September 17, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY — PLACE NYC (Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education) is proud to celebrate five years of advocacy, led by our newly elected board of parent volunteers. Our community of families from all five boroughs with children across all grades in New York City Public Schools continues to grow. PLACE was founded in 2019 from our belief that all students across the learning spectrum deserve a high-quality public education. We are thrilled that so many parents and community members have joined us in our advocacy, which is focused on and limited to education-related issues primarily in NYC, and does not include nor endorse issues outside our mission.
PLACE stands proud of the actions we have taken in the past five years to further that mission. Some highlights:
- Advocated to keep the Specialized High School Admission Test (SHSAT) for NYC’s eight Specialized High Schools. (Our work proved instrumental in preserving the exam);
- Successfully fought for the preservation of the Gifted and Talented program and its expansion to all districts, so that every child who needs an accelerated academic environment has access to one;
- Advocated with state legislators to provide protections for 2e (twice-exceptional) students;
- Offered free “parent-to-parent” sessions on the NYCPS admissions process, which included practical tips to navigate applications to Kindergarten, Middle School and High Schools, the discussion of hidden gem schools, lottery numbers, wait lists, and more;
- Organized a campaign for transparency from the DOE to release students’ lottery numbers so families would be better informed during the admissions process;
- Helped families stay informed on education news— the PLACE NYC News Roundup is read by thousands of busy NYC parents;
- Educated parent volunteers to become active participants in their public schools – as PTA, School Leadership Team or Community Education Councils’ elected members.
PLACE celebrates and re-affirms our focused mission to be a voice for all NYC families who demand and deserve a high-quality, rigorous, and appropriate public education for their students.
**PLEASE JOIN US on September 24, 2024, 8:00PM for “Parent-to-Parent: DOE Orientation,” a free, virtual presentation to give a preK-12 system-wide overview of public schools in NYC. Register here.**
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