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Reports on the receipt by Staten Island of an education plan package from New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Plan by Bloomberg to turn one of the island's secondary schools into an elite and specialized institution; Offer to the borough of a special school for children suffering from Asperger's syndrome; Recognition of the education programs by schools chancellor Joel I. Klein; Observation of the political undertones of the package.

Reports on the ruling of federal judge George B. Daniels that the New York City Department of Education did not have to reimburse the parents of a special education student who had never spent time in public school system. Suggestion that a parent's rejection of a public school placement is not based on mere speculation that the public school system is inadequate; Increase in the number of special education children seeking reimbursement for private school tuition on the grounds that the public schools cannot meet their needs.

Reports on the death of Frashawn Jones, a nine-year-old boy who suffers from Down syndrome, at the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center in East Harlem, New York after getting trapped in a laundry chute and suffocating. Center authorities' claim that the death of Jones was an accident; Implication of the incident on the health center.

Reports that fewer New York City schools are in danger of being shut down due to poor performance, according to state and city education officials. Number of city schools under registration review; Efforts made by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to improve the performance of public schools; Bloomberg's reaction to the decline in the number of schools under registration review.

Reports on the placement of Walton High School in Bronx, New York City on the list of the most dangerous city schools. Deployment of additional police officers in the area; Estimated school population; Relations between students and school officials.

Reports on the arrest of two students at the Walton High School in New York City for inciting a riot that disrupted classes.

Reports on the decline in the number of New York City school children transferring out of failing schools under the No Child Left Behind law since the start of school year 2004. Number of students who have switched schools; Students who have been offered transfers; Details of the new standardized curriculum adopted in 2004.

Reports that New York City council member Eva S. Moskowitz has accused the state education department for failing to provide toilet paper and other toilet supplies to public schools. Her report of complaints from parents of school children who are often being asked to bring toilet paper to schools; Concern for the misuse of toilet supplies by school children.

Reports on the proposals for the improvement of education programs for students learning the English language in New York city. Emphasis on low achievement levels for students who do not speak English; Existing programs and courses in the English language; Education laws and policies.

Reports on New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein's plan to expand efforts to address disciplinary problems in the city's schools. Improvement of the situation in 16 most dangerous schools called impact schools; Strategies for addressing the problem.

Reports on the state of the New York City public school system as viewed by the city government and by union leaders. Benefits cited by city officials; Unions' criticism of city government's handling of public education issues; Problems posed by budget process.

Reports on the New York City Department of Education's establishment of special offices to ease up enrollment applications from high school students during the first day of school. Problems encountered by school administrators with first-day signups; Directors hired to supervise first-day enrollment.

Reports on the plan of New York City public school principals to address budget cuts in the state. Removal of afterschool programs; Elimination of elective classes; Termination of paraprofessionals.

Reports that Amistad Academy, a high-performing New Haven, Connecticut, charter school, is planning to open five similar schools in New York City. Among 56 charter schools that Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein is seeking to create; Observation that Amistad students, most of whom are poor, perform far better than their peers statewide.

Reports on the vision program for third graders enrolled in summer school in Brooklyn, New York City.

Reports that the New York City-based Council of School Supervisors and Administrators president Jill Levy demanded an apology from School Chancellor Joel Klein for releasing the names of principals who the chancellor said were removed for poor performance. Failure by Klein to honor an agreement with the principals to avoid the public humiliation of being in the list; Questions raised about Klein's motivation for making the list public.

Reports on the criticism made by Jill Levy, head of the New York City principals' union, against Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, claiming that he acted like a schoolyard bully by releasing the names of the principals removed from their positions for poor performance. Levy's claim that Klein's decision to name names had been unnecessarily cruel; Levy's allegation that Klein is covering up for the mismanagement and chaotic results of his first year.

Reports on the case of Tiffany Schley, the valedictorian at the New York City's High School for Legal Studies who was denied her diploma after she used her valedictory address to highlight problems at the school, such as overcrowding, ineffective teaching and high turnover of principals. Indignation against the school prompted by the incident; Private graduation ceremony arranged by supporters of Schley.

