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NYC’s New Gifted & Talented Admissions Brings Chaos — and Disregards Research

Alina Adams: Mayor's latest change turns the process into a glorified lottery, negating what science says gives these programs value

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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How Black Families Can Fight for Fair Discipline in School

Restorative justice is a growing alternative to the zero-tolerance policies and educator bias that disproportionately hurt students of color.

Brittany Talissa King, GreatSchools.org
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My Humbling Education in What Families Really Want from their Kids’ Schools

Adams: Working with parents on school admissions, it was clear: Transportation, safety, afterschool, special needs & academics were key, not diversity

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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How Getting Kids to Make Grocery Lists and Set the Table Can Improve Their Vocabulary and Willingness to Learn

Diana Leyva, The Conversation
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What Are the Best Graphic Novels for Kids in Grades K-5?

Brooklyn comics bookseller Jason Mojica has some suggestions for parents of young readers

Jason Mojica
Author: Jason Mojica

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La educación de tu hijo, explicada: ¿Qué quieren decir las escuelas con ‘IEP’?

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Phone Apps and Ebooks Make It Easy to Read Aloud to Your Kids

Kristen Walter

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Want to Raise MS and HS Achievement at No Cost? Start Classes at 8:30, or Later

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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I Could Get a Spanish Tutor for My Daughter. Why I’m Letting Her Fail Instead

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

NYC Mayor’s Comments on Charter Cap a No-Confidence Vote in District Schools

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Opinion

Review: Why You Should Buy into the ‘Sold a Story’ Podcast

Nat Malkus
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Adams: NYC Middle School Screening — the Great District Divide

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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All Struggling Students Deserve Tutoring — Like My Daughter Gets from Her Dad

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Keeping it 100

When Politics Invades the Classroom, Parents Must Say — ‘Wait … Hold My Coat’

Jay Artis-Wright
Author: Jay Artis-Wright
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Screening Is Back in at NYC Middle & High Schools — But Will It Help or Hurt?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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Why New York Should Apply New Standards for Yeshivas to Public Schools, Too

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams

Explore Our News Series

The 74 Interview

Future of High School

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The 74 Interview

The 74 interviews the top thinkers, policymakers and leaders in American education

Future of High School

College, Career, Learning Recovery: How America's high schools are evolving for the next generation of teenagers.

Following the COVID Money

An ongoing investigative series on how school districts are spending $190 billion in federal pandemic relief money.

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Parents Tell What It Would Take to Get Their Kids Back into NYC Public Schools

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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NYC Parents Rage: With No G&T Qualifying Test, Selection Process Is Chaos

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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5 Tips for Parents of New Kindergartners Who Are Younger Than Their Classmates

Gregory Fabiano, The Conversation
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When Grades and Test Scores Don’t Add Up, Who Can Parents Trust?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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Adams: Public Funds for Religious Schools? It’s Been Happening in NYC for Years

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Pandemic Babies Are Facing Speech & Social Development Delays. 5 Ways to Help

Abigail A. Allen, The Conversation
Pandemic

Adams: What NYC’s New Remote-Only Schools Could Mean for Educational Choice

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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Adams: Masks, Dyslexia, English Learners — Why NYC Families Like Phonics Plan

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Can New Gifted Programs Coax Families Back into NYC's Public Schools?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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What if Parents Could Use a ‘Zillow For Finding Schools’? In This City, They Can

Kristi Eaton, The 74
Pandemic

Alarming New Research Shows Babies Born Amid COVID Talk Less, Developing Slower

Jo Napolitano
Author: Jo Napolitano
4Fams

Are 4-Year-Olds Really Ready for Kindergarten? Here's a No-Cost Solution

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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NYC School Chaos: Parents in Top District Forced Into Admissions Roller-Coaster

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Why Kids May Be Nervous About Ditching Masks — and 9 Ways to Help Them Adapt

Katharine Covino-Poutasse & Elizabeth Englander
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Where Are the Black Kids? Tracking, G&T and NYC's Top High Schools

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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Surprising Numbers Behind Which NYC Schools Actually Educate Kids

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Parents Divided Over Return to Remote Learning

Meghan Gallagher
Author: Meghan Gallagher
Pandemic

COVID Tests, Cold School Lunches & Classroom Chaos After Return From Break

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Ask the Doctor: Navigating the “New Math” of Omicron in Schools

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
Pandemic

Parents! Take Our Omicron Education Survey — How Is Your School Doing Right Now?

