held back if they fail to score at least a 2 on a 4-point scale.

All other proposed new policies,  previewed earlier this month on Insideschools, were likewise approved. These included new procedures for selecting principals and other supervisors, and the creation of a new Chancellor’s Regulation which lays out the requirements for public review before a school is closed or there are changes in building utilization.

Public comments on the proposed changes and the new regulation are posted on the Department of Education website;  meanwhile education advocate Leonie Haimson writes on the NYC Education News  Yahoo group that the DOE “appears to have taken almost no suggestions for improvement.”

The “Race to the Top” dominated this week’s education headlines, but left a lot of us wondering, “who’s racing and to where?”

Basically, states will “race” to create comprehensive education reform plans, in hopes of earning a chunk of 4.35 billion government dollars to support their efforts. The program was established by the Obama administration under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — an expansive piece of legislation aimed at stimulating the economy, creating new jobs, and supporting industries critical to our nation’s prosperity.

“We will award grants to the states that have led the way in reform and will show the way for the rest of the country to follow,” said U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, in a Nov. 12 press release.To apply for Race to the Top funds, states must submit plans based on four areas of reform: college and career preparation, data analysis for measuring student progress, recruiting skilled teachers, and improving under-achieving schools. (more…)

Urban Word NYC is a spoken word, poetry, and hip-hop group aimed at serving New York City youth. They were “founded on the belief that teenagers can and must speak for themselves” and “provide free, safe and uncensored writing workshops to teens year round.”

I have been attending their Creatively College Bound workshop this year. The program is enormously helpful. In their words, Creatively College Bound “is a program geared towards high school juniors and seniors who want their creative critical voice to soar over the tedium of the college application process. Poetry, spoken word, and hip-hop are used as inspirations and the creative foundation for the college admissions and college preparatory process.”

Participants write four essays in four different general areas that cover all college/scholarship prompts. These essays are then read at workshops so the writer can get feedback from the other members. The leader of the workshop will give his or her own feedback as well.

I brought a draft of my common application essay to a workshop a couple of months ago. The leader made copies, passed one to everyone, and had someone read it out loud. It was a bit nerve racking, but at the end I got back 15 copies of my essay, covered in suggestions from other writers. They also gave me verbal feedback and explained their comments. I spent the next couple weeks incorporating their suggestions and my own new ideas, and ended up with an essay I was really proud of. In fact I was so happy with my essay that I applied to all my colleges two months early!

Creatively College Bound workshops take place on Monday afternoons at the Urban Word space in Midtown Manhattan.

If you think you’re doing okay on your essay, Urban Word provides a number of other workshops on topics ranging from slam poetry to social activism. Check out the website to see what Urban Word has to offer you!

Last week, our student blogger, Toni, urged New York City residents to get out and protest the bake sale ban. Well, tomorrow is your chance!

At 3 p.m., concerned citizens will gather in front of City Hall to let regulators know that axing bake sales means axing an important means of raising funds for student activities. And what better way to support bake sales then to throw one? Baked treats will be traded for petition signatures from 3 to 5:30 p.m.

If you can’t make it out, organizers are urging supporters to gather signatures on their own. Once 10,000 are collected, they plan to enlist the support of city council members. “By then nothing can stop us,” reads the group’s Facebook page.

You can also message Chancellor Joel Klein directly to voice your frustration with the ban, or show your support.

Our recent poll on the ban showed that users are somewhat divided on this issue — some think that parents and students can  come up with healthier ways to raise funds. However, the overwhelming majority of the voters,  72%, opposed the ban.

We’ve heard that some schools (no names or numbers revealed) have ignored the regulation.

What’s happening at your school?

In conjunction with the release of the new movie  “Precious,” NY1  featured the work of Insideschools’ parent organization, Advocates for Children. The film follows a 16-year-old Harlem student through her struggles with illiteracy, obesity, and a  broken home. Although the character is fictional, her problems are only too common among children in New York City schools. Cheryl Wills, a NY1 reporter spoke to several of AFC’s lawyers and advocates about the work the organization does to ensure that children like Precious receive the educational services they need. The reporter also interviewed students, clients of AFC, who were “falling through the cracks” until AFC advocates helped find schools and programs to get them back on track.

View the feature on the NY1 website. Kudos to AFC!

Marriage is hard. I don’t know of any husband or wife who hasn’t, at some point or another, experienced this lifetime commitment as tiresome, uninteresting, and relentless. Even when you love your husband and he loves you and your relationship has already earned the depth of decades. And even without an autistic child thrown into the mix.

