Looks like the DOE has made room for pre-K siblingsof elementary school students. Extra paraprofessionals now treading water in the DOE 'excessed' pool will ease the class-size expansion to 20 from...

Do-gooders are building 11 new playgrounds at Bronx elementary schools this summer, but parents of leaf-picking toddlers just might face summonses, like one unlucky mother in Chelsea. Five public...

It was the last week of school, and the big story was the generally higher test scores, although the controversy continues over what the scores actually mean. Chancellor Klein was riding high on...

For me, the clearest indication that my son's childhood as he knew it was a thing of the past started with the cupcakes. At a middle school orientation two years ago, I was the ridiculously...

Too busy worrying if you still have a job, your fifth grader got into middle school or the commute to Manhattan for a G&T program is plausible to read the paper? Don’t worry - we’ve flipped...

by Liz Willen After two middle school searches in three years, I wish I could pretend to be the seasoned pro, generous with wisdom, advice and pitfalls to avoid. But even though we did our...

With the Obama/McCain showdown claiming more above-the-fold newspaper space and primetime television minutes each week, I have been considering the delicate relationship between teachers’ personal...

In the days since middle-school placements were announced, we've heard repeatedly from parents of kids in CTT and self-contained special ed classes: Some students haven't received seats in middle...

We've heard troubling news from parents in Brooklyn: It seems that some rising sixth-graders with special needs, both those who participated in Collaborative Team Teaching (CTT) classes and...

Parents citywide should have g+t kindergarten and first grade placement results no later than today, according to the DOE, which used couriers to hand-deliver letters across all five boros -- even...

We've been hearing today from lots of parents who haven't yet had word on their child's g+t kindergarten and first-grade placement. The official word from the DOE is "this week" -- and as it's...

Delays, confusion and misinformation have marked the middle school choice process this year, and it is simply unacceptable. This is a perfect example of the Department of Educationputting children...

As plenty of parents can attest, talk has been swirling about pre-K and middle-school appeals, and second round applications for pre-K. Here's the latest: Appeals for pre-K are due to the DOE by...

Lots of questions waiting for answers from the DOE, but in the meanwhile, here's some feedback on specifics that have come in via comments. (Thanks as ever for posting, and for voicing questions...

"Did you get the mail yet?'' my 5th grader asked yesterday, for about the 300th time in the last month. I did not like the anxious look on his face, but I understand it. For reasons as of yet...

NYC Public School Parents is hosting a copy of the DOE's much-anticipated "Blueprint for District 2 Enrollment and Capacity." At a recent meeting about overcrowding in District 2, Manhattan Borough...

From the minute we dropped our 5th graders off in a sun-dappled elementary school courtyard last September, the search – and the questions – officially began for parents. Would we be able to find a...

Popular, successful elementary schools are overcrowded because too many families want to attend them. Not really news, is it? It is when kids start getting put on waiting lists at neighborhood...

Searching for schools is fact of life in New York City, one that requires patience, stamina, resilience. At times you need the skills of an investigative reporter, along with the endurance of a...

Most of the folks who could have answered your questions were out of their offices on Friday, but I am working on getting responses and as soon as I do I will share them with you. Until I can find...

There is one way to get answers and explanations about the middle school choice process. It requires taking a deep breath, agreeing not to try to game the system and ignoring the "I heard this"...

When the public middle school search began this fall, I was not going to be one of those anxiety ridden parents, whispering rumors and comparing notes and test scores of kids who get in. After...

Less than a year after struggling to land a location, Khalil Gibran International Academy could become a vagabond again. The DOE is hoping to move it to PS 287 in Fort Greene for the fall, even...

Last week, I took advantage of the elementary school half day to sit down with Jake G., a 2nd grader and member of the Insideschools family. Jake leveled with me on what it's like to go to Lower...

In the last few years, the city's schools have gotten better about identifying overweight students and suggesting more activity for them, but physical education still gets short shrift at most...