I waited patiently outside an auditorium door for my turn, then bravely took the stage to work on the song I’d been practicing for months, “My Favorite Things,’’ from the Sound of Music. Three...

A few thousand seats are still available in pre-kindergarten programs even after the second round of admissions, according to the Department of Education. If you have a child turning four years...

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...

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...

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...

Dear Judy: I have an 8th-grader preparing for high school. I just received her citywide test scores for ELA and math. I understand the grading/scoring scale has changed -- her scores fell by 100...

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...

If you're not already in the throes of a high school search for your 8th-grader, now is the time to kick into high gear. The Department of Education Enrollment Office is hosting two parent...

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...

I’m getting close to asking Mayor Michael Bloomberg, or even Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, to sign a letter to employers around New York City, asking them to grant parents in the midst of choosing...

The Center for Arts Education (CAE) is enlisting parent leaders to join a team of advocates dedicated to restoring arts education to New York City public schools.   A recent studypublished by...

With the first full week of classes behind them, families and schools are settling into their routines. Most new students have registered, PTA meetings have been scheduled, some out-of-work...

It seems that most parents are embracing the new school year, with a similar attitude to the one they had at the endof2009-10 -- optimistic. In our last poll we asked our readers to share their...

Parents of disabled children are fearful that the city’s ambitious new plan to integrate special need students in regular classes will result in ever more confusion – and may not offer them better...

After what seemed like a false start that first Wednesday, the school year has finally lurched into gear, to the relief of most parents (some I know opted to extend summer until the 13th) and even...

Last February the Department of Education offered the city's 65,000 11th graders free access to an online SAT prep course through College Board.  The goal was to stem the tide of declining scores...

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...

Dear Judy, I'm a currently a freshman and I hate my high school. I really want to transfer out. I want to talk to my guidance counselor about transferring but I have a few questions: 1. Can I get...

Q:   My son's high school offers very few Advanced Placement courses but does let qualifying students take actual college courses at nearby colleges.  Are the in-school APs weighted the same as...

On their first day back at middle school last week, my eighth-grade son and his classmates heard three words many have been dreading all summer: high school admissions. “Can you believe they made...

The Department of Education will be holding public hearings in every school district on this year's round of funding from Contracts for Excellence (C4E), the state legislation passed in 2007 to...

The Coalition for the Homeless launched a back to school project to collect school supplies for an estimated 15,000 homeless kids who attend New York City public schools. Until September 17, the...