You made it! 😄! Congratulations! Happy Summer! Inside: Special Education; summer, HS, college info; Research: ‘An Integrated FRC’, news

• Gifted Programs Ditched for Hands-On Learning for All at More NYC Schools (Amy Zimmer, DNA Info, June 13, 2017)
  • “instead of separating children based on test scores and providing only high-scoring students with something extra, this model — developed by University of Connecticut Professor Joseph Renzulli — hinges on offering enrichment school-wide”
  • “an entire district in The Bronx, where all but two of 38 schools are overwhelmingly low-income, is moving toward a school-wide enrichment model under the leadership of its superintendent”
• City’s Gifted Screening Is ‘Deficient’ at Ensuring Diversity, Officials Say (Amy Zimmer, DNA Info, June 22, 2016)
  • “While roughly 70 percent of students citywide are black or Latino, only 27 percent of the students in G&T programs are, according to a report from the borough presidents released Wednesday. This year, black and Latino students made up a little more than 44 percent of the students who sat for the specialized high school admissions test, but received only about 10 percent of the offers.“

Funding

• Despite Vow to Increase School Funding, Mayor Won’t Boost Budgets in 2018 (Amy Zimmer, DNA Info, June 13, 2017)
  • “De Blasio doubled down on his promise while revealing his executive budget in April, saying he he wanted all schools to get at least 90 percent of their Fair Student Funding allocation by fall  — which is based not only on a school’s student body size, but also accounts for extra resources needed to support certain kinds of students, like English language learners and students with special needs.”
  • Fair Student Funding “was promised nearly a decade ago as a result of a settlement with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity” (Amy Zimmer, DNA Info, January 22, 2016)

C-30 process; Park Slope Collegiate 

• Brooklyn Heights Parents Fear Chancellor’s ‘Vendetta’ in Principal Pick (Amy Zimmer, DNA Info, June 27, 2016)
  • Parents are most perplexed and upset over the situation because under the formal principal selection process — a multi-step process in accordance with the Chancellor’s Regulation C-30 — a committee of parents, teacher’s union reps and members of the principals’ union unanimously recommended Peterson for the job.”
• Park Slope Collegiate principal ‘Commie’ probe widened (Ben Chapman, NY Daily News, June 27)
  • “Bloomberg says the communism accusations are phony and she’s being targeted for speaking out against segregationist school policies.”
  • “We are proud of the anti-racist and pro-integration organizing that characterizes our school and are appalled at the DOE’s attempts to silence us.”

• No Heavy Lifting Required:  New York City’s Unambitious School ‘Diversity’ Plan (Nicole Mader and Ana Carla Sant’anna Costa, The New School Center for New York City Affairs, June 28th)
  • “Our over-arching finding: Although these targets may have significant impact on the lives of the individual children affected, achieving them would represent only minimal changes to the system as a whole. No heavy lifting will be needed to meet them.”
  • “Indeed, if recent demographic shifts that have occurred in our schools merely continue apace for the next five years, the DOE will be able to meet these diversity goals without implementing a single one of the dozen policies they recommend in their new plan.”
  • “The DOE’s leaders, and the School Diversity Advisory Group that DOE has established to help guide its diversity plan, should aim higher, both system-wide and also within the city’s community school districts.” (from accompanying press release)
• D1 Socioeconomic Integration:  on June 21st we proposed next steps:
  • Reinstate regular and collaborative meetings
    • at parent-friendly times with supports (child care/food)
    • allow for outreach, participation, and authentic engagement
    • restore community collaboration, rather than DoE control
  • Provide resources to make good on commitments
    • put commitments in writing to the state prior to receiving any $
    • fund a controlled choice expert and project manager
    • establish a clear timeline and work plan for implementation
  • Build accountability
    • make data transparent and available online
    • post regular minutes and progress for public review
    • agree on an independent monitor to hold parties accountable
  • Adhere to the terms of the 2015 SIPP Grant, including:
    • Deliver an expert-vetted proposal that includes Pre-K
    • Establish a Family Resource Center
    • Achieve the basic community goal of equity