In a story that's not made many headlines at all, Education Week reports on a new rule by the US Department of Education that permits parents of students with special needs to opt outof classes and...

Some semi-heartening news this week: American students seem to be improving in math, according to the world’s largest survey of math and science achievement, the Trends in International Mathematics...

In a good economy, college grads go to work; in a bad economy, they go to grad school. So goes the long-held thinking -- but it seems that the current crop of incipient grads has other ideas, if...

At a time of escalating economic contraction -- and when the City Council, which not so long ago fought potential education budget cuts to the penny, now proposes $ 75 million in DOE trims--...

This week was filled with bad news for schools and students, but on the same day that the DOE announced it would close three schools, nine other city schools were lauded in US News as among the...

While working with DOE to develop last month’s resolution, District 3 CEC members heard that MS44 was on a list of schools under consideration for closure, but that no final decision had yet been...

News that the DOE will close three schoolsarrived with a thud; the schools will close in June, and open, reconfigured (or reimagined entirely) in September. The schools on the present chopping...

Both the Times and the Washington Posttoday offer dire news for college-bound families, based on Measuring Up, the annual report from the National Center for Public Policy in Higher...

With thanks to Andy Jacob of DOE for the information below, here are answers to some questions from readers about the kindergarten admissions process, both general-ed and gifted and...

If anyone tells you the high school process in New York City is relatively painless, don’t believe them. Would you believe someone who told you they breezed through high school and loved every...

The DOE's repeating the 'hybrid' middle-school admissions process it piloted last year -- applications and calendars centralized by DOE but individual schools, programs, and districts setting...

The blogsare abuzzwith comments and critique on the NY TImes Sunday magazine cover storyabout surrogacy; while it's far from this blog to comment on issues of class, privilege, and maternity, one...

The Community Education Council of District 3 officially released its resolution to address overcrowding in District 3 today. The buck is now passed to the Department of Education, which ultimately...

My 13-year-old son turned to me on Sunday morning with the first expression of genuine interest – and fear – since the search for a New York City public high school began this fall. He made this...

As themarkets continue to slide and tumble, the City Council takes up the issue of education budget cuts in hearings today. See Gotham Schools' preview here, or go downtown and watch the wheels of...

Good news for teachers this week: most educators who participated in the experimental bonus program last year have elected to continue with the program this year, and the Department of Education...

Last night, the Community Education Council for District 3 passed a controversial resolution which rezones three large apartment buildings on the Upper West Side from the popular PS 199 to...

While it's high season for pre-K and Kindergarten applications, families of children with special needs are part of the admissions process, too, and want information on which schools will best...

by Liz Willen When I first visited the Lab School for Collaborative Studies three years ago, I hoped my oldest son, then a fifth-grader, would rank it first on his middle school list. Lab has...

As parents slog through the application process for the city's gifted and talented programs, today there's a chance to step back and consider the evolving definition of what 'gifted' means....

Middle school families inclined to celebrate the next President's inauguration in Washington D.C. faced a mighty calendar conflict, as the tests are slated to begin on January 20th, Inauguration...

By unanimous vote, the UFT board approved a plan to put hundreds of teachers in New York City's Absent Teacher Reserve back to work. The ATR program, estimated to cost DOE (and thus taxpayers)...

After my dog Maggie graduated from the Good Dog training program for therapy animals last week, my husband and I were asked to choose her first volunteer project. As we scanned a long list of...

In response to swirling confusion on this blog and other local parenting sites, here is the official, on the record, DOEsibling enrollment policy for prospective kindergarten students. Enrollment...

In a climate where standardized tests are praised and vilified, depending on your point of view, comes a study from the State University of New York, showing a strong correlation between SAT score...