http://insideschools.org/blog Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:07:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/11/06/poll-the-future-of-public-education-in-nyc/ 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/11/05/how-will-teachers-have-time-for-sustainability/ 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/11/04/bronx-mom-in-search-of-the-perfect-middle-school/ 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/11/04/school-policy-changes-up-for-approval/ 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/11/03/ask-the-college-counselor-applying-from-public-vs-private-school/ 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/11/02/election-day-nov-3-who-will-you-vote-for/ 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/11/02/high-school-hustle-teacher-can-you-spare-three-minutes/ 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/10/30/poll-does-your-childs-school-offer-an-after-school-program/ 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 ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/10/29/student-voice-fighting-the-bake-sale-ban/ 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. ... http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/10/28/flu-vaccinations-begin-in-schools-older-students-regain-priority/