Raising an autistic child apparently increases divorce rates to 80%, although I have not been able to find a reliable source for this oft-quoted statistic. I’ve seen some of these marriage breakdowns first-hand, and I find them especially sad.

I am hardly cocky enough to claim that I know the secret to staying married, but since my husband and I both celebrated our birthdays recently, I have been thinking a lot about what keeps us together. And perhaps, more importantly, what fails to drive us apart. (more…)

Dear Judy: 

 My daughter just started kindergarten in a public school with a very big school yard.  Her schedule is robust with no play and all academics, mostly spent in a very warm classroom.  At lunchtime, the kindergartners stay in the cafeteria watching the others play and then are lined up outside in the yard for the last five minutes (again watching the other kids play) until their teachers come to get them so they can begin the next three hours in the warm classroom.

I have spoken to the teachers, the parent  coordinator, and the principal about the “why” behind this physically unhealthy and “mean” policy.  No straight answers yet, I’m still hoping.

Am I allowed to get my child during the lunch hour and bring her back to school after lunch? When I was a kid this was allowed. I want my young child to have some physical activity during the school day.

 Kindergarten parent

Dear Kindergarten parent,

Lunch in or out?  There is no city regulation governing this question; it is the school principal who determines the policy at each school. However a principal can’t keep individual parents from taking their child out to lunch.

For years and years many children went home for lunch, escorted by their mothers. That was in the “olden days” when women did not work and kids walked back and forth from school. Today it is rare, but not unheard of. There are logistics to work out:  You will have to sign your daughter in and out of school every lunchtime.  You and the school will have to decide where you will pick her up, what happens if you are late, who will  be responsible for her until you show up, and how will you inform the staff of exceptions. Besides adding a layer of supervision, these are understandable concerns for the safety of your daughter. You must work out suitable procedures with the principal and stick to them. (more…)

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

Tomorrow, Night Owl’s kindergarten will finally receive the H1N1 vaccine, but for us, it’s too little, too late. My daughters were both ill two weeks ago with what their doctor described as “classic influenza” — most likely H1N1, she said, since that’s what’s making the rounds right now.

The vaccine had been elusive at the pediatrician’s office too — initial doses reserved for high-risk children.

After their days of fever, cough, and upset stomach (and for Night Owl, a side of mild pneumonia), they are back in school. But even if they’re now immune to this one virus, even if we decide to be doubly safe and vaccinate, I know the usual parade of seasonal horrors will still visit us. And believe me, some have been far more hideous than what we endured last week (the intestinal virus Night Owl spread to all 15 guests last Thanksgiving, for one).

In order to fortify my kids, I’ve been collecting information on boosting natural immunity during cold and flu season. Certainly, improving overall health can go a long way in fighting off infections and rebounding more quickly from them.

(more…)

There’s some great news in this week’s poll: a majority — 43 percent — of your schools offer high-quality, after-school programs!

However, 25 percent of you feel your school’s programs need improvement, and 23 percent don’t even have a school-based program. These figures are aligned with the results of Afterschool Alliance’s recent survey, America After 3pm, which found that one-quarter of American students are without much-needed after-school activities.

As we’re all now aware, Mayor Bloomberg will retain his mayoral seat for a third term. Following this week’s elections, we’d love to know how you feel about the future of the New York City educational system. Vote now!

Sustainability is one of those subjects that children and adults can learn about together. Sometimes children make the biggest difference!

At the Division of School Facilities’ Sustainability Committee meeting earlier this fall, Jamie Cloud, the inspiring founder of the Cloud Institute, talked about Jessie-Ruth Corkins, a girl in Vermont who saved her school $90,000 and changed the way the whole state of Vermont heats its school buildings — all before she graduated from high school. Jessie-Ruth was young, in 4th grade, when Vermont instituted its Sustainability Curriculum mandates, Jamie said, it was not that surprising that by the time she entered high school she had taken responsibility for the world she lived in and tried to make it a better place.

That’s what kids do, because they don’t know what’s supposed to be impossible. Some people ask how teachers can find time to teach sustainability concepts among all the other education mandates. “There’s never going to be more time in the day,” said Cloud. “But people have to ask, are we going to educate for sustainability, or for unsustainability?”

Pamela French, a New York parent and the founder of A Greener Apple video series, takes sustainability straight to the streets with the question: “How would you make New York a greener apple?” She asked this question of students, parents, and educators at the Green Schools Alliance’s Green Schools NYC Fair, held last spring at the Collegiate School. Enjoy her piece below and let us know how you would make New York a greener apple in the comments!

