Your independent guide to NYC public schools

Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she would focus less on standardized tests, give parents a stronger advisory role and extend the school day for low-income children if she is elected mayor.

You can watch her entire speech and Q&A session, sponsored by The Center for New York City Affairs (our parent organization) and Insideschools.org at the New School, here.

Without criticizing Mayor Bloomberg, Quinn implied that, if elected, her administration would depart from some of Bloomberg's education policies. While Bloomberg has focused on standardized tests as a way of measuring progress, Quinn said "testing should not be more important than teaching" and should not define schools. While Bloomberg has fostered competition among schools to outperform each other, Quinn said her administration would instead promote more collaboration by identifiying what is working and encouraging schools to share best practices. She pointed to New Dorp High School's literacy program as an example of something that should be expanded to other city schools. 

Charter schools are here to stay, Quinn said, but she suggested she would not expand their numbers significantly. "They're at a good level right now," she said. She pledged support to large high schools like New Dorp or Truman High School. Bloomberg's Education Department has closed dozens of large high schools in the Bronx and Manhattan, breaking them into smaller schools. Quinn said she supports the small schools, but large schools can be successful as well.

On the topic of closing schools, Quinn said she would like to see earlier intervention and mentioned a "red alert" system she would put in place to support "failing schools." "Instead of treating schools closings as a good in and of itself, we will treat it as a last resort," she said.

In another departure from Bloomberg, parents under the Quinn administration would have a stronger advisory role. She would like Community Education Councils to be elevated to the status of Community Boards, which advise city government on land-use. She said she's undecided on the topic of school networks, and welcomes parent input. The Bloomberg administration dismantled school districts based on a geographical area and replaced them with "networks" that may include schools from a number of boroughs. 

Notably absent from her speech were mentions of the teacher's union, except to say both sides should "lower the temperature" on the debate over teacher evaluations. She also was mum on special education, which the city has begun to overhaul.

After weeks of back and forth, the yellow school bus strike will officially begin on Wednesday, Jan. 16, Mayor Bloomberg announced this afternoon in a press release.

Officials from Local 1181 Amalgamated Transit Union, the school bus drivers' union, confirmed that the strike is happening during a press conference, according to Schoolbook.

Yesterday, the city posted information online detailing what to do in the event on a strike and says it will hand out metrocards to all children who normally ride yellow school buses to school. The Mayor's office is also posting fairly up-to-the-minute news via official NYC.gov Twitter account and Tumblr blog. Or call 311.

The Education Department announced the start of the selection process for the city's Community Education Councils and vows to run the bi-annual elections more smoothly this spring. They could hardly be worse than the last elections in 2011, parent leaders say.

Two years ago, the Community Education Council elections were fraught with SNAFUs and confusion. Some qualified candidates’ names were mysteriously left off ballots and parents were unable to log on to a website to vote in the election’s first round.

“It was chaos and total disaster because the DOE didn’t do proper outreach,” said Shino Tanikawa, the president of District 2’s CEC.

The process was such a mess that even schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott admitted it was mismanaged and ordered a do-over.

On Tuesday, Jan. 15, Insideschools and the Center for New York City Affairs will co-host a conversation with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn on the future of schools in New York City.

Quinn will discuss her vision for "building a 21st century school system," including college and career readiness. She will also participate in a Q & A with Insideschools' founder and senior editor, Clara Hemphill. This event is one of a series of events with potential 2013 mayoral candidates sponsored by the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School.  (See a write-up of a 2012 event with mayoral hopeful Tom Allon here.) 

Quinn also spoke about city education policy, along with other potential mayoral candidates, at a GothamSchools event in November. See a rundown of that event here.

The Jan. 15 forum will be at The New School, at 65 West 11th Street, from 8:30 am to 10 am. Tickets are free but you must reserve a seat; RSVP here: http://strongerschools.eventbrite.com/. Do it soon! It's a small venue and seats are going fast.

What to do with your children once the presents have been opened, the holidays feasts consumed and the kids -- and you -- have had enough of games and computers? How about a visit to one of New York City's "more than 500 galleries, 375 nonprofit theater companies, 330 dance companies, 150 museums, 96 orchestras, 40 Broadway theaters, 24 performing arts centers, five zoos, five botanical gardens, and an aquarium."

