The 7,455 eighth grade students who did not get matched with a high school in the first round are scrambling to research their options and find a good fit. The Department of Education has given...

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...

My children came home from their middle school yesterday looking solemn and ashen-faced, and I knew immediately that something was up. They reported seeing hallways filled with sobbing 8th-graders...

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...

Q. My daughter is a high school junior. We want to start visiting colleges this year, and we want to know of programs or colleges offering scholarships to minority students (we are...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Middle school applications are due Dec. 17, and we’ve posted some new school reviews to help you rank your choices. Most of these schools are new and noteworthy (and may have empty seats to fill),...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...