A few weeks ago, my 5th-grade son “J” and I attended the first of two middle school fairs. Although we live in District 10 in the Bronx, my children attend elementary school in Manhattan’s District 4, which gives us twice as many middle schools through which to sift.

I entered the lunchroom hosting the District 4 fair with excitement, prepared with a mental list of “must visit” schools. As an admittedly-anxious mom and eyewitness to the things that can go wrong in middle schools, I have been researching schools on this site, and in the book NYC’s Best Public Middle Schools by Clara Hemphill and the Insideschools staff.

J had on his “I’m not talking to anyone” face and refused to ask questions at any of the tables. He asked again why he needed to be present. If it were up to him, he would rather spend the day at his beloved elementary school, Central Park East I. (more…)

The Department of Education is proposing changes in existing policies, called Chancellor’s Regulations, regarding promotion standards, and the way in which principals and assistant principals are chosen. It is also proposing a new regulation governing procedures for locating or closing schools or changing current building usage. The Panel for Educational Policy will vote on these measures at the Nov.12 meeting at PS 128 in Queens; in the meantime the public is invited to review the proposals and weigh in on them.

The revised state law governing NYC schools renewed mayoral control of the city school system, but modified it in an effort to increase parent input. The law explicitly requires announcement of PEP meeting agendas at least 10 days in advance. In this case, the DOE provided the information more than a month in advance. However, it is not clear how public comments (which are not actually being made public) will make a difference in the proposals or the outcome of the PEP vote. (more…)

Q:  My son is a junior at a high school in Queens.  He is an excellent student and would like to go to a prestigious college.  But his high school is huge and the college counselors don’t have much time for each student.  On the other hand, my cousin’s son goes to a prep school near Washington DC, and my cousin says their college counselors are known for getting kids into the best colleges.  What chance does my son have competing against applicants like that?

A:  I went to a very large high school myself, in Queens, many years ago.  There were about 1500 students in my graduating class.  Now I work at a private school, and yes, there is a vast difference in the amount of individual attention teachers and counselors are able to give to students.  But statistics confirm that students in each setting are successful in the college admissions process.

Going to a private school in itself does not guarantee acceptance to any college; nor does attending a large urban public school in itself, assure rejection.  Applicants are looked at in the context of their school environment, so your son will not be competing against his cousin.

I recently attended an admissions information session at an Ivy league university.  The admissions rep pointed out that if they accepted students who were all exactly the same in background and qualifications, the freshman class would be pretty boring.  To keep their school vigorous and stimulating, they admit students who come from a wide variety of schools, communities, and ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds who bring an array of interests and talents to campus.  To do this, they recruit widely at both public and private schools.  Colleges really do reach out, some more effectively than others. (more…)

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

Nov. 3 is election day, and some of our visitors may have noticed campaign ads appearing on Insideschools.org today. These ads are being delivered automatically via Google’s ad network, and the revenue we receive from these Google ads helps defray the costs of producing Insideschools.org. We neither endorse political candidates nor do we solicit campaign advertising. But we do encourage you to vote!

Both Mayor Mike Bloomberg and his Democratic opponent Bill Thompson have been touting their education experience: Bloomberg running on his record of eight years as mayor controlling the schools; Thompson, on his years as head of the Board of Education.

We’re wondering what the parents of NYC public school students are thinking. Who are you going to vote for?

Polling places, most of which are located inside schools, are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you’re not sure of your assigned polling location, you can search here, call 1.866.VOTE.NYC, or e-mail your complete home address to vote@boe.nyc.ny.us with the borough in which you reside in the subject line.

If you want to attend a post-mortem on the day after election day, consider attending a panel discussion, “What’s Next for our Public Schools?” sponsored by a group called Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century and moderated by New York Times reporter Jennifer Medina. On the panel: Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents; Michael Mulgrew, president of the UFT; Eva Moskowitz, CEO of the Harlem Success Academy; and Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform. For details, see our Insideschools calendar.

Every time I arrive at an overcrowded school corridor to sign up for a three-minute parent teacher conference, I have the same thought: There must be a better way.

There are too many names on the sign-up list. The parents are anxious and antsy. It’s always too hot and crowded, and I immediately start feeling sorry for the teachers, besieged by questions.

With one child in middle school and another in high school, I am officially a veteran of New York City public school parent teacher conferences. I’ve developed a few survival strategies.

If possible, I take a personal or vacation day and attend the afternoon session in an effort to avoid ridiculous evening lines.Even so, I can’t beat the system.

(more…)

In our last poll, we asked if you planned to vaccinate your child against the H1N1 virus. More than 1,000 of you responded. Thirty-four percent said ‘yes;’ 46 percent said ‘no.’ And with the flurry of controversy surrounding the vaccinations, it came as no surprise that 18 percent of you are still on the fence.