Reports on New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein's briefing for reporters on the success of the school system for 2004. Problems encountered by the system; Highlights of the transformation of the system; Panel for Educational Policy's approval on the third-grade promotion policy.

Reports on promotions granted to 1,500 who failed 3rd grade tests in New York City. Comparison of class work and test scores.

Reports that parents are asking for waiting lists at schools with open seats in New York City. Dozens of seats unfilled at the city's most prized high schools.

Reports on how fourth graders in New York fared in the state mathematics test. Students tested; Performance levels; Percentage meeting standards.

The article discusses several household garbage composters, including the NatureMill Ultra composter, the Envirocycle Mini, and the Worm Factory 360.

The article focuses on Junior High School 22 in the Bronx, New York City, and its principal Shimon Waronker. Waronker is a member of the Lubavitch sect of Hasidic Judaism, making him an anomaly at his school, which serves a predominately black and Hispanic community. Since becoming principal in 2004, however, Waronker has steadily improved the school's performance. Once cited as both dangerous and a poor performer, the school is now rated one of the city's better junior high schools.

The author reports on the Comic Book Project, a program which engages children in reading by using comic books. A description of how the program gets students involved with reading is given. The program, which started as a pilot program in New York City, is being used by more than 800 schools across the United States as of 2007. The founder of the program, Michael Bitz, feels that the visual tool which is offered by comic books is a powerful tool for children.

The article reports on the closing of six schools at the end of the 2007-2008 school year in New York City resulting from earning poor grades in the city's school report cards. The six schools slated for closure are short of the more than 50 schools that earned grades of F's and approximately 100 that received D's on the report cards. Among the schools to be closed are the Tito Puente Education Complex and the EBC/ENY High School for Public Safety and Law.

The article explains that a system has been put into place to judge the performance of high schools in New York City and from these school report cards, the city intends to reward schools who show an increase in performance among under-achieving students. However, the method used to determine the achievements of students have created controversy as it does not accurately track improvements over time.

This article presents information about a new effort by the administration of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to remove teachers that are not performing well in the classroom. The effort involves teams of lawyers and consultants who will work with school principals to build cases for the removal of tenured teachers who cannot meet performance standards in class. Teachers will be given assistance to help them improve, but will be removed if they fail to improve.

The article reports that the president of Bard College, Leon Botstein, will meet with New York City officials to discuss the C grade the Bard High School Early College received on the City Dept. of Education's rating system for public schools. Bard and 22 other schools were reported as "under review." Bard High School Early College is the only high school in the city where all graduates leave with a two-year associate's degree. Information is given for the criticism of the rating system.

This article reports on the reaction of parents of school age children in New York City after the schools themselves got a report card on how well they are serving their students. Surprises were not always welcome as some of the celebrated schools, such as P.S. 6, did not get an A and other less famous schools did. The formula used to create the grades is complicated because it is based on progress as well as performance.

The article reports on the rating system used to assess New York City Public Schools. Fifty public schools received a failing grade and their students will be allowed to transfer elsewhere. The rating system gives the most weight to how individual students perform in one year's time on standardized tests and also compares schools with similar populations using demographics and test scores of incoming students. The grades are posted on the Education Dept.'s web site at http://schools.nyc.gov.

The article presents information about the school ranking system developed by the New York City Education Department. The department is going to release its first report based on the grading system in the second week of November 2007. The schools will be graded on a scale of A through F. Ellen Foote, principal of Intermediate School 289 in Battery Park City is not pleased with the new system. It is feared that the new system may bring down topper schools and push up some others.

The author reports that programs for gifted students in the New York City school system are going include only those who score in the top five percent of admissions tests. The number of children already taking part in gifted programs who may not meet these admissions requirements are mentioned. Criticisms which have previously been raised regarding admissions to the gifted programs by New York City School Chancellor, Joel I. Klein, are discussed.

The article reports on the agreement in New York City between Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's administration and the city's teachers' union to give bonuses based on improvement of overall tests scores of students at schools with high concentrations of poor children. The money will be given to schools for their performance and then be distributed to teachers. The agreement will also allow senior teachers to retire with full pension benefits five years earlier than was permitted before the year 2007.