That rundown is from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs which compiled a list of city venues with free or "suggested" admissions, perfect for families looking for something to do over the holidays. (Thanks to DJ Sheppard, District 3 family advocate for forwarding it to us!). Here they are, in alphabetical order.

• Alice Austen House Museum
• American Folk Art Museum
• American Museum of Natural History (permanent collection only)
• BRIC Rotunda Gallery
• Brooklyn Museum
• Bronx Museum of the Arts
• Flushing Town Hall: Gallery by suggested donation.
• Goethe Institute
• Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning: Gallery is free at all times.
• Kentler International Drawing Space
• King Manor Museum
• Lefferts Historic House
• Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College
• Metropolitan Museum of Art / The Cloisters
• MoMA PS1
• El Museo del Barrio
• Museum of Biblical Art
• Museum of the City of New York
• National Museum of the American Indian
• Old Stone House
• Queens County Farm Museum
• Queens Museum of Art
• Sculpture Center
• Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens
• Studio Museum in Harlem
• Staten Island Museum

FREE HOURS AT CULTURAL VENUES

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Free admission on Saturdays from 10AM–Noon, all day Tuesdays, winter weekdays, and Fridays for seniors
• Asia Society and Museum: Admission is free to all Friday 6-9 pm
• Brooklyn Children's Museum: Free every third Thursday from 4–7 PM and the first full weekend of every month from 2–5 PM, except holiday weekends.
• Bronx Zoo: Every Wednesday is free.
• Children's Museum of the Arts: Pay what you wish on Thursdays, 4-6 pm.
• Guggenheim Museum: Pay what you wish on Saturdays, 5:45-7:45 pm
• Historic Richmond Town: Free on Fridays, 1PM–5PM.
• International Center of Photography: Voluntary contribution every Friday, 5 – 8 pm
• Jewish Museum: Free every Saturday.
• Lincoln Center David Rubenstein Atrium: Free performances every Thursday at 8;30 pm
• Morgan Library and Museum: Free on Fridays, 7–9 pm
• Museum of Arts and Design: Pay what you wish Thursdays 6–9 pm
• Museum of Chinese in America: Free every Thursday, 11 am –9 pm
• Museum of Jewish Heritage: Free every Wednesday 4–8 pm
• Museum of Modern Art: Free Friday Nights, 4–8 pm
• Museum of the Moving Image: Free Friday Nights, 4–8 pm
• New Museum: Free Thursday Evenings, 7–9 PM.
• New York Aquarium: Suggested donation Fridays after 3 pm
• New York Botanical Garden: Free all day Wednesdays, and Saturday from 10 am to noon
• New York Hall of Science: Free Fridays 2–5 PM and Sundays 10–11 am
• New-York Historical Society: Pay what you wish on Fridays, 6–8 pm
• Noguchi Museum: Pay what you wish the first Friday of every month.
• Staten Island Children's Museum: Grandparents Free Wednesdays 5-8 pm
• Staten Island Zoo: Free Wednesdays 2–4:45 pm
• Van Cortlandt House Museum: Free Wednesdays.
• Wave Hill Cultural Center: Free Saturdays and Tuesdays, 9 am–Noon.
• Whitney Museum: Pay what you wish Fridays 6–9 pm

For more events, see the NYCulture Calendar.

And, as always, it's best to call or check online before you visit to confirm the details.

All schools should offer a "safe place" for children who wish to talk about last Friday's tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary school, Chancellor Dennis Walcott wrote in a letter to school communities and families today.

The letter, signed also by UFT President Michael Mulgrew and Ernest Logan, president of the principal's union, encouraged teachers to "give solace and support to your colleagues so we can be strong enough to take care of our students."

Included were suggestions of resources that teachers, school staff and families can refer to when helping children try to comprehend Friday's horrific acts such as Resources for Dealing with Traumatic Events in School, published by the University of Maryland's Center for School Mental Health.  

Ever since news of the school shootings in Newtown on Friday, parents have been sharing resources and suggestions on how to speak to their children about what happened. Here are a few resources to consider:

• The National Association of School Psychologists -- Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
• American Psychological Association - Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting
• American Academy of Pediatrics - Resources to Help Parents, Children and Others Cope in the Aftermath of School Shootings
• The National Association of School Psychologists -- A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - Children and Grief
• Massachusetts General Hospital for Children - Talking To Children About A Shooting
• Child Mind Institute - Caring For Kids After A School Shooting
• NYU Child Study Center: Talking with Children About Difficult Subjects: Illness, Death, Violence and DisasterHow can parents talk to children about community tragedies?
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Children: Firearms, Grief and Violence

And, after the jump, here are some tips from a social worker accustomed to treating victims of crime. Thanks to Park Slope Parents listeserv for sharing them.

