City Schools, May 2009

Parent Link is a new online tool to help families follow their children’s academic progress and collaborate with teachers to address their children’s academic strengths and weaknesses. Families will be able to use Parent Link at home and in conferences with teachers to view detailed information about their children – including information about attendance, course grades, and scores on State tests and diagnostic assessments. Parent Link will also allow parents to find out how their children’s schools compare to other schools serving similar groups of students. During the next several weeks, schools will distribute instructions to families about how to access Parent Link. Here are some of the things parents will see: child’s homepage; math page; transcript.  Elaine Long was part of pilot program and has been using the Parent Link for the past few months.

Q. You are the Parent Association President at PS 85 in Queens. What grade is your son in? What kind of student is he?
A. My son, Ryan, started at PS 85 in kindergarten, and he’s now in fourth grade. He is nine and a half. I am very, very happy with the school. Academically, Ryan is doing very well. He’s performing high threes and fours in math and high threes in reading. So far it’s been good; I have no complaints about PS 85. The teachers are wonderful, sensible, and sweet.

Q. When you first heard about Parent Link, what did you think? How tech savvy are you? Were you intimidated by the technology?
A. The first time I heard about Parent Link was during the parent-teacher conferences in March. The school was encouraging parents who were interested to check it out in the computer lab. My husband and I did, and we sat down with somebody who showed us the system.

I wasn’t intimidated—I know how to log on to a Web site, and that’s basically what it is: you’re basically given a Web site address and your child’s student ID number and you have to create a password. So, all of that I understood.

A young teen in Vermont committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying; a young boy bullied another until the second child cried; a man dedicated his life to promote education, especially for girls in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

What do all of these stories have in common? Each spurred a New York City public school student to become involved in a program called No Place For Hate® and promote respect and diversity in his or her school.

No Place For Hate® is an initiative of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which helps students to plan and execute school-wide projects and community outreach activities that teach them to respect individual differences while challenging bigotry and prejudice. The projects revolve around social issues that students face in their daily lives, such as civil rights, First Amendment issues, anti-Semitism, bullying, violence, gender bias, discrimination, and stereotyping. The program was introduced to New York City in 2007.

Earlier this week, 20,000 public school students at 14 elementary, middle, and high schools were congratulated for completing the year-long program, and seven students won an essay contest about the media’s impact on how young people perceive social issues.

Fifth grader, Devin Li, has his eye on a high profile career in the arts.

“When I grow up,” the PS 69 student said, “my work is definitely going to be hanging in these cool galleries.” Devin was one of the hundreds of students from across the City who participated in the Second Annual Madison Avenue Gallery Walk.

The event raises funds and awareness for art programs in New York City public schools. Co-sponsored by The Fund for Public Schools and the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District, the Madison Avenue Gallery Walk brought together prestigious art galleries, 36 young artists, and world renowned artists. Public school art teachers led free tours of the galleries and families participated in an art scavenger hunt. Selected galleries also hosted artist talks, and there was a silent auction featuring donated art. Caroline Kennedy, the Fund for Public Schools’ vice-chair, kicked off the event at the Gagosian Gallery.

“The experience for my students was both eye-opening and inspiring” said Angela Fremont, a PS 69 teacher who served as a tour guide. “Many were exposed to abstract and non-traditional forms of art for the first time.”