The New York Times echoed these sentiments, reporting that fewer than 50 percent of New York City parents have granted schools permission to vaccinate their kids. Vaccinations began this week at small elementary schools and will begin on Nov. 4 and 9 at larger schools. The city’s weekend clinics for middle and high school students will also open in early November.

The Times also weighed in on after-school programs in an editorial titled, “Home Alone.” Citing Afterschool Alliance’s recent study, America After 3PM, the editorial points out that after-school participation has increased markedly since 2004, but not fast enough to keep up with the growing number of “latch-key kids”– estimated at nearly one quarter of our nation’s students.

The study also found that more than 18 million parents would enroll their children in after-school programs if they were available.

In this week’s poll, we’d like to know if your child’s school offers an after-school program. Vote now!

How well does it serve your children? How could the program be improved? Let us know in the comments.

UPDATE: The City Hall protest on Nov. 13 will now begin at 3 p.m., not 2 p.m. as previously noted.

Please join students from around the city to protest the new regulation on bake sales on Friday, Nov. 13 from 2-6 p.m. in front of City Hall. The protest is being organized by seniors from LaGuardia High School, and we invite anyone and everyone to come.

Department of Education regulation A-812 states that only approved foods can be sold in schools until 6 p.m., and no outside food can be sold during mealtimes. The regulation is so restrictive it is commonly referred to as a ban on bake sales. As Jennifer Medina said in a recent New York Times article, “There will be no cupcakes. No chocolate cake and no carrot cake. According to According to New York City’s latest regulations, not even zucchini bread makes the cut.” (more…)

Flu vaccinations begin at 125 New York City elementary schools today. The vaccines arrive with news that older students will once again receive priority at the city’s weekend clinics.

This overturns the Health Department’s announcement yesterday that these clinics would welcome all New York City residents and not just students. Middle and high school students are entitled to vaccinations at designated sites–which are slated to open in early November. Other members of the public will be evaluated, but only those considered “at-risk” will receive treatment.

Health Department spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti told the Daily News that the sites giving priority to students will redirect the public to other vaccination centers. She reiterated that the best place to receive a vaccination is from one’s primary-care doctor.

Is your elementary, middle, or high school child going to be vaccinated? Take our poll!

Before I say anything else about this hot-button topic, let me say this: I am not a doctor. I have no medical degree. And here on the internet, where anyone can claim to be an expert on anything, I want to make sure to clarify my qualifications.

I am, quite simply, an autism mom. This year, my husband and I decided to give Brooks the H1N1 vaccine, and I have a recommendation for all other parents. My recommendation is to make sure that you get reliable information about this vaccine. And all vaccines. From legitimate sources.

Start by reading Amy Wallace’s article, “Fear,” in this month’s Wired Magazine. I admire several aspects of her piece: it presents a litany of medical facts that are very difficult for any reasonable person to dispute; it reminds us that it is not the function of medical science to disprove that vaccines cause autism, but rather to prove that vaccines are safe; it warns us that while pharmaceutical companies have their fair share of corruption, we must not make the error of indicting them in every situation, without just cause. (more…)

Dear Judy,

Our son is in 5th grade at a charter school that’s not in the district where we live. What middle schools is he eligible for?

Charter school parent

Dear Charter school parent:

Given the proliferation of charter schools these days, your question is a timely one. We put it to the Department of Education. According to DOE spokesperson Andy Jacob, “students are eligible to apply in the district to which they are zoned and in the district in which their (public, including charter) elementary school is located. ”

However, Jacob cautioned,”not all districts have choice processes. Some have all or mostly zoned middle schools. If the charter is located in one of those districts, the student wouldn’t have any choices in that district, because there’s no choice process.”

All applicants should keep in mind there are other middle school options, even if you live in a district that has limited choice: Some schools are unzoned — open to kids all over the city, borough, or district — and some middle schools require school-based applications, separate from the district middle school application.

Although the middle school admissions timetable is standardized across the city, each district has its own ways, so it is very important to study the online middle school directories  for specifics.

Most citywide schools run their own admissions processes and students need to apply to those schools separately.  A few parents have written to ask about Mark Twain, a popular, selective school in Coney Island which accepts students based on their performance on “talent” entrance exams.  Mark Twain takes applications from all over the city but, unlike other citywide schools, students who submit the “request for testing” form for the school “will see the Twain programs as choices on the application for their district,” according to Jacob. “They’ll rank Mark Twain along with their district choices and will receive an offer to one school - the highest-ranked one to which they receive an offer.” Jacob said the district schools will not see whether the student ranked Mark Twain as a choice.

