Territorial gang warfare in Harlem has seemed to have gotten worse over the past year, and younger and younger teens are being recruited and initiated into groups such as 2MF, 40 Wolvez, the 137th Street Crew, and more. To try to combat the upswing in gang violence, Harlem Children's Zone has begun deploying "Safety Knights" to patrol parts of Harlem near Fifth Ave. And they're armed with bright orange vests, so watch out! more ›

So this is unexpected: a vote to close Brooklyn's PS 114 was pulled off the agenda at a Panel for Education Policy meeting, much to the delight of parents and community members who had been fighting for its survival. Apparently state Senator John Sampson "negotiated" its remaining open with Deputy Schools Chancellor Marc Sternberg after learning that it was on the chopping block. One parent told the Daily News that the move is "the latest sign that the grass-roots movement to give parents a greater role in determining education policy in New York is gaining momentum." more ›

A group has submitted a proposal for a charter high school for pregnant girls and teen parents in Brooklyn—or, as the Post calls it, a "school of hard knocked." According to its prospectus (PDF), New Directions Charter High School will "a place where they have the opportunity to resume and complete their high school Education" and "will provide an environment that is non-judgemental, encourages academic growth and excellence, develops self-confidence and worth, and promotes critical thinking skills that will open the door for positive life choices." more ›

By now, it's quite clear that the battle over charter schools inspires a lot of controversy, dissension, and bickering. Things have gotten particularly heated this week at Public School/Middle School 149 in Harlem, which shares space with the Harlem Success Academy charter. And someone just couldn't help but bring Hitler into this fight. more ›

Looks like all that drama and work actually paid off! After failing the first time, New York just secured itself about $700 million in public school funding as a part of the Race to the Top program. Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement, "New York State's selection is a testament to what we've accomplished in our City's schools over the last eight years. Our students have shown tremendous improvement and now—as a Race to the Top participant —we will work with our teachers and school administrators to raise the bar once again." more ›

While the political battle over charter schools rages on between hedge funds and Senators, a damning report by the city's Special Commissioner of Investigation alleges that disciplinary abuse has been going on at one such school in Manhattan. The report states that students at Opportunity Charter School in Harlem were punched, thrown to the floor and dragged around by their hair, in what "could be considered condoned assaults and abuse of schoolchildren," that was covered up by school officials. more ›

US Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited some of the top charter schools in Brooklyn yesterday, calling them models for national education. "You guys are about the best. You're amazing," he told the Kings Collegiate charter school. "This is the most wonderful school. You're setting an example for the entire country." Duncan, who is backing legislation that would put billions towards saving teachers jobs, said that charter school reform is necessary if New York wants to win Race to the Top funding, the deadline for which is June 1st. He told the Post, "This is an extraordinarily close competition. In the first round, New York lost 13 points [on federal grading of applications]. Does New York want to [just] compete or does New York want to win?" more ›

In the battle between legislators and teachers' unions over federal Race to the Top funding, hedge funds' executives are becoming powerful proponents of charter school reform. A new proposal for federal school funding would require the Assembly to pass legislation that would raise the cap on charter schools, and many managers have contributed millions in funds to lobby for the bill. “A lot of hedge fund and finance people in New York had decided state politics was too dirty and focused on their philanthropy.” said Eagle Capital Management partner Boykin Curry, “I think there’s an awakening now that we can be a force in Albany, but we’ve got to play a tougher game than before.” more ›

Political strategist Basil Smikle will be challenging incumbent State Senator Bill Perkins for the District 30 seat in Harlem this fall. Smikle, who has worked with Hillary Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg, told the Daily News, "I don't like the way that [Perkins] has pitted residents of upper Manhattan against one another. I want to try to tone down the rhetoric....I don't see him doing that. He seems to be stoking the fears and anxieties of the community, and that's something that I don't like to see happening in my neighborhood." more ›

