tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488423742663364242.post8914714754558444701..comments2024-01-27T18:21:00.875-05:00Comments on Best View in Brooklyn: Petition to Put Pre-K and Kindergarten Admissions Back The Way They Were, darn it.BestViewInBrooklynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00020026181975097401noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488423742663364242.post-57159018303327633472008-06-27T09:05:00.000-04:002008-06-27T09:05:00.000-04:00Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I don't pu...Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I don't put too much faith in internet listserv numbers because it's inherently unreliable (and granted, the DOE can be as well!). I know of at least a few people who have more than one address on the Park Slope Parents listserve, for instance. That way, their comments and questions can be separated. Either way, you're correct that the 200 (or low 100) numbers could very well be suspect. <BR/><BR/>My focus has been on high school placement, and the first year with the 12 choices (12!) was very confusing and full of unplaced/misplaced students. Or so it seemed. As teachers, we were outraged for our students and for their parents. However, when tempers calmed down and people really got down to it, some of the errors were human error - on the part of the family. And, of course, some of the errors were on the part of the DOE. <BR/><BR/>In the end, I signed the petition because I don't see any harm in asking that schools get back the control. That, and I like the last three points very much. <BR/><BR/>The bottom line is that while the lower rungs of education may be touchy-feely-people-oriented, the upper rungs are business oriented. If it costs them too much money, they'll change it. If not, they'll keep on keeping on.BestViewInBrooklynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00020026181975097401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488423742663364242.post-67971599145313601262008-06-27T00:34:00.000-04:002008-06-27T00:34:00.000-04:00I am happy to have just discovered your blog--some...I am happy to have just discovered your blog--some great entries. I have to say, though, that I think you're putting a bit too much faith in the DOE if you think they just need more time to get centralized admissions right.<BR/><BR/>The first flaw is believing the DOE when they say that fewer than 200 people (or 120 according to Klein in Brownstoner interview) were affected by the preK mess. Given the cyberspace outcry, that low number would make it likely that the only ones affected were blog- or listserv-reading parents. <BR/><BR/>As far as I know, DOE has only admitted sibling errors, whereas in fact there have also been out-of-district kids getting in before zoned, etc. There are also the parents who didn't know about the application or couldn't fill it out. All in all, I suspect the number of people affected is far greater than the DOE's face-saving low number. Just look at the forums on Insideschools and you'll see that some of the rejected siblings STILL have not been placed, despite the DOE's claiming to have fixed things. (And, remember, as you've posted, Klein is given to underestimation--viz, the number of children in booming Bklyn neighborhoods.)<BR/><BR/>While I cannot say that some sort of favoritism did not plague admissions pre-centralization (I don't know), I wonder what evidence there is to suggest that it was indeed so widespread and prevalent as you seem to suggest. When I applied out of zone (and district) for my child, I knew no one and yet still managed to get into several schools. Was I perhaps mistaken for someone else?<BR/><BR/>Finally, I don't see how centralization would cut down on fraud. Given the high stakes that come about from having to rank all choices on one application in just the right way, I imagine MORE people will be picking a well regarded zoned school and just making sure they have the right address, come hell or high water. It's the way to ensure their prospects for admission to at least one school.<BR/><BR/>At any rate, though we may disagree, thanks for mentioning the petition (which does suggest that there be some standardized protocols for school-based admissions--in other words, not "back the way they were, darn it").Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com