Middle school applications are due on Dec. 15, but Oct. 28, is the deadline to submit a “request for testing” form for selective schools in Districts 17, 18, 20, 21, and 22 in Brooklyn, and Districts  24, and 30 in Queens.

I would take the time to tour as many schools as you can. The bottom line is to go after the schools that match your kid.  Good luck !

Judy

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

If you’re still looking for a pre-Kindergarten program for your 4-year-old, the Department of Education wants you! According to the Daily News there are some 5400 open seats, so many that the DOE is advertising them on Craigslist.

What’s the catch? Many of the programs are half-day sessions, either morning or afternoon,which are inconvenient for working parents. But there are more than 900 full-day options as well, many of them in desirable schools. Be aware that some schools have just one open seat, whereas others have a few dozen.

If your child is turning four by Dec. 31, 2009, he or she is eligible. The DOE is asking parents to register by Oct. 30 because the city risks losing millions of dollars in state funding if they don’t fill the seats by Oct. 31. Openings will be filled on a “first-come, first-serve” basis,” according to the DOE.

Bear in mind, even if your child is accepted into a pre-K program this year, there is no guarantee that he or she will be able to attend the same school in kindergarten. You’ll have to apply again; priority is given to students living in the zone, and those with siblings already attending the school.

For a list of registration requirements, and schools and community organizations with available seats, check the DOE’s page on pre-kindergarten admissions.

It’s that “school search” time of year again and, if you have a special needs child, you’ll want to attend the Jewish Ccommunity Center’s 2009 Special Needs School Fair this week.

Last year I wrote about how helpful this event was for me and my family. That still applies! This year the fair will be held on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Do yourself a favor and add it to your calendar.

Recently, my cousin mused on her 20 years as a kindergarten teacher: “It has changed. It’s much more academic now than it was in 1989.” She loves her job but feels pressure to teach certain skills sooner, even if some children aren’t developmentally ready. This year, she opted for her son to repeat pre-Kindergarten and grow a bit, knowing firsthand the demands today’s kindergarten places on children.

The play-based kindergarten I remember is starkly different from even my daughter’s pre-K experience. Last year, “homework” began appearing in Night Owl’s mailbox some time around Thanksgiving. There were flash cards bearing her classmates’ names, so we could practice word recognition at home. Her teacher balanced the day with play and rest time, but I wondered if all this work was appropriate for four-year-olds (some still three). (more…)

The Department of Education announced that vaccines for the H1N1 and seasonal flu viruses will arrive at elementary schools with fewer than 400 students on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Larger elementary schools will receive the vaccines a week later on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Vaccinations will be available to middle and high school students on weekends at off-campus sites in early November.

Although vaccinations are not mandatory for public school students, the DOE recommends that all children between the ages of six and 19 be vaccinated. Children under 10 receive two doses, administered in schools, four weeks apart.

Students must present consent forms signed by a parent or guardian. These will be sent home with students next week. They are also available online through the DOE’s Influenza Information website.

Families of elementary students should return these forms to their school; middle and high school students should bring them to the off-campus locations where they will be vaccinated at the time of vaccination.

The DOE will continue to release information on this season’s flu and student vaccinations at www.nyc.gov/flu.

Is your child going to be vaccinated? Take our poll and let us know why or why not! Vote now!

As the high school application season heats up for 8th-graders and their families this weekend, the Department of Education is sponsoring fairs in all five boroughs. While not exactly relaxing, these fairs are much smaller than the citywide fair (held at Brooklyn Tech last month).

Students, who meet 8th or 9th-grade promotional standards, and who have not applied for high schools yet, can walk among the tables more calmly and speak to representatives from high schools in their borough. This might be the time to ask the specific questions you might not be able to ask on a school tour or at an open house.

And, it’s a good idea to tour the schools you are interested in before applying. Many schools will have flyers advertising their tour schedules, so you can collect those as well at the fair.

Check out the fair in your borough — and let us know how it goes. All fairs run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. In the Bronx, go to the Roosevelt High School building; in Brooklyn, Murrow High School; in Manhattan, the Martin Luther King building; in Queens, Frances Lewis, and on Staten Island, New Dorp High School.

If you still have questions, you can attend one of the DOE’s upcoming evening high school information sessions, running through Nov. 12.

