The ARISE Coalition, a group of parents, educators and advocates seeking to improve special education in New York City, this week released a guide for parents on the latest reforms to special education. The Department of Education is set to roll out the reforms in 265 schools in September; the...
How important are your children's earliest educators in predicting their success? A New York Times article ("The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers") last week argues that kindergarten teachers matter– - a lot. The piece details the results of a recent study, in which a group of children was...
August 5 is the last day of summer school classes for elementary and middle school students before they take state math exams on August 9 and English exams the following day, to determine whether they will be promoted to the next grade. Some 1800 students are getting a reprieve from the last...
Applications are due Friday, July 30 for pre-kindergarten programs in city schools and community organizations. All children who were born in 2006 are eligible for public pre-K for the 2010-2011 school year. There are 6,764 total seats available for this second round of applications, and most...
Far fewer students across the state achieved proficiency on the 2010 standardized English and math tests than in past years, according to results released today by the State Education Department. Under the tougher grading standardsput in place this year, only 53% of students statewide met or...
It took a few months but the Department of Education finally crunched the numbers. In 2009 a grand total of 1000 children scored in the 99th percentile on the citywide assessments for kindergarten gifted and talented programs. The "99s" account for 56% of the 1788 students who qualified for...
Dear Judy: I am about to file a 2nd round application for pre-K, but I can’t make up my mind between a program that is in a public school and one that is located in an off-site location. What is the difference between school-based pre-K’s and others? Pre-K Dad Dear Pre-K Dad, Not every...
The Department of Education is hiring educators to fill the newly created positions of "master" and "turnaround" teachers. The new positions were designed in conjunction with the United Federation of Teachers to allow principals in "transformation Schools", those deemed "persistently low...
Standardized reading and math test scores for students in grades 3-8 will be released by the State Education Department to schools on Wednesday, although families won't be able to see their child's results until sometime in August. According to a city Department of Education spokesperson, "it...
You know it's been a hot July when people are pinning their hopes on August for some relief. So far in July, the thermometer hit 90 degrees 12 times and the average temperature for the month registered six degrees higherthan what's typical for this time of year. In our last poll we asked...
High school admissions appeals letters were mailed to students’ homes today Friday, July 23, according to the central enrollment office at the Department of Education. Every year 8th and 9th graders who are unhappy with their high school matches -- or whose circumstances have changed since they...
Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio and the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) released a joint report today evaluating how the Department of Education handles school co-locations. Its conclusion: The DOE does not adequately plan for school co-locations, does not sufficiently involve parents in the...
Q: I am a parent at my wit's end. My son has averaged a C his entire three years in high school and now I am concerned he will not get into college. Although his grades are average he has excellent SAT/ACT and Regents scores. But will colleges still consider him? A: Many colleges will see...
Parents of 4-year-olds still looking for a school for next fall may apply now in the second round of pre-kindergarten admissions. All children who were born in 2006 are eligible for public pre-K, although they are not guaranteed a seat. Directorieslisting all available schools, including the...
Earlier this month we reported that 19 schools originally slated for closure would remain open next fall and we wondered where the new schools scheduled to open in those buildings would be housed. Now we have some answers. As reported today, nine of the 16 schools will squeeze into the school...
Parents and students turned out in impressive numbers to last night's workshop at Brooklyn Tech, the third in the Department of Education's seven-part series on high school admissions. Last night the topic was screened and audition schools. The first speaker, DOE's Director of Enrollment, Liz...
Every fall the Department of Education sends home to families a booklet containing the student Discipline Code. Many parents file it away without reading it and may not realize the serious repercussions for misbehavior. At last month's public hearing on proposed changes to the code, testimony...
Summer school opened for thousands of students on July 6 -- coinciding with a record-breaking heat wave. Unfortunately, while many schools and classrooms have air-conditioning, many others do not. Last week, some special education students who took yellow buses to summer school suffered through...
While waiting for the release of standardized state test scores, due out in August, parents may want to read a provocative piece written by conservative pundit Sol Stern in the latest edition of City Journal. In Can New York Clean up the Testing Mess?, Stern raises questions of test score...
New Yorkers are a hearty breed. Despite the sweltering heat outside and the lack of air conditioning inside Brooklyn Tech's auditorium last night, an impressive crowd of parents and students attended the second installment of the Department of Education's series of high school admissions...
Tonight, July 7, is the second in the Department of Education's high school admissions workshop series for middle schools students and their families introducing them to the high school enrollment process. The topic: The eight specialized exam high schools & LaGuardia (the arts specialized...
Ojeda Hall, a community organizer and youth minister, was named today as the director for family engagement and advocacy at the Department of Education, effective Aug. 2. She replaces Martine Guerrier who left in Juneto become a senior policy advisory in the mayor's office. Hall will work with...
Dear Judy My older son will be attending a private Manhattan high school in September, my middle son is 11 and my daughter 9. We are currently in a Nassau County school district but are considering making a move into Manhattan. What are the top ranked public schools in NYC ? Does moving into a...
Your 12-year-old may have just completed 7th grade on Monday, but now is the time for you to start thinking about high school. Schools handed out the 535 page directory of high schools to 7th graders last week. (Didn't get one? Stop by the nearest enrollment office.) While it's not exactly...
It's been a week since the the City Council Education Committee questioned Department of Education enrollment officials on admissions policies ranging from high school acceptances, to school transfers, to admissions timetables, and overcrowding in neighborhood schools. The hearing, which was held...
Q: I was wondering how colleges view AP classes. My son will be a high school senior this fall. In sophomore year he took one AP, junior year he took four APs, and he is registered for four more senior year. His classwork and course load have been extremely difficult and time-consuming;...
