Explore

4Fams 4Fams

4Fams

News and opinion for families
4Fams
4Fams
4Fams

NYC’s New Gifted & Talented Admissions Brings Chaos — and Disregards Research

Alina Adams: Mayor's latest change turns the process into a glorified lottery, negating what science says gives these programs value

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams
4Fams

How Black Families Can Fight for Fair Discipline in School

Restorative justice is a growing alternative to the zero-tolerance policies and educator bias that disproportionately hurt students of color.

Brittany Talissa King, GreatSchools.org
4Fams
4Fams

My Humbling Education in What Families Really Want from their Kids’ Schools

Adams: Working with parents on school admissions, it was clear: Transportation, safety, afterschool, special needs & academics were key, not diversity

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams
4Fams

How Getting Kids to Make Grocery Lists and Set the Table Can Improve Their Vocabulary and Willingness to Learn

Diana Leyva, The Conversation
4Fams
4Fams

What Are the Best Graphic Novels for Kids in Grades K-5?

Brooklyn comics bookseller Jason Mojica has some suggestions for parents of young readers

Jason Mojica
Author: Jason Mojica

Today's Top Videos

The 74 Explains
4Fams
Videos For Parents: Your Child's Education, Explained

Your Child’s Education, Explained: What the Heck Is ‘Project-Based Learning’ Anyway?
The 74 Explains
4Fams
Videos For Parents: Your Child's Education, Explained

Your Child’s Education, Explained: What the Heck Is ‘College Readiness’ Anyway?
The 74 Explains
4Fams
Videos For Parents: Your Child's Education, Explained

Your Child’s Education, Explained: What the Heck Is ‘Universal Pre-K’ Anyway?
The 74 Explains
4Fams
Videos For Parents: Your Child's Education, Explained

Your Child’s Education, Explained: What the Heck Is ‘Media Literacy’ Anyway?
The 74 Explains
4Fams
Videos For Parents: Your Child's Education, Explained

La educación de tu hijo, explicada: ¿Qué quieren decir las escuelas con ‘IEP’?

Spotlight

4Fams
4Fams

Phone Apps and Ebooks Make It Easy to Read Aloud to Your Kids

Kristen Walter

More Stories

Education news and commentary, delivered right to your inbox.

Sign up for The 74 newsletter.
4Fams

NYC Mayor’s Comments on Charter Cap a No-Confidence Vote in District Schools

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Opinion

Review: Why You Should Buy into the ‘Sold a Story’ Podcast

Nat Malkus
4Fams

Adams: NYC Middle School Screening — the Great District Divide

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

All Struggling Students Deserve Tutoring — Like My Daughter Gets from Her Dad

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Keeping it 100

When Politics Invades the Classroom, Parents Must Say — ‘Wait … Hold My Coat’

Jay Artis-Wright
Author: Jay Artis-Wright
4Fams

Screening Is Back in at NYC Middle & High Schools — But Will It Help or Hurt?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

Why New York Should Apply New Standards for Yeshivas to Public Schools, Too

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

Parents Tell What It Would Take to Get Their Kids Back into NYC Public Schools

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

NYC Parents Rage: With No G&T Qualifying Test, Selection Process Is Chaos

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams

Explore Our News Series

Weaving a Stronger Society

4Fams

Pandemic

Weaving a Stronger Society

Celebrating educators who use community to help students succeed in class... and life

4Fams

Education news and views for families

Pandemic

Rolling coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing effects on education
View All
4Fams

5 Tips for Parents of New Kindergartners Who Are Younger Than Their Classmates

Gregory Fabiano, The Conversation
4Fams

When Grades and Test Scores Don’t Add Up, Who Can Parents Trust?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

Adams: Public Funds for Religious Schools? It’s Been Happening in NYC for Years

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Pandemic Babies Are Facing Speech & Social Development Delays. 5 Ways to Help

Abigail A. Allen, The Conversation
Pandemic

Adams: What NYC’s New Remote-Only Schools Could Mean for Educational Choice

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

Adams: Masks, Dyslexia, English Learners — Why NYC Families Like Phonics Plan

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Can New Gifted Programs Coax Families Back into NYC's Public Schools?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

What if Parents Could Use a ‘Zillow For Finding Schools’? In This City, They Can

Kristi Eaton, The 74
Pandemic

Alarming New Research Shows Babies Born Amid COVID Talk Less, Developing Slower

Jo Napolitano
Author: Jo Napolitano
4Fams

Are 4-Year-Olds Really Ready for Kindergarten? Here's a No-Cost Solution

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

NYC School Chaos: Parents in Top District Forced Into Admissions Roller-Coaster

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Why Kids May Be Nervous About Ditching Masks — and 9 Ways to Help Them Adapt

Katharine Covino-Poutasse & Elizabeth Englander
4Fams

Where Are the Black Kids? Tracking, G&T and NYC's Top High Schools

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

Surprising Numbers Behind Which NYC Schools Actually Educate Kids

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Parents Divided Over Return to Remote Learning

Meghan Gallagher
Author: Meghan Gallagher
Pandemic

COVID Tests, Cold School Lunches & Classroom Chaos After Return From Break

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Ask the Doctor: Navigating the “New Math” of Omicron in Schools

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
Pandemic

Parents! Take Our Omicron Education Survey — How Is Your School Doing Right Now?

