After the events of Jan. 12, I plan to submit the following rough outline to the Metropolitan Opera. The proposed production is titled “Snow Day: A Tragedy.” Scene 1 opens in a New York home on a winter’s evening. [Note to self: Is “Nutcracker” set still being used?] Four elementary-age children...
To New York’s Department of Education, the kindergarten sign-up period that begins today is “intake,” a time to discover which public schools will be filled beyond capacity come September, and which will have room to spare. But to parents who have staked their children’s future on NYC’s public...
Not too long ago, the very phrase Gifted & Talented made me cringe, with its aura of specialness and superiority. When my older daughter, Night Owl (now 6) was in pre-K, the option wasn’t even on our radar; we were too busy trying to figure out a few kinks with her that, as it turned out,...
School Chancellor Cathie Black says reaching out to parents is at the top of her "to do" list. She told a student atDemocracy Prep that her first task will be meeting parents. And in her first weekly letter to principals, she wrote that she wants to "reach out more to families to involve them...
I vividly recall sitting in a waiting room, thinking my daughter’s future was being determined 15 feet away. There, behind closed doors, a child psychologist was administering the Stanford-BinetIQ test designed to detect early signs of genius. If my daughter aced the exam, she might gain entry...
Q: I'm a high school sophomore from the Bronx. It has always been my dream to attend Columbia University. However, I doubt I will ever have a chance for admission. My cumulative average from freshman year was a 90, and now I have about an 85. I'm on the football team, student council, NYC...
Do you feel stressed by the demands of your child's school? Has volunteering come to feel like a fulltime job? This dilemma was the subject of a top-emailed New York Times article a few weeks back: "Frazzled Moms Push Back Against Volunteering" in which many of the subjects described feeling...
The interviews, tryouts, and discussions about which high schools to rank in what order are all over in our household, so I’ve been wondering lately why my 13-year-old continues to nervously tug on his hair and why his friends avoid all conversations about high school. I blame post traumatic...
One extra click is all it takes this holiday season to support your favorite charity (and if that's Insideschools.org, so much the better!). Here's how easy it is: go to ShopForCharityNow.com first and then click through to your choice of more than fifty online stores. This particular website...
With middle school applications due on Friday, Dec. 17, and the kindergarten admissions season beginning in January, the Department of Education is proposing changes in location or grade level at several high profile schools around the city. Among the schools affected are PS 151 on the Upper...
“Are we Jewish or are we Christian?” my kindergartner asked the other day. The question was sparked by classroom discussion about the various holidays celebrated in our Upper West Side neighborhood. Hanukkah was getting a lot of attention, Jewish kids were talking about eight nights of presents,...
The new chancellor-designate, Cathie Black has emerged from seclusion to offer clues of what the priorities of her administration might be: taking aim at teacher tenure, and getting teachers off the city payroll who don't have regular classroom assignments. After keeping quiet for a few weeks...
Although Brooks is an only child, I sometimes feel as if I'm raising two separate boys: the happy-go-lucky one on the right who exudes charm and intelligence, and the anxious, uncertain one on the left who is doggedly pursued by the challenges of autism. For better or worse, my obsessive...
Dear Judy, I am a District 2 parent. I keep reading about the need to rank the schools on the application. The problem is that many schools won't consider you unless you rank them first. How does one get around this? So confusing! Dear District 2 parent: Applying to middle school is...
“Are we late?’ my 13-year-old asked again and again, as we headed first to an interview and then an audition, all within a three hour time span at an ungodly hour on Sunday. We were not, but plenty of frantic parents and kids were, and just as many appeared to be lost on their way to some of New...
When my daughter Night Owl was two weeks into pre-kindergarten, we received an e-mail from the teacher: “Due to a nut allergy, our classroom will be strictly nut-free” Since pre-K children eat lunch in their classrooms, this meant Night Owl would have to forgo her preferred lunch of almond butter...
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn released a report called FoodWorks, featuring 59 proposals for improving health and sustainability throughout the food chain and throughout the city. The report was released last week to a packed auditorium in Food and Finance High School Quinn was introduced...