The Department of Education  is beginning to focus on reducing energy use, mandating use of green cleaning products, and improving recycling rates at schools. These efforts are important because  the future of life as we know it is threatened by climate change, and New York as a coastal city is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

The next step is to bring children into this loop, so that we can help raise the next generation of climate stewards. Connecting children to ideas of how to sustain life on the planet, and why that is important, is called “sustainability education.” One entry point for sustainability is a newish concept called STEM education, which calls for renewed commitment to education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics  fields. President Obama has connected STEM education to “the progress and prosperity of future generations.”

Where does New York City get its water? What can kids do to help the planet? What is the difference between climate and weather? How does a green roof work? Why do we turn off the lights when we leave the room and why recycle? All these concepts relate to a concept called “sustainability education. (more…)

As parents seeking enlightenment about the city’s public school gifted and talented offerings crowd into information sessions this week (tonight in Queens; tomorrow night in Manhattan), a new private school is recruiting students whose families are able to pay up to $28,000 for a G&T education.

The New York Times reports the opening this fall of the Speyer Legacy School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with 26 students in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. According to the article, 76 children applied for the slots. This contrasts with the 14,822 youngsters who tested for the public programs last year. Of those, 1,345 scored at the 97th percentile or above, qualifying them for 325 seats in citywide programs.

Meanwhile Hunter College Elementary School, open only to Manhattan residents, had 1832 applicants for 50 kindergarten seats.

The assessment process is different for private and public programs, and experts continue to debate the value of testing children as young as 4 years old. However, the demand for such programs is clearly there….will the supply increase? According to the Department of Education, the opening of new citywide programs is still under consideration.

It was a warm, sunny afternoon about a week into this school year. As I walked to the bus stop from the high school where I work, I recognized a former student (let’s call him Jamal) sitting on the wall of the nearby park. Jamal was engrossed in his phone, probably an AIM conversation. Although he transferred to another school last year, he returned to his old school most days to pick up his girlfriend. I greeted him and he pulled away from the furious presses of buttons just long enough to flash his dazzling smile and say hello.

Moments later, a police van pulled up in front of Jamal and a couple of other young African American boys, none of whom appeared to be together, all of them similarly absorbed by electronic devices. Although none of the boys was acting suspiciously, the officer in the front passenger seat questioned each boy as to what they were doing. It was after school hours, so they shouldn’t have been suspected of truancy.

The officer demanded to know why they were there, repeating her questions with a hard tone when the answers were apparently unsatisfactory. My bus arrived, so I reluctantly left the scene. I later learned from a colleague that Jamal had been deeply shaken by the encounter, which had reportedly escalated to the point of the officer becoming angry with him for “having an attitude”. (more…)

A new study, commissioned by the Center for Arts Education, finds that higher graduations rates go hand-in-hand with the number of performing arts and visual arts classes offered to high school students. As reported in yesterday’s Daily News,” students at high schools with graduation rates higher than 85% are much more likely to have taken at least three art classes than those at schools where less than half the students graduate.”

In August, we reported that the city’s public schools were not meeting state requirements, which mandate that a certain percentage of instructional hours be dedicated to the arts. Kira Streets, the CAE’s director of public engagement, says the study “is just one more piece that shows arts education is crucial to a successful K-12 education experience, and it’s not being delivered equitably.”

Interested in advocating for more arts programming in city schools? The CAE is looking to hire parent advocates to campaign for arts-education-friendly policies and to work to get schools in compliance with state regulations. The group would like to have two advocates for each borough; still missing are two representatives from Staten Island, and one each for the Bronx and Queens. Interested parents should contact Kira Streets or call (212) 971-3300, extension 324.

A typical conversation between concerned parents and their high school students might, theoretically, begin with a casual inquiry about homework. A most unwelcome question about what plans are being made to get it done might come next.

Often, the child, typing furiously in front of a computer, might note that there is barely any homework, or that he or she is about to start.

“Get off Facebook,” the concerned parent might venture. “Do your homework first.”

“Okay, fine,” comes the reply. “I’m just saying Bye.”

Ten minutes passes. The furious typing continues. The backpack remains unopened.

“I thought you were getting off Facebook to start the homework?”

“I am! I’m just saying ‘Bye!”

“Why does that take so long?”

“Because there is more than one person on – everyone is on!”

It turns out, there might be as many as 100 or even more Facebook friends on at once, posting links and invitations to join causes along with photos and videos. They may be simply chatting online about their daunting adjustment, or search for a New York City high school. At the same time, many are texting, reading, and possibly even doing homework. (more…)

Yamilka, a 23-year-old Bronx native, was unable to read street signs well enough to get back home from an unfamiliar subway station. This despite being promoted from grade to grade in New York City public schools — and even graduating with a special education diploma, a diploma she regards as meaningless.