The 74
4Fams

I Don’t Know Where My Son Is Applying to College & That’s (Kind of) OK

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Online Parent-Teacher Conferences Aren't Great But Still Better Than In-Person

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

When to End Masks at School? Amid Surge of Child Vaccines, Parents Talk Timeline

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

When Schools, Early Voting & COVID Rules Clash

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

When a School Reopening Risk Ends With Your Child Getting Sick With COVID

Conor P. Williams
Author: Conor P. Williams
4Fams

Time to Bring the Science of Listening into the Home & Classroom

Malbert Smith
Pandemic

Arts Education Can Bolster Students' Social and Emotional Well-Being

Neve Spicer
Pandemic

Supporting Students' Mental Health as they Return to Class, and Beyond

John MacPhee
Pandemic

Gifted Schools Say They Want Diversity — But Don't Help Students Get There

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Lessons from the Rise in Homeschooling

Alex Spurrier
Pandemic

5 Ways to Make Masks Less Stressful for Kids During the Pandemic

Ashley Simpson Baird & Sarah Hesselmann
Pandemic

Ask the Doctor: Did We Misunderstand the Risk of COVID for Kids?

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
Pandemic

Will NYC Parents Strike Over Remote Learning?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

A Dad's Plea: Please Protect Our Kids from COVID-19

Nathan Kelly
Pandemic

Back to School — After 18 Months of COVID: Before Kids Can Learn They Must Heal

Conor P. Williams
Author: Conor P. Williams
4Fams

Education Is Not a Zero-Sum Game. So Why Are We Demanding Identical Results?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

CDC: Students Wearing Masks No Longer Need Quarantine, Even if ‘Close Contact’

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
4Fams

What Simone Biles Can Teach Public School Families

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Ask the Doctor: How to Protect Young Kids from COVID

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
Pandemic

Chaos, not Classrooms, in NYC Summer School Program

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Keep Parent Engagement Going as Schools Return to In-Person Learning

Sandy Boyd & Amy Briggs
4Fams

More G&T Classes Would Help School Diversity, Not Harm It

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

COVID Family Feud? Report Shows Moms More Resistant to Vaccinating Kids vs. Dads

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
4Fams

Do NYC's Mayoral Candidates Care About Education?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Sleep the ‘Magic Pill’ to Restoring Teens’ Mental Health

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
4Fams

Student's View: Ending SAT a Step Toward Fairer College Admissions

Gregory Wickham
4Fams

Parents Say NYC Pre-K G&T Admissions Is Now a Confusing Mess

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

Lessons HS Wait Lists Teach About NYC, Parents & Charter Schools

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

7 Steps to Make Sure Your Child Will Thrive at School

Isis Spann
Pandemic

A Golden Opportunity for NYC Schools to Integrate

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Kids, Schools & COVID: Expert Advice on Boosting Students’ Resilience

The 74
Pandemic

Expert Panel Helps Families Navigate Pandemic Social Emotional Challenges

Julia Levy
Pandemic

Descant: 5 Ways Parents Can Help Their Children and Teens Build Resilience Even in Times of Crisis

Lisa Descant
Pandemic

A Student’s View: How to Find the College That’s the Right Fit for You, Even During a Pandemic

Keli Pegula
4Fams

McKenna: 7 Tips for Parents Who Want to Speak Out at School Board Meetings and Be Effective Advocates for Students

Laura McKenna
4Fams

Adams: Let’s Put Every Student in a Gifted & Talented Lottery. We Could Expand Opportunity to All Kids — and Show How Low a Bar We Actually Set

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Q&A: ‘This Is Crushing Our Children’ — New Jersey Parent Leader Explains Why Some Families Are Suing to Get Their Schools Reopened

Laura Waters
Author: Laura Waters
Pandemic

A Parent’s View: 5 Recommendations for the New NYC Schools Chancellor to Get Students on Track After COVID-19

Crystal McQueen-Taylor
Pandemic

Erika Sanzi: Parent-Shaming Is Nothing New, But the Pandemic and the Ugly School Reopening Showdown Has Put It On Display In Ways It Never Has Been Before

Erika Sanzi
Pandemic

A Mom’s View: Shameful Shaming of Parents Who Only Want What’s Best for their Kids — Being Back in School

Liz Cohen
The Big Picture

A Pre-COVID Education Study With Big Implications for Remote Learning During the Pandemic: When Parents Take Over, Children Give Up Easier

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
4Fams

Adams: The Lottery — Parents Fear the Looming Horror of NYC’s New School Admissions Process

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

An Educator’s View: The Empathy & Compassion Biden Talks About Are SEL Skills Every Child Should Have. How Teachers Can Help Students Learn Them