The Scholastic Book Fair held this month at my daughter’s elementary created a fun bookstore environment that promoted reading and learning — all while raising thousands of dollars for the school. So why did it leave me fuming? Because my kindergartner purchased, from among the hundreds of...
During a much anticipated tour of a highly selective and extremely appealing high school last week, I fell sound asleep. It happened in a hot and crowded auditorium, somewhere between the guidance counselor talking about the roughly 5,000 applicants for 150 spots and the principal touting the...
Lori Podvesker is the Public Advocate's representative on the Citywide Council on Special Education and the parent of an eight-year-old son with special needs. Below is her summary of the highlight's of last week's meeting about busing. Parents and educators of students with disabilities -- and...
If you have a child who is turning five years old in 2011, now's the time to start thinking about kindergarten. Requests for testing for gifted and talented programs are due Nov. 17, while orientations for parents of children with special needs are being held in November and December. Children...
College bound high school seniors through out the U.S. are struggling to put the finishing touches on college essays, those pesky assignments aimed at giving admissions officers a bit more personal information about an applicant -- and at the very least some insight into their writing. Now...
My son is in 6th grade this fall. Is it too early to be thinking about high school admissions? What can I do to get prepared? Anxious dad. Dear Anxious Dad: It's never too soon for a middle school family to start thinking about high school, however, 6th grade is a big transition year for kids...
When Leia was a baby we affectionately called her Koala Bear, for the way she held tightly around my neck and never let go. Now, at 4 ½, when she clasps herself around my legs to block my exit from the classroom, she’s simply Barnacle. A mixture of sadness, guilt, and irritation bubbles up in me...
It just got easier to find transfer schools and programs for older teens who have been unsuccessful at regular high schools. The Department of Education has been opening programs for struggling older students at a faster pace over the past few years, and now it has produced a directory listing...
New, small high schools fared the best in the annual release today of the Department of Education's Progress Reports which grade the city's schools according to progress students make toward passing state exams, or meeting graduation targets. Four of the five The five top-ranked schools -...
Q: I have been taking AP courses since my sophomore year at a competitive high school. All of them have been hard. I am averaging around a B/B- with occasional C’s and some A’s. My SAT score is 1950 (out of 2400) and I am now a junior. I have many awards in science and math competitions and...
It’s hard to overlook the amenities – or the lack of them – when searching for a New York City Public high school. Who wouldn’t be wowed by Stuyvesant’s swimming pool, Frank Sinatra’s rooftop garden or The Harbor School’s fish tanks and stunning campus? At the same time, some of the best and...
The lunch at the School Food Rocks conference last weekend featured the healthiest, greenest recipes that School Food can make. Vegetable stir-fries, Pasta Bolognese, a salad bar with sesame noodles served in the Department of Education's more environmentally friendly new “trayless” paper boats,...
Without the option of a local diploma many students won't graduate at all, according to a report released today by Advocates for Children (AFC). More than a Statistic: Faces of the Local Diploma, chronicles nine high school graduates' pathways to college and careers taken after earning a local...
There are still 850 teacher vacancies across the city's nearly 1700 public schools. If they aren't filled by October 29, schools may lose the money budgeted for those positions . That's according to the Chancellor Klein's weekly memo to principals, which also advised that most vacancies must be...
The New York City Department of Education backtracked on anew policythat would have charged schools for using their facilities after 6 p.m. Principals were told of the policy in their weekly newsletter from Chancellor Klein. "Effective now, schools are not financially responsible for the...
Last chance to register for a public pre-kindergarten program for the 2010-2011 school year! The Department of Education has sent out another reminder that there are still slots available in pre-kindergarten programs for children turning four this year. Parents should apply by Friday, October...
It’s hard to imagine that after all the tests, the tryouts, the rankings and the pressure to get into one of New York City’s best public high schools that it sometimes doesn’t work out as planned. Not everyone will get their first, second or even their third choice by the time the matches are...
