It's time for 5th and 8th-graders and their families to plunge into the middle school and high school admissions season. Jacquie Wayans of Insideschools.org has teamed up with City College to offer...

Parents of 8th-graders: Get a jump-start on high school admissions. Come to a meeting tonight of the Citywide Council on High Schools.  Lenny Trerotola, executive director of high school...

Imagine! Free books every month for every child under 5! Thanks to a partnership between the Dollywood Foundation and the Department of Education, The Imagination Library is now available in New...

Half a dozen middle schools are experimenting with an unusual approach to teaching new immigrants English: Children write stories about their own lives and read them out loud in front of an...

Whether you are starting high school as a 9th grader or as a senior, there are things you can do right now that will prepare you for college. Here are some quick tips that can help you without...

Black graduates of Stuyvesant High School, disturbed by the paltry number of African American students admitted to the prestigious school and other specialized exam high schools, are offering a...

The first day of 1st grade typically holds a few unpleasant surprises, and Thursday's start of the school year was no exception. The most serious problem was rain, which at my daughter’s elementary...

As the new school year begins, we are launching an all-new Insideschools website with dozens of new school reviews, slideshows and videos to help New York City parents navigate a complex school...

Shortly after noon one day this week, I called my household of young teenagers to inquire about progress on the summer reading assignments. (Why get them done early when you can wait till the very...

Fewer than half of the four-year-olds who applied during the the second round of pre-kindergarten admissions in July got seats in public school programs, according to statistics released late...

Are you confused about where your special needs child is supposed to report to school on Sept. 8? Are you concerned that the school doesn't offer the services he needs? Maybe you haven't heard yet...

Dear Judy, I'm a little lost as to what to pack for the first day of kindergarten (and subsequent ones). It's a half-day so I presume snack but not lunch and do they need pencils and supplies or...

The summer exam for newcomers to New York City seeking September entrance to one of the specialized high schools will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 31 rather than on Monday, Aug. 29 as originally...

Your child is entitled to attend kindergarten the year he or she turns five. (If your child has his birthday in late September, October, November or December, he may begin school in September when...

The first day of school can't come too soon for many New York City parents. Classes begin for most public school students on Sept. 8, which starts an 180-day school year, as mandated by the New...

Children who scored at a level 4 on both the state reading and math exams in 3rd and 4th grade last May may now apply for district gifted and talented programs, although the number of seats...

Does your child need special education services? A new, free26-page step-by guide will help you get the help he or she needs to be successful in school. The guide, prepared for the advocacy group...

Your 5-year-old is guaranteed a seat in kindergarten whenever you register—whether months in advance, the first day of school or even after the school year has begun. Most schools offer tours in...

Q: My daughter is going to be a high school senior this fall. School hasn’t even started yet, and she is already stressed about college applications, re-taking the SAT, writing her essay, and all...

Parents who are dissatisfied with their child’s school placement for this year may have a shot at a charter school. Insideschools has found a handful of charters - most of them new ones -  that...

Sex ed in the city's schools made headlines last week when Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced it will be a required course for middle and high students. In a letter to principals, Walcott...

Dear Judy:   My son starts his senior year in high school this September. Now that January Regents are re-instated, he will probably have only one or two classes left to acquire enough credits to...

City students’ math and reading test scores inched up slightly this year compared to 2010, when the state imposed tougher testing standards. At a press conference today, Mayor Bloomberg and Schools...

Insideschools has a new website! We've redesigned not only to make the site visibly better and easier for our readers to use, but because the back end databases and software that fed all the...

New York State is changing the way it evaluates teachers and principals. Starting in the 2011-2012 school year, the state will use a new system to evaluate teacher effectiveness based on factors...