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Add your input to New York’s Common Core revisions

The deadline for giving feedback on New York’s draft learning standards for P12 English Language Arts and Mathematics has been extended to Nov. 14, Chalkbeat.org reported.

The state has received more than 1,200 responses so far. These include 635 responses on English standards and 570 on math standards, according to the report.

For more information, visit www.nysed.gov/aimhighny.

Two area high schools make U.S. News & World Report’s top 10 list

The High School for American Studies at Lehman College tops the latest U.S. News and World Report list of best high schools in New York City. The school has a 100-percent graduation rate and a college readiness score of 100. Nationally, the school ranks 15th. 

Also on the list is the Bronx High School of Science, which comes in seventh in the city and 59th nationwide. The school’s graduation rate is 100 percent, and its college readiness score stands at 88.9.

In addition to graduation rates and the level of students’ readiness for college-level work, the criteria U.S. News and World Report used to rank high schools also included a look at whether their math and reading proficiency rates among disadvantaged students exceeded the state average.

For the full list of the best high schools in New York City, based on U.S. News and World Report rankings, visit www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/new-york/rankings.

Pols demand answers from the DOE on the progress of diversity plans

A group of politicians including Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and state Sen. Jeff Klein demanded answers from the Education Department on how it was going to spend the funding they had secured for increasing diversity in the city’s specialized high schools. 

The politicians said in a statement they had allocated $1.75 million for the 2017 fiscal year to boost minority enrollment at specialized schools – such as Bronx Science – while New York City pledged a further $15 million over the next four years.

The politicians urged the Education Department to release information about how it plans to increase diversity at schools.

“The state funding we worked so hard to secure this past March to help address this terrible inequity will address this problem,” Mr. Dinowitz said in a statement. “But we want details now as to how this funding will be spent and we want to make sure that there is no further delay on tackling this issue.”

African-American and Latino students together comprise only 11 percent of students in New York City’s specialized schools, although both groups of students represent 68 percent of youth attending schools citywide, according to the statement.

“We urge the Department of Education to put to use every penny state legislators worked so hard to secure to see black and Latino children in our state gain entrance into our elite high schools, and we demand the administration lay out a clear plan for the Assembly’s funds which have not been spent,” Mr. Klein said in a statement.

Other politicians behind the effort to increase diversity are State Sen. Tony Avella and Assemblyman Walter Mosley.

Best Online Colleges

Want to take a college course but cannot make it to campus for class?

Onlinecolleges.com has released its 2016 list of top New York schools that offer a mix of online and hybrid programs. Lehman College, right in the area, came in at number 23.

The website, which looked at more than 2,500 colleges, based its ranking on affordability, student services and availability of its online program.
Below is the website’s list of top 10 colleges for online programs:

Bryant & Stratton College-Online
Mercy College
Jefferson Community College
Genesee Community College
SUNY College of Technology at Canton
SUNY Empire State College
Mohawk Valley Community College
Fulton-Montgomery Community College
CUNY Queensborough Community College
Monroe Community College

The Science Barge got new solar panels

The Science Barge – a floating farm and environmental education center docked in Yonkers – has announced that it has installed a new energy system, funded by a donation from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club.

The $50,000 system, which includes 12 solar panels and an Iron Edison 48-volt battery bank, is expected to double the floating farm’s capacity to produce and save energy to power its greenhouse growing systems.
“This donation from the Sun Club propels the Barge into the next era, totally updating the energy system that powers our hydroponic farm,” Bob Walters, the Science Barge director, said in a statement.

The Science Barge aims to show the community that food can be grown without leaving a carbon footprint, according to its employees. The barge has also been using wind turbines.

“The Sun Club loves working with unique nonprofits, and the Science Barge is an excellent demonstration of renewable energy and environmental education,” Mark Parsons, the president of the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, said in a statement.

Common Core, Best High Schools in New York, Science Barge

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