In an effort to become more attractive for federal funding from the Race to the Top program, the state senate voted 45-15 to raise the cap on charter schools to 460 from 200. The low cap was just one of the many reasons New York lost out on funding during the first round of allocations (that and the weird furniture requests), but the vote may be the first step in getting the state almost $700 million for public schools. Senate Majority Conference Leader John Sampson told the Daily News, "Nothing is more important than investing in our children's education and our future. We need to improve our score for Race to the Top." more ›

Richard Izquierdo pleaded guilty nearly a year ago to embezzling almost $200,000 from SBCC Management Corporation, a city- and federally-funded nonprofit group that manages low-income housing in the South Bronx. The former president of the nonprofit, Izquierdo spent the stolen funds on lavish meals and vacations to Puerto Rico. This would be just an ordinary day in Corruptionland, but here's the twist: Izquierdo is still receiving his $84,000 state salary as chief of staff to Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo. more ›

As the state attempts to build a better proposal for June's second "Race to the Top" funding deadline, maybe they should think about cheaper chairs. Though New York's initial proposal for $831 million in school funding was hindered by lack of union support and charter reform, it also included requests for 24 "executive chairs" that cost $550 each, nine $3,000 desks and 15 printers that each cost over $1,500, according to the Post. The proposal came in 15th of the 16 finalists, with one judge saying the projected expenses "call into question NY's judgment on responsible stewardship of funds." Damn, did he just shatter your entire world view, or what? more ›

After losing a chance at being rewarded up to $700 million in federal education grants from the "Race to the Top" program yesterday, Governor Paterson is pushing state legislators to come up with a better proposal for the second bid on June 1. He says that bid would have to include lifting the cap on charter schools, which was previously opposed by teachers unions. He told the Post, "Some of my colleagues don't know what the elements of victory are, or they just deliberately blew off the chance of getting this money." more ›

In order to keep off the shut-down list, Harlem public schools are using marketing and PR to attract new charges. The principal of PS 125 keeps brochures in her purse, painted her minivan to transform it into a mobile advertisement, and leads tours where she extols the virtues of her institution, especially its functioning pool. Her zealous efforts are quickly becoming a necessity, since competing charter schools—some of which spend $90 per recruit—employ top-dollar marketing firms to promote their good image. The Harlem Success Academy spent $325,000 on a campaign to attract students to four charter schools last year, reports the Times. That’s a lot more than the $500 worth of fliers run off by most city public schools, but you can't put a price on Success. more ›

Demonstrators are suing the city after the NYPD rejected their application to protest charter schools and school closings directly in front of Mayor Bloomberg's Upper East Side townhouse. The plaintiffs claim the NYPD "unconstitutionally and without any legal basis" denied their application to march single file on both sides of 79th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenue on Jan. 21. "Our voices haven't been heard, so we thought that the best way for the mayor to hear us would be for us to take our voices to his block," said protester Julie Cavanagh. more ›

An opening-this-fall charter school in Washington Heights has been getting a lot of attention, thanks to its $125,000 salaries for teachers. The Equity Project Charter Schools hopes to show high quality teachers will bring results. The NY Times looks at some of the hires and finds "an accomplished violist...a self-described 'explorer' from Arizona who spent three decades honing her craft at public, private, urban and rural schools...two with Ivy League degrees. And Joe Carbone, a phys ed teacher, who has the most unusual résumé of the bunch, having worked as Kobe Bryant’s personal trainer." And the teachers "will work longer hours and more days, and have 30 pupils, about 6 more than the typical New York City fifth-grade class," plus they won't "have the same retirement benefits as members of the city’s teachers’ union" and can be fired at will. But the teachers will also be eligible for $25,000 bonuses. more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced that 18 new charter schools will open next month. Schools include ones focused on a music and singing, focused on studying both English and Spanish, and studying architecture, engineering and construction. Bloomberg lauded charter schools--"the right idea for the time"-- and this year, the NY Times reports one of the charter schools will be unionized (they are largely not unionized). One new charter school told the Post he left PS 183 on the Upper East Side to open a charter school in East Harlem because of the freedom they bring, "We were able to use the creativity inherent within the charter-school structure to create the kind of program we wanted." more ›