tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48561432240992346802009-11-06T08:31:08.601-05:00The Insideschools.org blog is devoted to summarizing and analyzing education news, events, and views in New York City. Designed to supplement the reviews and resources found on the Insideschools Web site, the blog is also a place for visitors to ask questions and be heard.Pamela Wheatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07386163106829607638noreply@blogger.comBlogger662125insideschoolsbloghttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-54079067311964795402008-08-25T13:46:00.008-04:002008-10-21T10:10:14.519-04:002008-10-21T10:10:14.519-04:00

Faithful readers (and intrepid beta-testers) know that Insideschools' long-anticipated website redesign will launch later this week. We're aiming to get everything up and running ahead of the new school year -- eight days and counting!As a preview, the blog is migrating to the new site today, Monday, August 25th. Here's a quick link to our new e-home, please pay us a visit. And you can always

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-site-for-our-blog.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-25393427705085934722008-08-22T17:02:00.006-04:002008-08-22T17:50:22.632-04:002008-08-22T17:50:22.632-04:00

As parents and students begin gearing up for the new school year, the news this week was dominated by the standard – yet colossal and complicated – contemporary education debates, including charter schools, standardized testing, and incentives. Mayor Bloomberg kicked off the week by announcing that 18 new charter schools would open in the city this fall. The Times opened a Q and A between readers

Lindsey W. Christnoreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/weekly-news-round-up-charters-asbestos.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-82589878821973208962008-08-22T13:16:00.005-04:002008-08-22T13:46:47.286-04:002008-08-22T13:46:47.286-04:00

The DOE has updated its pre-K registers and says there are half- and full-day spots open at some city schools. Have a look at their updated directory to see what's available; registration begins next Thursday, the 28th and wraps up on the first day of school. Some parents have written in to say their kids didn't get placements or were offered pre-K seats far from their homes. The frustrations

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/pre-k-spots-still-open-per-doe.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-80057492395659987312008-08-22T10:17:00.007-04:002008-08-22T12:08:54.137-04:002008-08-22T12:08:54.137-04:00

Looks like Washington, D.C. schools head Michelle Rhee is borrowing another page from her mentor's playbook; see this story for her proposal, modeled on Klein's prototype, that students at 14 District middle schools earn up to $200 a month for steady attendance. That's some kind of walking-around money for young teens and forces some tough questions: What do we teach kids when we pay them to

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com3http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/cash-for-school-dc-variation.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-30293542314368832062008-08-22T09:37:00.006-04:002008-08-22T12:34:39.497-04:002008-08-22T12:34:39.497-04:00

For students new to the city or returning to city schools after an out-of-school hiatus, the DOE is opening Registration Centers, beginning Monday August 25th. The centers will be open from 8am-3pm, but will be closed on Labor Day. A few caveats: Registration centers can enroll all new high-school students and elementary and middle-school students without a zoned school. (Go to a registration

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/last-minute-registration-info-from-doe.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-59991754790793457742008-08-21T08:54:00.013-04:002008-08-21T11:20:52.937-04:002008-08-21T11:20:52.937-04:00

The good news, from the DOE and the State, is that crime in the city's schools is on the wane: Of 25 city schools described as persistently dangerous by the State last year, 15 were removed from the list in light of improved safety and lower crime. The downside is that 11 city schools remain on the danger list. New York City also added more schools (six) to the state's list than any other area of

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/fewer-dangerous-city-schools.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-60218479072788099832008-08-21T08:46:00.003-04:002008-08-21T09:59:58.058-04:002008-08-21T09:59:58.058-04:00

Families who applied for pre-K seats in the second application round should have news by the end of this week; letters went out by mail yesterday afternoon, according to an email from the DOE's Andy Jacob.

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com5http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/pre-k-round-ii-news_21.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-11682167387580342362008-08-20T15:21:00.008-04:002008-08-20T15:29:55.238-04:002008-08-20T15:29:55.238-04:00

If your teen's looking for some last-minute summer culture, contact Mudbone about their Shakespeare workshops at the Public Theater (this week) and in the Bronx (this Sunday, the 24th).