The Department of Education kicks off its annual free summer meals program today! All children age 18 or under can enjoy free breakfast and lunch every weekday at sites throughout the city through August 27. This year for the first time, the DOE will also deliver meals directly to select...
At yesterday's City Council Education Committee hearing on school admissions' policies, the city's gifted and talented programs were on the hot seat. City Council members, led by committee chair Robert Jackson, repeatedly questioned Department of Education officials about the lack of G&T...
It’s all so confusing. About two weeks ago, my son, a high school freshman, announced he needed to bring in food for an end of the year party, marking the last day of school. Since I had months ago marked on my calendar the date of June 28, I wondered: How could school be over already? The...
A few weeks ago, the PS 29 community suffered the loss of a great friend when the school's beloved cook, Richard Worrell, died suddenly. Richard was a favorite among the kids, one of those faces kids never forget, even after graduating from the school. Likewise, he remembered everyone's name --...
Got something to say about public school admissions policies? Today is the day to speak your piece. The City Council Education Committee is calling all interested parents and advocates to testify at a hearing about Department of Education admissions procedures. Among other things, the hearing...
After three years as "Chief Family Engagement Officer" for the Department of Education, Martine Guerrier is leaving to become a "Senior Policy Advisor for Community Partnership and Engagement" in Mayor Bloomberg's office, where she will work with Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott. In announcing...
Anxious 8th-graders who are still uncertain where they will be attending high school next fall because theyappealed their high school matches will have to wait a bit longer. The Department of Education said that final decisions for appeals would not be ready by the end of the school year (June...
With theJune 18 registration deadline looming for the city's elementary school gifted and talented programs, PS/IS 217 on Roosevelt Island is reaching out to eligible applicants in Manhattan and Queens urging them to apply. The Department of Education last week told the school that it could not...
Parents across the cityare scramblingto find creative ways to help offset the looming cuts to programs and services at their children's schools. Whether it is running auctions or bake sales(but not too many) to raise money, rallying volunteersto help out at lunchtime or recess, publishing...
Update June 15: Today we received confirmation from the Department of Education that principals have until TODAY to submit appeals on behalf of their students to community school district superintendents, and not the two weeks that a DOE spokesperson originally said. Superintendents will make...
A few weeks ago, my high school freshman son came home with a story about several students caught cheating in his favorite class. The teacher is highly respected and a notoriously tough grader and she was extremely angry about what had taken place. I was relieved my son was not among those...
The Department of Education is calling on this year's high school graduates to subscribe to a website, launched today in partnership with its fund-raising arm, The Fund for Public Schools. In his weekly letter to principals, Chancellor Klein said the website is a way to "help us stay in touch...
Recently, it seems the only conversation about education that anyone seems to be having is whether charter schools are better or worse than "regular" public schools. For me, this discussion has grown very old, and it is entirely missing the point. In order to improve education for all schools, we...
Are you eagerly awaiting your child's standardized test scores? If so you'll have to wait a few more months. The New York State Board of Regents postponed the release of grades 3-8 math and reading scores until sometime in August. The delay in the release of the scores, which are generally...
Last week, pre-K offer letters went out, replacing parental suspense with either disappointment or delight. This year at PS 29 was unusual: for the 54 spots available, a higher number of siblings applied, leaving no room at all for neighborhood children without older sisters or brothers in the...
The wait is almost over for parents and kids who sweated out this year's round of Gifted and Talented (G&T) admissions. Placement letters are being sent out today, Department of Education spokesman Matthew Mittenthal confirmed. The registration period for anyone offered a spot in a G&T...
Thousands of New York City teachers' jobs will be spared, but the city will eliminate pay raises for all teachers and principals for the next two years, Mayor Bloomberg announced earlier today. “Laying off thousands of teachers is simply not the answer. It would devastate the school system and...
Q: My son is going into his senior year of high school and we are starting to look at different colleges. Thinking about where he can get in, academically, is just one part of the story. My son is gay. How do we figure out where he will be welcome -- where will he be safe? I don't see this issue...
Check your mail box or computer. Pre-K placement letters were sent out on Friday, May 28, according the Department of Education's Office of Student Enrollment. If you applied duringRound 1 of pre-K admissions, and haven't received your letter already, it should arrive in the mail very soon. ...
The state legislature has approved a bill to raise the charter cap from 200 to 460 over the next four years. By a vote of 45 to 14, the State Senate approved the bill this afternoon. Earlier today, the Assembly passed the bill by a margin of 91 - 43. The bill's passage comes in the nick of...
Students appealing their high school placement for next year must submit their completed High School Match Appeal Form to their guidance counselor no later than Tuesday, June 1. Students only have three school days left -- counting today -- to consider their options and meet with their guidance...
Anxiety and uncertainty continues to grow as principals grapple with the bad news that cuts to next year's school budgets are likely to be "sustantially larger" than the 4.9 percentslash in funding they absorbed this year. The only good news in recent weeks was the DOE's decision not to charge...
Election season for Parent/Parent-Teacher Associations is underway in schools across the city. According to Chancellor's Regulation A-660, elections for the positions of president, recording secretary and treasurer must be held between the third Wednesday in May and the third Friday in June (May...
Last week was an exciting one at PS29, as Mayor Bloomberg and Rachael Ray visited the schoolyard to hold a press conference announcing greater support for school gardensand school nutrition in New York City. Ray's Yum-o! organization addresses problems of childhood obesity and other diet-related...
The Department of Education announced today that 980 rising kindergartners who are waitlisted at their zoned schools are getting alternate placements for kindergarten in September. "Every child on a waitlist now has a guaranteed seat for the fall and can also remain on the waitlist of their...
