WARNING: This blog may include spoilers for the Twilight series. A few weeks ago I was talking to my neighbor, a 10 year-old boy at PS 321in Brooklyn, and found out that he had just started...

Still looking for an elementary or middle school for your child? You might want to consider one of the new schools opening in September. In addition to the new high schools and charter schools...

Elissa Gootman writes today about families whose kids didn't get kindergarten seatsin their local schools, a block and a half from home. We're also hearing from parents whose children haven't been...

E.D. Hirsch, Core Knowledgefounder and longtime education advocate, asks good questions today in the Times about testing, even as he endorses 'teaching to the test,' provided the test is a good...

Dear Judy, We are in the process of applying for middle schools in District 15. Almost every school we have looked at says (1) they are highly selective with many more applicants than spots and...

Dear Judy,* We tried to register my son for kindergarten last week but were denied because of insufficient documentation. We were given a "tentative" registration but told to return with more...

According to the DOE, kindergarten letters were scheduled to go out to families from individual schools in mid-March. In fact, registration's already underway: It began on Monday, March 16 and...

It can't be pure coincidence that the DOE released a report highlighting gains made by English language learners less than a week after aboisterous mayoral-control hearingin the Bronx. And even...

Today in Albany, the New York State Education Department issued its annual list of schools and districts in need of improvement(SINIs and DINIs, in education jargon.) Because these schools receive...

In keeping with the news of the week from Washington, we asked readers what they thought of charter schools. The short report: There's no groundswell of opinion -- in any direction. Click hereto...

Much of the public debate, blogbuzz, and press coverage of President Obama'seducation address yesterday has focused on his strong endorsement of charter schools, which are publicly funded schools...

Parents of children born in 2005 -- who will turn four in calendar year 2009 -- can find pre-kindergarten applications, information and school directoriesonline. (A curious disclaimer appears when...

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...

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...

In December, Arts & Letters won approval to expand our middle school downward to include elementary grades, eventually becoming a K-8 school.  And now, happily, we are engaged in the important...

“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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...