CPAC dropping out of DOE's Lobby Day

Posted by Philissa at 9:06 AM

Today is the DOE's annual lobby day, where DOE representatives as well as parents travel to Albany to push the city's schools' agenda in the budget process. Usually, the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council spearheads the effort to get parents up to Albany. But this year, unhappy at the city's response to budget problems — to pass the cuts along to the schools — CPAC voted not to participate in the DOE's lobby day, the Daily News recently reported. Instead, it and other parent groups will send their own delegation to Albany March 11. Is anyone planning to go?

Vote today in contested presidential primaries

Posted by Philissa at 8:05 AM

Today is Super Tuesday — and in an unusual circumstance, New Yorkers will cast their ballots in a presidential race that has not yet been whittled to two opponents. Vote early or late, or on your way to celebrate the Giants' Super Bowl win, but do make time to vote at your local polling place. Polls will close at 9 p.m.

Schools have never been closed on primary days, so they are open to students today — but some parents are concerned about having a record number of strangers in school buildings, the Times reports. Chancellor Klein says the schools will keep kids safe and notes that schools might use the opportunity to offer a lesson about democracy — a lesson not tested on standardized tests but one, apparently, worth learning nonetheless.

REMINDER: PEP meeting today (1/28)

Posted by Philissa at 6:25 AM

If you care about the mayor's proposed 8th grade promotion policy, tonight's Panel for Educational Policy meeting is your first chance to make your voice heard. (You'll also be able to speak out on the promotion policy at a series of public hearings in February and March; see the Insideschools calendar for details on dates and times.) 6 p.m. at Tweed; arrive a little early if you want to sign up to speak. Map.

Volunteers needed for Saturday professional day in Brooklyn

Posted by Philissa at 11:47 AM

Lyons Community School, a new secondary school in Brooklyn, is holding a career exploration day this Saturday (1/12) and is looking for volunteers to present about their fields. The event, which runs from 12:45 to 6 p.m., is open to all New York City middle and high school students; it's free, although the school asks for a $5 donation to defray expenses. To volunteer, contact Natalie Sherwood at 646-894-7984. For more volunteer opportunities in the city's schools, take a look at Volunteer Match and New York Cares. And for more events, check out the Insideschools calendar.

For schools, Halloween can mean parties or problems

Posted by Philissa at 11:54 AM

"Darth Klein" image from Eduwonkette, who has dressed up several of the city's education leaders.

Happy Halloween! Today marks a holiday that often means fun and costumes in elementary schools and higher-than-usual rates of absenteeism in high schools, where mischief can emerge on Oct. 31. The DOE doesn't have a uniform policy on Halloween celebrations, instead leaving decision-making up to individual schools. (In keeping with the DOE's philosophy of giving more power to principals, this is a change from the recent past, when the DOE attempted to set a uniform, no-costume policy.) According to a Times article, some schools, such as PS 321 in Brooklyn, allow costumes but not toy weapons. Maybe the 321 kids will unsheathe their swords at the Park Slope Halloween Parade instead; it's one of many Halloween events being held citywide. And the anti-sweets crowd has some (fun-killing) suggestions for how to keep Halloween healthy.

One city school where kids won't be celebrating? Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences in Brooklyn, where Halloween costumes were banned after a student dressed as Hitler infuriated teachers and classmates last year.

TONIGHT (10/24): Martine Guerrier in Staten Island

Posted by Philissa at 1:46 PM

Just a reminder that Chief Family Engagement Officer Martine Guerrier is taking the "Ask Martine and Friends" show to Staten Island tonight. Along with other DOE officials, she'll be giving an overview of the reorganized DOE. There will also be a question-and-answer session where, according to the DOE, "question cards written by parents in the audience will be answered by the panel." The event's at Petrides from 6-8:30 p.m.

Good luck to PSAT-takers!