The article reports on Dr. Madonna G. Constantine who found a noose dangling from her office door at Columbia University's Teachers College in New York City. Constantine is a professor of psychology and education who focuses in how race and racial prejudice can affect clinical and educational interactions. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice has joined the investigation by the New York Police Dept.'s Hate Crimes Task Force. There have been no suspects reported.

This article reports that many of the principals at New York City's largest high schools have underreported the incidents of violence at their schools. The federal No Child Left Behind Law requires the reporting of violence or misbehavior in the schools. An audit of several schools found that many violent incidents go unreported because the principals have discretion over categorizing incidents.

The author reports on changes which have been made to the way in which the New York City public school system is organized. According to the article, principals now have more power to make decisions for their schools in a variety of areas, such as curriculum and teacher training. Accountability which principals will have to face if their schools fail is discussed.

The article reports on the qualifications of middle school teachers in the United States. According to Philadelphia researchers 34.2 percent of new teachers are prone to quit after their first year. Barry M. Fein, principal of the Seth Low Intermediate School, comments on the differences between high school and middle school students. The author focuses on the experiences of math teacher Corrine Kaufman.

This article discusses Edison Schools Inc. deputy schools chancellor Chris Cerf. Edison Schools Inc. is the commercial public schools operator for New York City, and Cerf reportedly held an equity stake in the company up until February of 2007. However, Cerf dropped his stake in the company when a parents' group complained of a conflict of interest.

This article discusses school busing in New York City during February of 2006. The article notes that the city's school bus routes changed during February of 2006, causing confusion among parents. New York City Mayor Michael A. Bloomberg called a press conference in defense of the bus route changes, apologizing for any inconvenience the changes may have caused.

This article discusses school busing in New York City during February of 2007. The article notes that New York City officials have consolidated of school bus routes in order to save money, but the plan has been highly criticized by New York City parents. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the move.

This article discusses the busing of New York City school children during January of 2007. New York City's Department of Education decided to redesign school bus routes during January of 2007 in order to cut costs. The changed routes have caused confusion and anger from New York City parents, especially due to the fact that the changes came in the middle of the school year.

This article discusses how education experts are trying to battle the learning slump that occurs with middle school children. Two schools in the New York City school system believe one way to reverse the slump is to get rid of middle schools. The debate over the middle school problem has resulted in two extremes: those who think the middle school students should be pushed into adulthood and those who believe that they should be coddled a little longer.

The article discusses how educators and researchers are trying to figure out better ways to teach children who are in middle school. Educators have found that teaching middle school age children is difficult because they are going through a period of self-discovery as well as a hormonal change in their bodies. The difficulty in educating this age demographic is seen in both wealthy, middle class schools as well as city schools, but the problem is more prevalent in more urban environments.

The article reports that the U.S. Department of Education has criticized the New Explorations Into Science, Technology and Math New York City public school for its elitist admissions policies. Joel I. Klein, the Schools Chancellor, is quoted regarding the school's admissions practices. The school is claimed to admit students based partly on how involved their parents would be.

This article discusses the statistics that indicate that black and Hispanic student enrollment has declined at New York City's three most elite high schools despite efforts to prepare such students for the entrance test. The drop in these enrollments is similar to the trend recently reported for the City University of New York's five most prestigious universities. Asian enrollment at all three schools increased dramatically in the past decade.

This article reports on a proposal to turn over New York City's Julia Richman Education Complex to Hunter College. The Julia Richman building has been a pilgrimage site for educators, serving as the United States' premier example of a failing urban high school turned into a campus of successful small schools. The educational culture of the Julia Richman schools is also discussed, as well as Hunter College's plans with the building.

The article discusses a ban on cellphones in New York City public schools. Many politicians shared personal anecdotes concerning the benefits of cellphones for teenagers at a City Council hearing held on June 14, 2006. The complaints are indicative of a rising wave of dissatisfaction with the measure, which was implemented in April 2006.

The article discusses plans by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City to give more control over critical decisions like hiring, teacher training, curriculum, and budgets to public schools if they agreed to meet performance standards. The plan would enable the city to cut more than 200 administrative jobs, saving the city $80 million.