The 74
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I Don’t Know Where My Son Is Applying to College & That’s (Kind of) OK

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Online Parent-Teacher Conferences Aren't Great But Still Better Than In-Person

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

When to End Masks at School? Amid Surge of Child Vaccines, Parents Talk Timeline

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

When Schools, Early Voting & COVID Rules Clash

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

When a School Reopening Risk Ends With Your Child Getting Sick With COVID

Conor P. Williams
Author: Conor P. Williams
4Fams

Time to Bring the Science of Listening into the Home & Classroom

Malbert Smith
Pandemic

Arts Education Can Bolster Students' Social and Emotional Well-Being

Neve Spicer
Pandemic

Supporting Students' Mental Health as they Return to Class, and Beyond

John MacPhee
Pandemic

Gifted Schools Say They Want Diversity — But Don't Help Students Get There

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Lessons from the Rise in Homeschooling

Alex Spurrier
Pandemic

5 Ways to Make Masks Less Stressful for Kids During the Pandemic

Ashley Simpson Baird & Sarah Hesselmann
Pandemic

Ask the Doctor: Did We Misunderstand the Risk of COVID for Kids?

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
Pandemic

Will NYC Parents Strike Over Remote Learning?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

A Dad's Plea: Please Protect Our Kids from COVID-19

Nathan Kelly
Pandemic

Back to School — After 18 Months of COVID: Before Kids Can Learn They Must Heal

Conor P. Williams
Author: Conor P. Williams
4Fams

Education Is Not a Zero-Sum Game. So Why Are We Demanding Identical Results?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

CDC: Students Wearing Masks No Longer Need Quarantine, Even if ‘Close Contact’

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
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What Simone Biles Can Teach Public School Families

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Ask the Doctor: How to Protect Young Kids from COVID

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
Pandemic

Chaos, not Classrooms, in NYC Summer School Program

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Keep Parent Engagement Going as Schools Return to In-Person Learning

Sandy Boyd & Amy Briggs
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More G&T Classes Would Help School Diversity, Not Harm It

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

COVID Family Feud? Report Shows Moms More Resistant to Vaccinating Kids vs. Dads

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
4Fams

Do NYC's Mayoral Candidates Care About Education?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Sleep the ‘Magic Pill’ to Restoring Teens’ Mental Health

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
4Fams

Student's View: Ending SAT a Step Toward Fairer College Admissions

Gregory Wickham
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Parents Say NYC Pre-K G&T Admissions Is Now a Confusing Mess

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

Lessons HS Wait Lists Teach About NYC, Parents & Charter Schools

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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7 Steps to Make Sure Your Child Will Thrive at School

Isis Spann
Pandemic

A Golden Opportunity for NYC Schools to Integrate

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Kids, Schools & COVID: Expert Advice on Boosting Students’ Resilience

The 74
Pandemic

Expert Panel Helps Families Navigate Pandemic Social Emotional Challenges

Julia Levy
Pandemic

Descant: 5 Ways Parents Can Help Their Children and Teens Build Resilience Even in Times of Crisis

Lisa Descant
Pandemic

A Student’s View: How to Find the College That’s the Right Fit for You, Even During a Pandemic

Keli Pegula
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McKenna: 7 Tips for Parents Who Want to Speak Out at School Board Meetings and Be Effective Advocates for Students

Laura McKenna
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Adams: Let’s Put Every Student in a Gifted & Talented Lottery. We Could Expand Opportunity to All Kids — and Show How Low a Bar We Actually Set

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Q&A: ‘This Is Crushing Our Children’ — New Jersey Parent Leader Explains Why Some Families Are Suing to Get Their Schools Reopened

Laura Waters
Author: Laura Waters
Pandemic

A Parent’s View: 5 Recommendations for the New NYC Schools Chancellor to Get Students on Track After COVID-19

Crystal McQueen-Taylor
Pandemic

Erika Sanzi: Parent-Shaming Is Nothing New, But the Pandemic and the Ugly School Reopening Showdown Has Put It On Display In Ways It Never Has Been Before

Erika Sanzi
Pandemic

A Mom’s View: Shameful Shaming of Parents Who Only Want What’s Best for their Kids — Being Back in School

Liz Cohen
The Big Picture

A Pre-COVID Education Study With Big Implications for Remote Learning During the Pandemic: When Parents Take Over, Children Give Up Easier

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
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Adams: The Lottery — Parents Fear the Looming Horror of NYC’s New School Admissions Process