Posted by Philissa at 7:32 AM

Good luck to 10th and 11th graders, who are all taking the PSAT this morning, thanks to the DOE, which is paying for the test. The test is used to screen kids for the National Merit Scholarship Competition and is also a useful diagnostic to see how students can prepare for the SAT used for college admission. At last week's Citywide Council on High Schools meeting, one council member expressed concern that kids are taking the PSAT for no reason, and a high school superintendent said schools are getting more instruction this year about how to use PSAT scores to help kids beef up their skills before the higher-stakes SAT.

TONIGHT (10/16): Education law book party in Brooklyn

Posted by Philissa at 5:35 PM

This is kind of late notice, but if you are interested in education law or just want to show support for David Bloomfield, education professor at Brooklyn College and past president of the Citywide Council on High Schools, head over to Book Court in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, tonight for a party celebrating the release of his new book, American Public Education Law. The book is immensely readable and a great resource for students and teachers as well as legal professionals. Plus, Book Court is an awesome independent bookstore and a very pleasant place to hang out. The party starts at 7 p.m. Map

If you like what you hear tonight, come buy the book here at Insideschools' bookstore!

Happy National School Lunch Week!

Posted by Philissa at 8:01 AM

This week is the national School Nutrition Association's National School Lunch Week. Parents, take a day off from making lunch this week and ask your kid to eat cafeteria food to support efforts by the DOE's Office of SchoolFood to make school lunches healthier, more local, and more appealing. Kids, you can vote for your favorite nutritious school lunch.

And for the Connecticut-based "Two Angry Moms," this week is also the National School Lunch-In. They want parents to "do lunch" with their kids this week to talk about nutrition and investigate the healthiness of school lunches. The two moms, a rabblerouser and a documentary filmmaker, have also made a movie about school lunches that they say "offers an inside look at what’s on the menu in many of the nation’s school cafeterias." The movie is currently being screened in house parties; you can sign up to host a viewing party in your home.

THIS WEEKEND: Events for teens and parents

Posted by Philissa at 10:54 AM

On Saturday, the United Federation of Teachers is holding its annual parent conference, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year's theme is "Strengthening the Home-School Partnership." Registration was required but if you're interested in attending the conference, which attracts more than 3,000 parents, you might still be able to get in. For more information, call 212-598-9205. Map

And Saturday evening, teens in Brooklyn will be throwing a concert to benefit Darfur relief. "Teens for Darfur" is the third annual benefit concert thrown by the vibrant Brooklyn teen rocker community; in previous years teens raised money for street children in the Philippines and relief efforts in New Orleans. This looks like a fun way to support kids' artistic and philanthropic interests, neither of which get enough attention in their schools. 6 p.m. at the Old Stone House in Park Slope. $5 for kids; $10 for grown ups. Map

TODAY: City Council hearing on school safety

Posted by Philissa at 6:38 AM

Just a reminder that the City Council is holding a major hearing tomorrow about school safety. The hearing is a joint endeavor of the council's committees on education, public safety, and juvenile justice and is being held in two sessions, one from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and the second from 3 p.m. until the end of the day. Map

We'll be reporting on what happens, but if you are concerned about safety issues at your kids' schools, you might want to consider testifying. To get on the docket, speak to the sergeant-at-arms at the beginning of the hearing. If you can, bring copies of what you plan to say. Given the persistent issues surrounding school safety and the interaction between safety agents and students — just yesterday, the principal and an honors student at East Side Community High School were arrested in a confrontation with safety agents — it's important that the council hear from students and parents.

An anniversary today; panel discussion tomorrow

Posted by Philissa at 11:43 AM

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first day black students successfully attended the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. Amid harassment and threats of violence, the students were escorted by soldiers whom President Eisenhower had deployed to Little Rock to do battle with the segregationist governor, the state militia he controlled, and the many ordinary Arkansans who opposed the Little Rock school board's vote to integrate. Although none of the Little Rock Nine graduated from Central (and in fact the governor closed all of the city's high schools the next year rather than integrate), their attendance was a watershed moment, at least emotionally, for Little Rock and the rest of America.

