my sidewalk chalk blog.
By Joyce Szuflita
I posted this last year when Inside Schools did their redesign, but you need to visit early and often. They are an invaluable not for profit and (if you want more updated reviews) you should support them.
We are all so sorry that Judy Baum, "ask Judy" passed away in Dec. A great loss for us all.
Read MoreBy Joyce Szuflita
For the next year, parents are going to be asking me why they should take a chance on schools that have less than 50% of kids performing at grade level.
Consider this: tests that were given before schools had even seen the curriculum (that the tests were based on) and were so poorly designed that many children couldn't possibly finish them are not worth considering.
You can't rely on the scores to determine a quality school. You are going to have to trust your eyes and your gut.
Read these for more reasons to ignore these stats.
What the drop in new standardized test scores really means - Washington Post
Shock Doctrine: five reasons not to trust the results of the new state tests
By Joyce Szuflita
You must watch this video before you tour. That is your homework.
Once you have an idea about what you might want to be looking for you can contact the school; call the school's parent coordinator or front office, or check their website for a tour date. Take notes in the introductory talk about the school's programs, partnerships, educational focus, afterschool etc. Then you will all probably break up into groups to travel around the building and peek into the classrooms. Usually there will be a school administrator or parent who is leading the tours and sometime if you are lucky there will be a collection of 5th graders who will be there to answer questions as well.
Read Morehelping families search for Brooklyn preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, NYC high schools
