Citywide gifted and talented programs will open for the first time in Brooklyn and Queens this September, according to an announcement this afternoon by the Department of Education. Until today,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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....

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...

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...

When the school nurse calls me at work, the first thing I need to know—and I need to know it immediately—is that Brooks isn't seriously hurt. Once that's been established, as it was last week when...

Half of the nearly 23,000 students sent to summer school because of low marks on state exams in grades 3-8 were not promoted to the next grade, according to Department of Education statistics...

Ojeda Hall (pronounced “O zsey da”) took office as director of the Department of Education’s Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy on August 2, replacing Martine Guerrier, who left to become a...

New York City students posted gains on the SATs in 2010 from the previous year, in contrast to statewide scores, which dropped slightly from 2009 to 2010.  While the city's overall SAT scores...

As every parent knows, it’s a blessing and a joy when your child is in a school she loves that also meets her educational needs. I’ve had that experience for my kids, and when I heard parents...

Last night, hundreds of parents attended a forum dedicated to overcrowding issues at elementary and middle schools in Chelsea and the Village. The meeting, sponsored by the Community Education...

Families who covet seats at lower Manhattan's prize elementary schools PS 234and PS 89are legion -- and, if the Times' trend story is any harbinger, their number will climb in the coming...

Two recent Times stories bookend the issue of parent involvement. At the first Mayoral Control hearing, held by members of the State Asssembly last week, an engaged and occasionally boisterous...

Brooks was in the bathtub last week, and here's what I overheard: "You don't have to be worried, cow. Your friends are here. Look: pig is here, horse is here, duck is here. If you cry, someone will...

Last Thursday in District 3, the Department of Education and parents attempted haltingly to hold a conversation about what schools should replace the closing MS44 and PS241. I say “attempted”...

It isn’t easy getting information from a 13-year-old, which is one reason I’m at least mildly curious about the interviews my son had as part of the torturous high school application process. “So...