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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An Educator’s View: The Empathy & Compassion Biden Talks About Are SEL Skills Every Child Should Have. How Teachers Can Help Students Learn Them

Kamilah Drummond-Forrester
Pandemic

A Student’s View: From One of New York City’s Top High Schools to Homeschooling, in a Single Marking Period

Gregory Wickham
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Adams: Whatever You Do For Your Child, You’ll Be Wrong — Why I Gave My Son Permission to Drop Out of High School

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

An Educator’s View: 6 Simple Steps for Parents and Teachers to Maximize Learning During COVID’s Second Wave

Alejandro Gibes de Gac
Author: Alejandro Gibes de Gac
EDlection 2020

Infante-Green: Kamala Harris and Rhode Island’s Top Female Leaders Are Setting a New Example for Today’s Young Women

Angélica Infante-Green
Author: Angélica Infante-Green
4Fams

Adams: How to Avoid Integrating Schools — While Ending Up With Segregated Classrooms

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

How My Family is Surviving Virtual Kindergarten (Sort of)

Ashley Simpson Baird
Pandemic

Analysis: More Than Ever, Parents Need Data About Their Kids in a Form They Can Understand. Test Makers Are Starting to Get on Board

Cindi Williams
Pandemic

Adams: If the Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few, Why Isn’t NYC Focusing on Kids Who are Learning Remotely?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

A Mom’s View: Online Learning Isn’t Working for Students, Parents or Teachers. Here’s What’s Happening in My Home

Melissa Smith
Author: Melissa Smith
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Adams: Grading NYC’s New Grading System — What Will Giving Marks Based on ‘Equity, Motivation and Academic Integrity’ Mean for Fairness?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

New Poll Finds Parents Want Better Distance Learning Now, Online Options Even After COVID, More Family Engagement

Beth Hawkins
Author: Beth Hawkins
Pandemic

Educator’s View: Meet the ‘Students’ Helping Teachers Understand What Pandemic Life Is Like at Home

Erin Mote & Arthi Krishnaswami
Pandemic

Adams: How to Avoid Needless COVID School Closings & Treat All New York City Students Equally

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Legislators’ View: Working Families Are in Crisis. As We Recover From COVID-19, We Must Rethink Child Care as an Economic and Public Good

Brooke Lierman & Melisa Franzen
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Adams: No Test Scores? No Problem — How NYC Can Screen for Admissions Without Exams and Find Out What Students Have Actually Learned

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
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Porter: 10 States Honor Purple Star Schools That Support the Needs of Military Kids. More States and Districts Should Do the Same

Becky Porter
Pandemic

Kaufman: Does Your Child’s School Use a Strong Curriculum? Why You Should Care, How to Find Out — and What to Do About It

Julia Kaufman
Pandemic

Adams: COVID-19 Learning Loss Will Be Devastating for NYC Students. But the School System Will Come Out Looking Just Fine

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

4 Tips From a Homeschool Mom for Setting Up a Pod That Works for Your Children

Anne Crossman
Pandemic

Roberts: Parent Coaching Can Relieve Stress, Bolster Babies’ Language Skills and Create a Deeper Sense of Community

Carly Roberts
Pandemic

Adams: Children Don’t All Learn the Same Way, or on the Same Timetable. So Why Should Our Education System Be One-Size-Fits-All?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

WATCH: In New Animated Video Created for Kids, Dr. Fauci Helps Students Understand Coronavirus and Safety — and Plays a Memorable Round of ‘Fauc or Slouch’

Meghan Gallagher
Author: Meghan Gallagher
Pandemic

Adams: NYC’s Mayor and Chancellor Want to Reopen Schools. The City’s Teachers Union — and Parents — Aren’t So Sure

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Bergen: Too Many Schools Lack a Student Newspaper. When Schools Reopen, However They Reopen, Every School Should Have One

Lara Bergen
Pandemic

A Tutor’s View: 4 Things I Learned About My Students, Their Families and Myself During COVID-19 Online Learning

Kyle Forth
Pandemic

Schoales: Would I Send My Kid to School This Fall? Some Things to Think About, and Some Advice, for Families Facing This Dilemma

Van Schoales
Author: Van Schoales
Pandemic

Adams: In New York City, Being Stuck in a Failing School Is Suddenly Not a Good Enough Reason to Transfer

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Fourth-Graders’ Tips for Learning Online: Go to Bed Early. Plug In Your Laptop. Try to Find a Quiet Place to Get Focused. Don’t Get Frustrated

Amanda Geiger
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