Hers is a shocking story, even for those of us who have been writingabout NYC public schools and students for years . Yamilka’s story is one of several cases documented by Beth Fertig, an education reporter for WNYC radio, in her new book “why cant u teach me 2 read?” which was featured in USA Today yesterday.

Fertig tells the stories of three young adults - all in their twenties - who cannot read. All three have learning disabilities and were clients of Advocates for Children of New York (the parent organization of Insideschools.org). After the public schools failed to teach them to read, Advocates fought successfully for them to have private tutoring to try to make up for the years of service they had never received. (more…)

Last week, we asked what you think about the Department of Education’s recent bake sale ban. An overwhelming number of you — 72% — responded that you oppose the new rule.

About half of respondents said that bake sales should not be banned because they are an important way for schools to raise funds. Nine percent disagreed, voting that PA/PTAs should come up with better fundraising ideas.

The ban is just one part of a larger regulation aimed at curbing New York’s alarming student obesity rates. Twenty-one percent of you felt that bake sales are not a major contributor to this problem, while 17% felt that the last thing kids need is more junk food.

Last week, along with the bake sale ban, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the H1N1 vaccine. Parents are receiving consent forms this week to have their children vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.

In September, we reported that the DOE will provide the vaccine to elementary students in schools, and to other students at weekend clinics. This week, The New York Times addressed a number of concerns regarding these immunizations. Some parents worry that the vaccine was rushed to the public. Others feel that it could not have come a day sooner.

In this week’s poll, we’d like to know if you will have your child vaccinated. Comment below to let us know why, or why not!

On the front page of today’s New York Times comes the news that New York State’s 4th-graders did not fare as well on the federal math exams as they did the last time they were tested in 2007; 8th-graders scored only slightly higher than in the past.

We don’t yet know how New York City students scored on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test, which is given to a sampling of students every two years, but critics are already comparing the rather dismal statewide results to the much-heralded NYC gains on 2009 state tests and renewing their charge that the state exams are simply too easy.

GothamSchools covers the story, and asks, “If the state tests are easier, how did they get that way?”

Meanwhile, Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York Board of Regents, reiterated her vow to raise standards on the state math exams.  Both the math and ELA exams will be given later than in previous years.  According to the State Education Department calendar, the ELA exams are scheduled for late April; math tests will be given in May.

Has math test prep begun at your school?

Last week I attended a historic poetry slam at the Nuyorican Poets Café on East Third Street which determined the first ever Youth Poet Laureate of New York. Our first Youth Poet Laureate is Zora Howard, a senior at LaGuardia High School. As laureate, she will travel around the city performing poetry and encouraging civil engagement in her fellow youth.

The crowd was warm and enthusiastic. There were 12 finalists and about 50 audience members, mostly young people. The audience was very passionate about the performances, snapping and “mmm”ing and encouraging the poets if they stumbled or forgot a line. Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott was also there, giving the event an air of political importance. Each contestant performed one three-minute poem on a subject of their choice, and then a one-minute piece related to voting or civic engagement. (more…)

Like many other kids on the spectrum, Brooks never developed imaginative play naturally.

Since my husband and I are both writers, this was a particularly devastating part of our son’s diagnosis. He might grow up into someone who never recognizes the intrinsic value of a good story. On top of that, we knew that the kind of symbolic play that eluded Brooks was a major social-emotional milestone, and that without it, his social connection to the rest of the world would be compromised.

When our therapists patiently explained to us that these skills could be taught, I was a huge skeptic. I mean, I understood that you could teach Brooks to play with his teddy bear. Step by step, you could show him how to hug the bear, give the bear a turn in a game, but it never sat well with me that he didn’t have a natural inclination to WANT to play with the bear. And without that, I worried that his imaginative play would always be robotic and “learned.” (more…)

Parents who plan to test their kids for Gifted and Talented programs may attend Department of Education information sessions to learn details about the G&T process, from test to placement. Evening sessions - one in each borough - are held in schools with large auditoriums. Parents generally fill up the seats quickly, so plan to go early. The sessions run from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The first session is tomorrow, Oct. 14, in the Bronx at Roosevelt High School. Next week there are four sessions: In Brooklyn at MS 113 on Oct. 19, on Staten Island on Oct. 20 at New Dorp High School; in Queens on Oct. 21 at Long Island City High School; and in Manhattan on Oct. 22 at Brandeis High School. (more…)

Dear Judy,

My daughter just started kindergarten at our zoned school in Brooklyn, which has a wonderful reputation. Last week, we attended the curriculum conference for her class, where the teacher outlined what the kids will learn this year. She told us that kids will learn their letter sounds, and learn to count. Well, our daughter is already reading chapter books, and able to add, subtract, and multiply. I e-mailed the teacher asking if we could sit down to discuss my daughter’s situation. She denied me a meeting stating, “I just think that at this point my goal is to now let your daughter’s development unfold in the classroom.” I was very distraught by this response. I have a 13-year-old stepson, and have never been denied a meeting by a teacher.

