Welcome our newest blogger, Marilyn O'Day (pictured on the far left). Marilyn volunteers at InsideSchools events for newly arrived families and is entering her junior year of high school. “We’re...

Contacting the Department of Education is like calling any huge bureaucracy: You have to follow a lot of prompts before getting to a real person. Once you do reach someone, we’ve found that the...

This was originally published in Urban Matters by our colleagues at The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. Tomorrow, roughly one million students will begin classes in New York...

Mentors help with schoolwork, English, college prep in addition to playing sports, exploring the city, and participating in group events. Academic programs include reading support, test prep, and ...

On a recent hot summer day, July 27th, InsideSchools hosted its first workshop for asylum-seeking immigrants. Our group included several InsideSchools staff, and parent and student volunteers. On...

InsideSchools has helped millions of families like yours understand the NYC public school system. Now, we need your help to make sure the newest New Yorkers can navigate their educational journey...

The Bella Abzug Leadership Institute trains youth 13-21 years old, in leadership and debate skills offering in-school and after-school programs, intensive summer programs, and one day debate traini...

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We are so glad you are here. The InsideSchools community is made up of a wide range of people who come for different reasons. Do you see yourself here? If not, tell us in the Comments who you are...

The wait is over! Fifth-graders across the city received their middle school offers. What was your school search like? What did you look for? How did you learn about schools? Are you happy with...

This interview was originally published in Urban Matters by our colleagues at The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. Last month, Natasha Quiroga, formerly director of the Parental...

The wait is over! Eighth-graders across the city received their high school offers. We know that applying to high school in New York City can be a complex and stressful process. A lot is asked of...

During Fall 2022 we sent out a survey asking families to tell us how they currently engage with their children’s school and how InsideSchools can further support them. Offered in English and...

Progress in America has never been a straight line, as President Barack Obama remarked after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. We zig and zag, sometimes forward, sometimes back. The way...

The problem with public education in America isn’t that all schools are bad. The problem is that the quality is so uneven. In New York City, some lucky parents simply enroll their children in their...

Last week, as I fried onions and garlic for the burritos I would soon share with my family, I propped my laptop on my yellow kitchen stool, turned up the volume and attended my third Community...

Thank you to all who joined us for our NYC High Schools Admissions webinar, which we presented on December 18, 2021 in partnership with the New York Public Library. Videos of the event are now...

Mi nombre es Gigi Hernández y estoy aquí para proporcionar ayuda a las familias hispanohablantes de InsideSchools. Vivo en Queens y soy un producto del sistema escolar público de NYC, como mi...

A previous version of this story ran in October 2019. It has been updated with new information for October 2020. While the Department of Education has yet to finalize policies for the Fall 2020...

These days everyone is juggling a lot of new routines and stresses. Over the past couple of weeks parents have had to become online tech experts, master schedulers and entertainment coordinators,...

Take math and science classes, participate in group research, and prepare for the PSAT and SAT/ACT. Students also work with mentors on career and college exploration

The InsideSchools calendar features free and low cost events of interest to public school parents and advocates in New York City. We encourage you to post items of general educational interest, not...

“We need to start teaching civics again,” is a common refrain these days. And for good reason. There’s nothing like a pandemic to help us realize the impact of our individual and collective actions...

Updated March 15, 2022 If you want to explore options beyond your neighborhood elementary or middle school you may want to enter a lottery for a charter school. There are also some charter high...

Dear Gigi, Good morning. I wanted to know if the school has buses for the kids. My son is starting 6th grade at a new school and I have a baby at home. If I drop the baby at daycare, and the 6th...