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/hark-budding-iagos-and-hermiones.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-50396393689754342722008-08-20T07:58:00.011-04:002008-08-20T13:05:31.039-04:002008-08-20T13:05:31.039-04:00

In a signature transposition of business practice into the education environment, the Klein administration at the DOE has installed a range of mechanisms to pay people -- teachers, principals, and students, at selected schools -- for performance. Today's Times story challenges the merits of a $2 million REACH incentive program (for REwarding ACHievement). Guess what? The results are a mixed

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com1http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/money-for-high-marks.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-11731377328330228212008-08-19T11:16:00.006-04:002008-08-19T12:07:01.593-04:002008-08-19T12:07:01.593-04:00

Citing competition as the key to success, Mayor Bloomberg says that pressure from charter schools force traditional public schools to improve. But advocates like Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters beg to differ: the small classes that are the charter norm are all too elusive in mainstream public education, despite long-fought battles. And one has to ask a question that's tough to ask aloud: Are

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com3http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/charter-chatter-q-as.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-74645824700909478442008-08-18T09:26:00.007-04:002008-08-18T09:44:24.334-04:002008-08-18T09:44:24.334-04:00

It's safe bet that most readers saw yesterday's New York Times magazine cover story, detailing the vast educational experiment underway in New Orleans. In a similar vein, today at noon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg will announce the opening of 18 new charter schools, which are subject to stringent oversight (read, lots of student testing to measure achievement) but not obliged to meet city-mandated

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com3http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/news-local-and-other.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-18454328478444452252008-08-15T11:44:00.003-04:002008-08-15T16:38:49.015-04:002008-08-15T16:38:49.015-04:00

A number of parents have been wondering whether others in the city have heard any placement news on their child's round II pre-K application.DOE said they'd let folks know by now (mid-August), but many don't have news yet. To connect with other pre-K parents, visit our forums, click on the pre-K thread, and join the conversation. And let us know, please, where the news has arrived -- and where it

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com12http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/pre-k-round-ii-news.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-67792938589158258552008-08-14T11:19:00.006-04:002008-08-14T15:24:24.819-04:002008-08-14T15:24:24.819-04:00

We've heard reports from parents across the city that some g+t programs in local schools have been shuttered for the coming school year -- for a range of reasons, including low enrollment and g+t funding cutbacks by DOE planners. We've asked the DOE repeatedly for a current list of g+t district programs (they say it's coming), but hear conflicting reports from parents, principals and

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com5http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/gt-programs-whats-happening-in-your.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-70013057152801052942008-08-14T08:55:00.005-04:002008-08-14T09:22:23.634-04:002008-08-14T09:22:23.634-04:00

In the end of June, we started gathering questions for the DOE on a wide range of subjects. It took a month to set up the interview, but on July 31st, we spoke with DOE administrators about gifted and talented admissions, among other issues. A short blog post gave highlights (and generated dozens of reader comments); for more, see the article in the current alert.We still have open questions, of

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com4http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/gt-questions-and-answers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-77302261068720792102008-08-12T08:16:00.004-04:002008-08-12T08:49:01.845-04:002008-08-12T08:49:01.845-04:00

Interesting to see how the grad-rate report is presented by local media. Facts are facts, but how they're spun reflects how they're seen.For starters, the Post notes the upward trend -- but sets the NYC data against even greater apparent progress in long-troubled cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. The Sun describes "an uptick" in state and city scores (and a brief moment of mayoral pique),

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com2http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/spinning-numbers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-48603438317668641922008-08-11T16:40:00.005-04:002008-08-12T08:16:26.737-04:002008-08-12T08:16:26.737-04:00

The State and the City finally released the 2007 high school graduation rate today, and the news is both heartening and discouraging, on more than a few counts.First, the good news: The overall graduation rate continues to nudge upward from the swamp where it had long languished. For the city as a whole, 52.2% of students who started high school in 2003 (the 2003 cohort) graduated in four years.

