Want to learn more about the system of high school choice in New York City? Want to sound off on how the process has worked for your family or offer suggestions on how to improve it? The Center for New York City Affairs and Insideschools.org present a forum "High Stakes Decisions: How NYC's Students Have Fared Under High School Choice"   Wednesday, April 20 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor.

New York City's system of high school choice is the largest in the nation, with students bidding for placement among hundreds of schools. The goal is to let students escape low-performing neighborhood schools, allowing them to compete for a spot in up to 12 schools anywhere in the city. Today, 80% of students applying get one of their top five picks. But placement of the city's most vulnerable students remains controversial. And the act of choosing schools is often overwhelming for families.

New York University Associate Professor Sean Corcoran conducted a thorough analysis of the 2008 high school admissions season, investigating the choices 8th and 9th graders make when applying to high school and where they are ultimately placed. He will report on the trends, offer observations from other scholars, and present findings from his paper: "School Choice and Competition in the New York City Schools."

Clara Hemphill, of Insideschools, will moderate a panel including: Robert Sanft, recently-appointed chief executive officer of the Office of Student Enrollment at the Department of Education, Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, staff attorney from Advocates for Children and expert on English Language Learners and special ed students, Carol Boyd, a Bronx parent advocate with New Settlement Apartments, and Carolyn Sattin Bajaj, a doctoral candidate at NYU who has researched immigrant families experiences with school choice.

Admission is free but you must RSVP by phone or email:  212-229-5418; centernyc@newschool.edu.

Can't make it to the forum? We'll be live-streaming it on the homepage of Insideschools.org.

TIME & PLACE:

8:30-10:30 a.m.

55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor.

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