TheScholasticbook fair just wrapped at Leia’s school, and as a result our bookshelf is a little more crowded than it was before. The annual sale is a significant fundraiser for PS 29, so I always indulge my daughters when it comes to picking out a few books that strike their fancy–along with...
How do you get your kid to break the chips and fries lunch habit and eat more lettuce or apples at school? Check out Friday's editorial page in The New York Times (preferably the print version which shows a chart). Two Cornell professors, along with an illustrator, have diagrammed what they say...
Charter schools are independent public schools. Each functions as its own school district with a non-profit Board of Directors that performs the duties of a Board of Education. The board is responsible for the operations of the school and its compliance with the law. (See our primer on charter...
If making decisions about New York City public schools was anything like looking for real estate, I’d be ready to buy into the New York Harbor School right now, before the crowds arrive. (Come to think of it, I wish they were actually selling houses or apartments on Governors Island with those...
Joyce Szuflita, of NYSChoolHelp.com, attended the Meet and Greet with Chancellor Klein sponsored by the District 15 Community Education Council. Here's her recap of the evening. Last night, schools chancellor Joel I. Klein participated in a town hall style meeting sponsored by District 15’s...
Got a child applying to kindergarten, middle school, or high school for next fall? Here's what's happening this week, and month. Kindergarten & elementary grade Gifted & Talented programs Handbooks with information and applications for testing for the city's elementary school G&T...
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, not only because of the leaves, but also because of our weekly tours. Each week, 35 or so people come for our weekly tour, and I get to talk about my school! I have to admit, I'm so proud of what we have accomplished in our school, and since...
Dear Judy, Our high school is overcrowded by the capacity standards in the DOE Blue Book. Our school has corrected the DOE calculation of space twice and our submittal has gone unacknowledged. Meanwhile, our3800 students fill a school with a capacity of 2100. What can be done to have the legal...
Frustrated abouttest scoresor your school's Progress Report? Do you wish your child's class was smaller? Parent activists and education advocacy organizations are organizing for change this fall. The "Save our Schools Coalition", led by the Coalition for Educational Justice and other advocacy...
I waited patiently outside an auditorium door for my turn, then bravely took the stage to work on the song I’d been practicing for months, “My Favorite Things,’’ from the Sound of Music. Three judges stared silently at me, looking bored and unimpressed, their arms folded neatly in front of...
A few thousand seats are still available in pre-kindergarten programs even after the second round of admissions, according to the Department of Education. If you have a child turning four years old by December 31 and you are still looking for a pre-K program at a public school or community...
Eighth graders applying to high schools aren't the only ones who should be mindful of the admissions calendar. Important dates are looming for students applying to middle schools and G&T programs for the 2011-12 school year. Here's the rundown for what you'll need to know for the upcoming...
With the release of the 2010 Progress Reportsfor elementary and middle schools, more than 700 schools (out of roughly 1100), including many charters, had lower letter grades. This is a dramatic change from 2009, where nearly 1000 schools saw their grades improve or remain the same from...
It’s a familiar scene by now. Leia, age 4, catches sight of me at pre-K pick-up and shouts “Mommeeeee!” as she bounds toward the doorway where I’m standing. She almost knocks me over with her flying hug, and we make our cheery exit from the building. But then at some point during the next 15...
The city released its 2010 Progress Reports for elementary and middle schools, giving each school a grade of “A” to “F,” based mostly on how children did on standardized tests compared to schools with similar demographics. The city has a tougher grading system than last year, and more than 700...
Dear Judy: I have an 8th-grader preparing for high school. I just received her citywide test scores for ELA and math. I understand the grading/scoring scale has changed -- her scores fell by 100 points. I wonder if this is something other families are noticing and how it will affect the...
A popular Brooklyn middle school, IS 234, made the news last week when it sent a few dozen newly-enrolled students to another school because of overcrowding. IS 234, the Arthur W. Cunningham school, isn't the only school turning away zoned students who are registering this fall. As of September...