-Distraught Dad

Dear Distraught Dad,

Kindergarten teachers are usually more open to parent input than you describe, but it is early in the term. Give the teacher time; she has to learn all about the 25 eager new kids who show up every day. Heed what she said in her e-mail about letting your daughter’s development unfold in the classroom.

It’s a thoughtful comment, she is going to pay attention to your child, and your child will demonstrate her skills under her watchful eye. She is going to notice the books that your daughter brings to school, and her quick response to numbers. She is going to develop a strategy for her and for other kids in the class with advanced skills, as well as work with those who need catching up. (more…)

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Last night, I read my daughters Bread and Jam for Frances. My favorite part is the end, when Frances relishes every bite of her sophisticated boxed lunch (Lobster salad! Cream of tomato soup!) and “makes it all come out even.” Alas, in my house, a steady diet of peanut butter and jelly has done nothing to make picky Night Owl beg for something new. Cafeteria lunch? Forget it! We’ve tried. Each time, she eschews the healthier options in favor of a white hamburger bun dipped in ketchup. I figure we’re better off packing lunch.

Volunteering in the lunchroom, I’ve seen an impressive variety of homemade offerings on display. There are Caribbean stews and colorful Chinese stir-fries. My friend Min, who is from Korea, makes her son freshly steamed rice, on which she arranges black beans into a letter of the day. All of these lunches look healthy and hearty, and the children devour them.

A recent New York Times article detailed the art of the bento box; some of their examples dazzlingly intricate. If I had hours to spend sculpting bunnies out of food and thought it would coax Night Owl to eat more, perhaps I would perfect this craft. And I do get the idea of the bento box: to juxtapose as many colors, textures and food groups as possible, for nutritional value and visual appeal. A friend of mine packs Laptop Lunches, westernized bento boxes she says force her to create a varied and balanced meal — and leftovers work just fine for filling the compartments. (more…)

Today the  Daily News reports that more than 500 school aides will lose their jobs next week. While no school will lose aide positions if it budgeted to keep them, union rules mean that schools may lose individual aides who will be replaced by other aides with more seniority.

Principals and parents charge that not all school aides are equal when it comes to  carrying out specific tasks. The News quotes an unidentified Manhattan principal:  “If I hired someone because he’s really good at keeping order in the hallways, but I get sent someone who was hired because he’s good at clerical work, I’ve got a problem.”

And some of the replacement aides may come from the “excess pool,” which Department of Education officials said the city cannot afford to maintain “in the current economic climate.” Last month, we reported a similar situation when Chancellor Klein urged schools to hire from the pool of excessed teachers.

Is your school community being disrupted by a change in school aide staffing? Comment below to let us know!

Last week, we asked you how budget cuts affected your school. Almost half of you — 46% — reported that class sizes have grown, while more than 60% reported that in-school and after-school programs have disappeared.

A new revision to the Department of Education’s Wellness Policy — a Chancellor’s Regulation aimed at improving the quality of food in schools — has effectively banned the sale of baked goods and snacks during school hours.

“We have an undeniable problem in the city, state and the country with obesity,” Eric Goldstein, the chief of the office of school support services, told The New York Times. “During the school day, we have to focus on what is healthy for the mind and the body.”

The DOE reports that around 40% of elementary and middle school students are considered obese and a strong correlation has been revealed between the health of students and their performance on standardized tests. However, some students and parents feel that bake sales do not contribute to the obesity problem and are important for raising funds to support school programs.

Let us know what you think!

Lowering the amount of carbon dioxide your school emits is an important way to fight climate change. The amount of CO2 a school emits is called its “carbon footprint.” Replacing the filter on a heating and cooling system (HVAC) can reduce a school’s carbon footprint. So can letting the sun do its work and turning off lights when there is enough daylight that artificial light is not needed.

These and other ideas for energy management are on the Division of School Facilities’ website called DSF Green.The site also advises schools to set computers and other office equipment to save energy, such as sleeping when idle. Not to mention the energy savings from shutting off equipment like escalators and electric pool heaters when not needed.

Parents can help schools save energy by asking whether energy saving policies are in place, and by pointing out resources, such as DSF Green, where facilities managers can make sure best practices are being followed. (more…)