Kamilah Drummond-Forrester
Pandemic

A Student’s View: From One of New York City’s Top High Schools to Homeschooling, in a Single Marking Period

Gregory Wickham
4Fams

Adams: Whatever You Do For Your Child, You’ll Be Wrong — Why I Gave My Son Permission to Drop Out of High School

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

An Educator’s View: 6 Simple Steps for Parents and Teachers to Maximize Learning During COVID’s Second Wave

Alejandro Gibes de Gac
Author: Alejandro Gibes de Gac
EDlection 2020

Infante-Green: Kamala Harris and Rhode Island’s Top Female Leaders Are Setting a New Example for Today’s Young Women

Angélica Infante-Green
Author: Angélica Infante-Green
4Fams

Adams: How to Avoid Integrating Schools — While Ending Up With Segregated Classrooms

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

How My Family is Surviving Virtual Kindergarten (Sort of)

Ashley Simpson Baird
Pandemic

Analysis: More Than Ever, Parents Need Data About Their Kids in a Form They Can Understand. Test Makers Are Starting to Get on Board

Cindi Williams
Pandemic

Adams: If the Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few, Why Isn’t NYC Focusing on Kids Who are Learning Remotely?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

A Mom’s View: Online Learning Isn’t Working for Students, Parents or Teachers. Here’s What’s Happening in My Home

Melissa Smith
Author: Melissa Smith
4Fams

Adams: Grading NYC’s New Grading System — What Will Giving Marks Based on ‘Equity, Motivation and Academic Integrity’ Mean for Fairness?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

New Poll Finds Parents Want Better Distance Learning Now, Online Options Even After COVID, More Family Engagement

Beth Hawkins
Author: Beth Hawkins
Pandemic

Educator’s View: Meet the ‘Students’ Helping Teachers Understand What Pandemic Life Is Like at Home

Erin Mote & Arthi Krishnaswami
Pandemic

Adams: How to Avoid Needless COVID School Closings & Treat All New York City Students Equally

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Legislators’ View: Working Families Are in Crisis. As We Recover From COVID-19, We Must Rethink Child Care as an Economic and Public Good

Brooke Lierman & Melisa Franzen
4Fams

Adams: No Test Scores? No Problem — How NYC Can Screen for Admissions Without Exams and Find Out What Students Have Actually Learned

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
4Fams

Porter: 10 States Honor Purple Star Schools That Support the Needs of Military Kids. More States and Districts Should Do the Same

Becky Porter
Pandemic

Kaufman: Does Your Child’s School Use a Strong Curriculum? Why You Should Care, How to Find Out — and What to Do About It

Julia Kaufman
Pandemic

Adams: COVID-19 Learning Loss Will Be Devastating for NYC Students. But the School System Will Come Out Looking Just Fine

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

4 Tips From a Homeschool Mom for Setting Up a Pod That Works for Your Children

Anne Crossman
Pandemic

Roberts: Parent Coaching Can Relieve Stress, Bolster Babies’ Language Skills and Create a Deeper Sense of Community

Carly Roberts
Pandemic

Adams: Children Don’t All Learn the Same Way, or on the Same Timetable. So Why Should Our Education System Be One-Size-Fits-All?

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

WATCH: In New Animated Video Created for Kids, Dr. Fauci Helps Students Understand Coronavirus and Safety — and Plays a Memorable Round of ‘Fauc or Slouch’

Meghan Gallagher
Author: Meghan Gallagher
Pandemic

Adams: NYC’s Mayor and Chancellor Want to Reopen Schools. The City’s Teachers Union — and Parents — Aren’t So Sure

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Bergen: Too Many Schools Lack a Student Newspaper. When Schools Reopen, However They Reopen, Every School Should Have One

Lara Bergen
Pandemic

A Tutor’s View: 4 Things I Learned About My Students, Their Families and Myself During COVID-19 Online Learning

Kyle Forth
Pandemic

Schoales: Would I Send My Kid to School This Fall? Some Things to Think About, and Some Advice, for Families Facing This Dilemma

Van Schoales
Author: Van Schoales
Pandemic

Adams: In New York City, Being Stuck in a Failing School Is Suddenly Not a Good Enough Reason to Transfer

Alina Adams
Author: Alina Adams
Pandemic

Fourth-Graders’ Tips for Learning Online: Go to Bed Early. Plug In Your Laptop. Try to Find a Quiet Place to Get Focused. Don’t Get Frustrated

Amanda Geiger
Pandemic

A Mom’s View: Changing Schools Is Hard for Military Kids in Normal Times. In a Pandemic, It’s Even Harder. How Schools Can Help

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman
Pandemic

Analysis: What Apps Are Kids Using Most? Here Are 9 of the Newest and Most Popular This Summer — and What Parents Should Watch Out For

Titania Jordan & Jeff Reistad
Load More
Daily Enlightenment!

Sign-up for our free newsletter and start your day with the most important education news.