Hi Judy,

I go to a high school in Brooklyn. I am a freshman. I have been asked by three older student to do drugs. I hate the environment and feel really unsafe going to school every day. I want to transfer but they are saying I need to wait until my year is over. I can't stand the thought of going one more day. I am really scared. I can't sleep anymore.
Worried

Dear Worried,

Drug use in schools is alarming.  Most schools have a program, and specialists known as SAPIS, to combat it, but that is a long term solution and I think that your particular situation should be remedied immediately.

What you describe is bullying and intimidation. I know it is tough to publicly report the kids involved but here is a way to report confidentially: contact the person who is listed on the Respect for All poster in your school. Respect for All is the city's anti-bullying program. If there is no poster visible at your school, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get the name of your school's representative.

A new edition of Child Welfare Watch -- issued by Insideschools.org's colleagues at the Center for New York City Affairs --  reports on the city's youth justice system, looking at what has changed following several years of reform. It reports on new initiatives to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18; to build bridges between communities and the Department of Probation and to house incarcerated juveniles closer to home. And it tells the story of the difficult relationships between the NYPD, young people and other tenants in New York public housing.

Findings include:

• The number of arrested teens aged 15 and under whose cases have been diverted from court and closed by the city's probation department increased 47 percent between 2009 and last year. This number has more than doubled since 2006. (See "Case Closed.")
• Public housing residents make up about five percent of the city's population, but from 2006 through 2009, roughly half of all NYPD trespassing stops in the entire city took place in public housing. (See "To Protect and Serve?")
• New York's policy of trying 16- and 17-year-old nonviolent offenders as adults in criminal court reduces each teen's lifetime earnings potential by more than $60,000. The state loses at least $50 million in foregone wages for each annual cohort that passes through the adult courts—and unknown millions in lost tax revenues. (See "The High Cost of Convicting Teens as Adults.")
• ACS plans to spend $22 million to provide short term, evidence-based therapies to work with about 3,000 families. This is a targeted effort to reduce the number of children 12 years old and older placed in foster care. (See "Social Workers at the Kitchen Table.")

Child Welfare Watch offers a set of policy recommendations and solutions informed by the research and drafted by a panel of practitioners, experts, parents, young people and others, aimed at helping policymakers continue toward cohesive criminal justice reform.

Read the new edition of Child Welfare Watch here.

Q: I have applied to my favorite college under the Early Decision plan. Now I am waiting for the answer. I am pretty confident that I will get in – but now I am scared that I might not, or they might “defer” me. I planned that if I got rejected, I’d work on other applications over the winter break but now I am nervous about spoiling my whole vacation. What do you suggest?

A: I am guessing that you have already spoke to your college counselor at school about this, and been advised to get the their applications lined up “just in case.” But many students don’t want to do that, because they know it’s a lot of work and don’t want to end up wasting their time.

But it really is good advice to get the other applications ready. If you don’t get accepted to your #1 college choice in December, you are not going to be in the mood to work on other applications. Sitting down at that time to prepare the supplements for other schools will seem like a huge chore and you are not going to be a in a good mood. This, of course, can affect the tone of what you write.

Yes, you might be “deferred” by your Early Decision college. They will explain that this means your application will be reviewed again in March. At that point, you may or may not be admitted; it’s still an unknown.

I suggest that you start working on the supplements for your additional colleges NOW. Best scenario: you do get accepted by your #1 choice, and you will have spent some time working on essays that prove unneeded. Other scenario: you do not get accepted by #1, but you are poised and ready to hit “SUBMIT” on the additional applications to which you have given your best effort.

Get to work, and best of luck!

Applying to high school in New York City is complicated, but some schools are making it even harder by giving out misleading or downright wrong information, Insideschools has learned.

Schools are telling 8th graders and their families that they must rank a school first on their application or they won't be considered for a spot, according to many parents we have heard from.

The problem is, that's not true.

"There are no schools that require students to rank the school first on their application in order to be considered," Rob Sanft, director of student enrollment at the Education Department wrote in an email. "Students should rank schools based on their order of preference. Schools do not see where an applicant ranks them on their application."