But now the nation's schools are as segregated as they were in the late 1960s, districts are trying to rejigger school zones in racially suspect ways, and black students are disproportionately punished and referred to special education. And of course in June the Supreme Court struck down voluntary integration programs that considered students' race in assigning them to schools.

At 4:30 p.m. tomorrow at Long Island University's Brooklyn campus, a panel of education experts will grapple with this troubling reality in a symposium titled "The U.S. Supreme Court vs. Equality in Education." Several of the panelists are New York City principals and parents, and I'll be there to hear what they have to say. I just hope some of the news is good.

TONIGHT (9/24): Panel for Educational Policy meeting

Posted by Philissa at 2:15 PM

You can tell the chancellor what you think at tonight's Panel for Educational Policy meeting (6 p.m. at the DOE. Map). On the agenda are military recruitment in the schools and the learning environment surveys, among other issues. You can sign up for the public comment portion of the night beginning at 5:30 p.m. Check out the Insideschools calendar for more events.

TONIGHT (9/6): PBS show about an NYC high school

Posted by Philissa at 11:36 AM

If you're planning to be home tonight and don't have too much first-week-of-school homework to deal with, check out a new PBS documentary that follows students at the High School for Contemporary Arts, a new small school in the Bronx, from the first day of freshman year until graduation this past May. 10-11:30 p.m. on Channel 13.

TODAY: Brooklyn NAACP Back to School Rally

Posted by Philissa at 6:40 AM

At 11 a.m. today, the Brooklyn NAACP will hold a "Back to School/Stay in School" rally on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall. Chancellor Klein will be on hand to hand out 1,000 backpacks to needy students celebrate the NAACP's 23-year-old program of encouraging school attendance, supporting at-risk students, and promoting parental involvement. Borough President Marty Markowitz and the DOE are co-sponsoring the rally, along with other education organizations. Map

TONIGHT (8/20): PEP meeting and Khalil Gibran rally

Posted by Philissa at 10:56 AM

At tonight's meeting of the Panel for Educational Policy, members will discuss the new Middle School Task Force recommendations; preview the DOE's website redesign, set to launch within the next few weeks; and take a look at last year's school safety data. The meeting's at 6 p.m. at the Department of Education (Map); arrive a few minutes early if you want to sign up to make a public comment.

PEP meetings have gotten a little more interesting lately since the June appointment to the panel of Patrick Sullivan, an independent-minded public school parent who doesn't shy from asking hard questions. Sullivan also writes for the NYC Public School Parents blog.

Also at 6 p.m., supporters of the embattled Khalil Gibran International Academy plan to rally on the steps of the DOE, sponsored by a number of tolerance-oriented organizations and individuals. From the announcement of the rally, posted on the website of the organization Arab Women Active in Arts and Media:

As New Yorkers and others in support of quality public education for all of our communities, we stand in solidarity with the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which has sustained hateful and false attacks by anti-Arab media and extremists. ... We call on all communities who want to see peace on our streets and in our world to stand with us in support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy.

SATURDAY: Martine Guerrier public Q&A session

Posted by Philissa at 3:19 PM

If you're like us, you have a few questions about what the school system will look like -- and how it will work, or not work -- after June 30. Tomorrow morning you have an opportunity to ask those questions of Martine Guerrier, the new CEO for parent engagement, and several other DOE officials at "Ask Martine and Friends," a public meeting at Brooklyn Tech High School. The event runs 11 a.m.-3 p.m., but if you get there early, you can have brunch starting at 10 a.m. Lunch will also be provided. Map

Wednesday: Joel Klein at Citywide Council on HS meeting

Posted by Philissa at 10:46 AM

Chancellor Klein will be giving a presentation and answering questions from the public tonight at the monthly meeting of the Citywide Council on High Schools. If you're interested in issues facing high schools or in the upcoming reorganization, you might want to attend the meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at Tweed (52 Chambers St., Manhattan). CCHS President David Bloomfield is a tireless champion of the city's students, so you can expect him to ask some pointed questions tonight.