Petition to Put Pre-K and Kindergarten Admissions Back The Way They Were, darn it.

I have mixed feelings about this. However, I believe wholeheartedly that everyone should make up her/his own mind about an issue and act accordingly. That does mean to actually read and educate oneself about a topic and not just go with "what she said." That leads to hearsay and the squeakiest wheels guiding policy changes. I'll put the link here so that those who don't want to read and/or respond to the following can just sign it and read it (not in that order, please).

Anyone who pays attention to young child and/or education issues will surely have heard a few earfuls about the "Pre-K Fiasco" that has recently occurred. Most of the attention was given to younger siblings being rejected from their older siblings' schools. As it turns out, that was only about 200 children. Now, for those 200, it was and is indeed a fiasco. (How do you drop off two kids at two separate schools - sometimes quite far away - at the same time?) However, considering the numbers of school children in NYC, not so much.

More disturbing to me was the lack of assistance that parents who aren't members of the Park Slope Parents listserve received. Navigating the NYC DOE is treacherous for those of us who are a part of it; for those who are disconnected from the processes and ways around the system, it's tear-inducing and teeth-grindingly painful.

For the three people that care about what I think, here's my take on it. Centralizing the admissions process doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's not currently run in an ideal way, but I can imagine some (unspoken) reasons as to why the process was changed. Favoritism and "buddy favors" are common. Oh come on, don't say they aren't. Another reason might be to cut down on the fraud. Most everyone knows that addresses within zone for favored schools are sometimes "borrowed" or "purchased." Centralizing the process could eliminate the first problem and mitigate the second by noticing discrepancies in the number of applications versus the households from which they come.

The petition supports giving individual schools back their control over the process. It (the petition) states that families often received two or three acceptances due to applying to their zoned school as well as lottery or magnet schools. This allowed them to choose the best option for their child. Uh, yeah. Maybe the families you know. But the same people who were out of the loop in the petition's informational "equity point" were out of that loop as well.

On the other hand, I don't buy the DOE's explanation as to why it wanted to centralize it. Just admit you want control. Just admit that people are soft and flawed when they have to work face to face with those they admit and reject. The DOE could easily obtain the data about how many spaces are needed versus how many they have. And Joel Klein's explanation of not wanting parents to "camp out" or miss information is flawed as well.

The first demand isn't necessarily a strong one. It pains me to say it, but it's only fair to allow the DOE more than one run of the process. This was the first go at the centralized process, and the numbers weren't as horrible as all the uproar promised.

I think the second, third, and fourth points in the petition are excellent. Separate the process for the schools that are separate. Keep families informed (and I'd say make the information available to the general public as well.) And obviously, add seats where they are needed.

I'd add that the process should begin earlier and include well-publicized community meetings in neighborhood languages and at different times of the day. It's nice to be able to leave work a little early without repercussions to make a 5:30 PM meeting, but what if you don't have that choice? Or what if it means you don't get paid for hours missed? Tough choices, especially these days.

Pre-K and K admissions are stressful and emotional. It's a young child you're throwing into the fray, after all. While middle school and high school admissions are scary in their own way, at least the kid has been through the mill a bit already. It's no wonder people got frenzied and nervous and nutty about the hiccups in this process. It's good to be the squeaky wheel, but it's also important to look at all sides of an issue. Loudly demanding change is important, but it's also good to realize that huge corporations (like the DOE) move slowly when changing.

Hopefully the results will work out to everyone's satisfaction. Hopefully it will be fair to everyone, not just those who squeak.

Public School Issues in NYC

Yesterday's Brian Lehrer show had a segment on Sandra Tsing Loh's ideas about middle-class parents and their ability and obligation to affect change in urban public schools.

The show sparked a mini-conversation on the Sunset Park Parents message board. Appropriate enough, since many middle-class parents in the area choose to send their children to daycare and early education outside of the neighborhood. Others choose private/parochial options. Naturally, this is a middle-class decision to make since the option just isn't there for those who can't afford it.

As Sunset Park changes, and as more families with the monetary ability to choose where to send their children arrive (it seems to be the destination of choice for those priced out of Park Slope and Bay Ridge), the desire to affect change for the better in the public schools will hopefully grow. Parents who have flexible schedules, or families who are able to have a parent stay at home can definitely make schools better learning environments. Some of the more daily methods of affecting change include volunteering for trips, calling teachers, visiting the school and principal, being active on the School Leadership Team/PTA, contacting the Parent Coordinator and Principal for both positive and negative feedback, sending notes in with your child.

Every child deserves an accepting school atmosphere. Every child deserves to be challenged and experience success in the classroom. Every child deserves to have a school that is clean, safe, and welcoming. Sometimes, the system seems so huge that nothing can be done. However, every school, no matter how huge, is made up of individuals - real human beings. It can be incredibly intimidating to a parent who doesn't know the system, has trouble with the language, has a remedial level of reading ability, or is just is too exhausted to "deal." It's up to the parents who can navigate the system with (more) ease to work towards a better neighborhood school. (I guess I have no excuses as an employee of the DOE.) In the end, it will make school choice a lot more friendly and inexpensive and local than it is now.

I'll move my soapbox to the side now.

An article, "Grading New York's Public Schools," in Gotham Gazette also came out yesterday. It addresses several questions about measuring improvement (or failure), and there are several "expert" essays included.

For information about individual schools, check out Insideschools.org. You should know that principals know when they are coming to check out the schools, and while glaring issues in a school cannot be hidden (PS 169 in Sunset has classes held in the hallways sometimes?), principals can choose/encourage certain teachers to speak with the representatives. And the custodial staff can make sure to give an extra polish to the floors and bathrooms. Still, it's a very good resource as ONE piece of the puzzle.