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com2http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/grade-rates-at-last-inching-up-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-23979473533206465762008-08-08T09:35:00.003-04:002008-08-08T09:42:35.399-04:002008-08-08T09:42:35.399-04:00

Among the 1.1 million schoolchildren in NYC public schools, 181,000 students with special needs often face unique, daunting, and systemic challenges, and parents of special-needs kids often feel excluded from the mainstream education debate.  To that end, a new coalition (spearheaded by Advocates for Children) has been formed to advocate for special-needs families, share special-ed resources, and

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/special-education-coalition-to-advocate.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-53168893844213750252008-08-08T09:28:00.002-04:002008-08-08T09:35:30.430-04:002008-08-08T09:35:30.430-04:00

On Tuesday August 12 from 5pm to 8pm, State Senator Martin Connor and members of the State Democratic School Governance Task Force will convene at Brooklyn's Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, to hear parents speak about mayoral control and the state of the city schools.  The Task Force wants to hear about crowded or well-run schools; if parent voices are heard by school leaders; and what's

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/state-senate-invites-parent-voices.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-67320870823531818522008-08-07T09:06:00.007-04:002008-08-07T09:41:36.112-04:002008-08-07T09:41:36.112-04:00

Families in downtown Brooklyn have long lobbied DOE for new middle schools, especially as local elementaries revive (pace, PS 8's new expansion plans) and the waterfront neighborhoods host new (and massive) housing developments. Now, the Daily News reports there's more support for a new middle school in DUMBO, 45,000 square feet of spanking-new classroom space in a much-criticized project by the

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com1http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-tower-new-middle-school.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-85986198022618929472008-08-06T09:19:00.010-04:002008-08-06T09:53:22.818-04:002008-08-06T09:53:22.818-04:00

District 2, which encompasses some of Manhattan's prime development turf, has chronically overcrowded elementary schools. Middle schools, often housed on the top floors of primary schools, add to the population pressure.In a long letter to the Community Education Council, the DOE proposed short- and long-term responses to grade-school crowding -- including moving fifth-graders at jammed schools

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com1http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/district-2-overcrowding-rally-this.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-38780441632445794832008-08-05T09:41:00.003-04:002008-08-05T10:02:24.530-04:002008-08-05T10:02:24.530-04:00

Four weeks from today, the city schools open for the new academic year. As impossible as it seems, it's time to get ready for school.Above and beyond the basics -- lunchboxes, binders, glue-sticks, loose-leaf -- NYC students, especially kids in middle and high school, often have to navigate the city's transportation system to get to school and home again. Late summer is a perfect time to

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/four-weeks-and-counting.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-6853020769603743152008-08-04T13:00:00.003-04:002008-08-04T15:20:23.059-04:002008-08-04T15:20:23.059-04:00

Last week, Insideschools spoke with Anna Commitante (head of DOE G+T), Elizabeth Sciabarra (OSEPO head) and Marty Barr (OSEPO's elementary-schools head) about gifted and talented programs, enrollment, and admissions policies. Here are highlights from our conversation; a longer article in the next alert will answer some new questions, too.Centralized admissions will still be the mode for

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com35http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/follow-up-on-doe-gt.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-2538822543629774852008-08-04T10:04:00.007-04:002008-08-04T10:27:18.344-04:002008-08-04T10:27:18.344-04:00

John McCain (or his ghostwriter) spun an impressively bold segue from public-school reform to private-school vouchers in this editorial in the Daily News. Touting the Mayor and the Chancellor, along with Rev. Al Sharpton, as visionary ed reformers, McCain cites their efforts as evidence of school failure -- anyone else miss the logic here? -- and promises private- and religious-school vouchers as

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/gop-spin-on-nyc-schools.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-89328801589189818582008-08-01T10:33:00.005-04:002008-08-01T10:49:13.160-04:002008-08-01T10:49:13.160-04:00

Newsday asked today what we asked yesterday -- but they're getting about the same answers: Tom Dunn of NYSED said in an email the "target" date for report cards was late next week; in the article, bets are hedged to within the first two weeks of August.And DOE belt-tightening doesn't seem to extend to travel, according to a July 29th report from City Comptroller (and mayoral hopeful) William S.

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/beat-goes-on-dept.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856143224099234680.post-17606193714847007802008-08-01T10:11:00.004-04:002008-08-01T10:18:10.200-04:002008-08-01T10:18:10.200-04:00

A new schools blog has launched here in Gotham City, with Philissa Cramer, well-known to all Insideschools faithfuls, and former teacher Kelly Vaughan, at the helm. Welcome to the fray --

helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751154780579012177noreply@blogger.com0http://insideschools.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-blog-on-block.html