Harlem Success Academies lottery low-key, but high-tech
Yesterday evening, in a tiny room on the second floor of a Harlem school building, staff of the Success Charter Network of charter schools admitted 1,100 students for next year — in just over an hour.
Charter school lotteries have a reputation for being emotional public spectacles. Last year, thousands of Harlem Success Academy hopefuls filled the Fort Washington Armory for what was part enrollment event and part political rally led by the network’s controversial director Eva Moskowitz.
But many charter school admissions decisions are actually computer-generated, made in private days or even weeks before names of admitted students are announced at public events in front of anxiety-ridden parents. And this year, Moskowitz’s network, which currently runs four schools and is set to open three more in Harlem and the Bronx this fall, has quietly scrapped its boisterous public event. Instead, parents will be notified of the lottery’s results by mail, online and through a phone hot-line next week.
Success Charter Network spokeswoman Jenny Sedlis said the public event was abandoned because the sheer
Charter school lotteries have a reputation for being emotional public spectacles. Last year, thousands of Harlem Success Academy hopefuls filled the Fort Washington Armory for what was part enrollment event and part political rally led by the network’s controversial director Eva Moskowitz.
But many charter school admissions decisions are actually computer-generated, made in private days or even weeks before names of admitted students are announced at public events in front of anxiety-ridden parents. And this year, Moskowitz’s network, which currently runs four schools and is set to open three more in Harlem and the Bronx this fall, has quietly scrapped its boisterous public event. Instead, parents will be notified of the lottery’s results by mail, online and through a phone hot-line next week.
Success Charter Network spokeswoman Jenny Sedlis said the public event was abandoned because the sheer
More schools to experiment with online work, schedule changes
Chancellor Joel Klein is expanding a pilot program that takes the experiments city schools often conduct behind closed classroom doors and brings them to other schools.
Called Innovation Zone, or iZone, the program began this year in ten schools and will grow to include 81 schools next year. At its core is a heavy emphasis on expanding online learning, a major focus of Klein’s tenure at the Department of Education.
Of the iZone schools, more than half will adopt the “virtual school” model. This involves using online
Remainders: Duncan takes flak from senators on RttT scoring
- UFT prez Michael Mulgrew challenged Albany to stave off budget cuts, not change seniority rules.
- While Dan Weisberg from The New Teacher Project argued against firing young teachers first.
- Kathleen Parker, who just won the Pulitzer for commentary, recalls her “light master” teacher.
- A TV ad from pro-charter group Education Reform Now blames unions for N.Y.’s Race to the Top loss.
- La. Senator Mary Landrieu gave Duncan an earful over what she thinks is flawed RttT scoring.
- Education Sector has a break-down of teacher salaries, by credential, in Washington, D.C.
- The odds of admission to a charter school declined from 36 percent in 2008 to 28 percent last year.
- Rick Hess argues the failure of a WI voucher program just shows we haven’t created healthy markets.
- UNICEF has opened tent schools for Haitian children left without a school after the quake.
- LaGuardia HS students are abuzz with the rumor that Madonna’s daughter may join their ranks.
- And can the TV show “Glee” save arts education? A HuffPo blogger says it’s a stealth advocate.