State test scores will be out in July

The New York State Board of Regents approved a recommendation to move the release date of scores on the Grades 3 - 8 ELA and Math tests from the origional date, June 24 to the week of July 26, 2010.

"School districts and teachers were notified last spring that the tests would change this year and, in the case of math, address more material.  Students took the exams this year in late April and May, after many more weeks of instruction than in previous years...

The additional time spent in the analysis of the assessments will also allow student performance on this year’s revised assessments to be appropriately incorporated into the state’s 2010-2011 school accountability determinations."

musical chairs for private school heads

St. Ann's has a new headmaster, Vincent Tompkins, the deputy provost of Brown University. The New York Times, mcbrooklyn, and the Brooklyn Eagle each have their own spin on the story.

The former head of St. Ann's, Larry Weiss, is moving to Brooklyn Friends just down the street where he began his career in the 70's. In the intervening years he was the Director of Chinese Studies at Sidwell Friends School and Head of the Upper Division at Horace Mann in Riverdale.

PS 133

I went on a tour the other day (this blog is starting quietly enough). I saw a lovely school that is being temporarily housed for 3 years in a former parochial school on 8th St. and 4th Ave. in Park Slope. PS 133 has a relatively new principal (former teacher at 29, former VP at 11) who is full of energy and ideas, particularly to develop their science program with an urban ecology focus. The school is small and comfy (two classes on a grade one of which is CTT). It has wonderful expressive artwork, a full piano lab, a class full of new guitars. I watched a Studio in the Schools dance class and a school wide reading celebration. They will move in 2012 to a brand new 935 seat school that is being built on Butler and 4th Ave. at the edge of District 13.

I also went to a meeting this morning about the future of PS 133. It was sponsored by the 5th Ave. Committee. The Office of Portfolio Planning, SCA, Community Board 6, the Butler/Baltic Block Assoc., the 78th Precinct, the PS Civic Council, Councilman Steve Levin and other local government reps including D13 CEC members and representatives from PS 133 were in attendance. They discussed construction issues that will impact local residents and then the DOE rep announced that PS 133 would remain a single school community in the building. The school population would be made up of students from the current 133 zone and 2/3 of the population would be from a rezoned section of District 15. The school will be administered by District 15. This did not go over well with the representatives from District 13 and Mr. Levin who felt that this was new information that had not been previously discussed. Mr. Levin asked that the Office of Portfolio Planning revisit this decision. I just condensed a two hour discussion to a paragraph.

There will be another meeting to follow up on these issues on Mon. June 21 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Contact the 5th Ave. Committee for confirmation and location.

So, this is an issue in flux, but a very important one for local parents. Watch this space for more information. I am curious what the District 15 CEC thinks of this? I imagine this issue will shortly be at the forefront of many D13 and D15 parents' minds. However this turns out, I recommend that any interested parents tour 133. Call their Parent Coordinator, Ahmed Dickerson 347-563-5321 to find out the date of their next open house. You may really like what you see.

new schools, new locations

Private School:

The Greene Hill School has been incubating at Irving and Putnam in Clinton Hill with the Coop School, but they have found a new long term space in the neighborhood at 39 Adelphi. They are a progressive Independent program - growing to 8th grade - that is priced for middle class families. They will be having a 3/4's program in September. (If you have been shut out of a threes program you might give them a call!) They will be offering classes for children aged 3 through 8 in Sept. If you are interested in visiting the school contact them to set up an appointment: 718 230-3608 or info@greenehillschool.org

They will be holding a fundraiser, The Greene Affair, on Apri 26 at Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo. Contact them for information.

Public School:

There is a new "Common Application" for all charter schools in the city. You need to deliver or mail an application to the charter schools of your choice by April 1. Insideschools has an updated list of new charter programs opening in the fall.

Insideschools also reports about new programs, "some schools are opening to ease overcrowding in existing neighborhood schools while others are targeting families looking for choices beyond their zoned schools, sitll others are replacing schools that are closing. Several schools will occupy newly constructed buildings."

District 17: The New American Academy an "open classroom" trilingual (English, Spanish and French) program will open with a K and first grade in Crown Heights.

District 20: four new schools in new facilities in new zones. PS 310, PS 971, PS 264, PS 748 will accept students from across the district.

District 13: a new middle school, Ft. Greene Prep opening in the PS 46 building, has already been proven to be very interesting to 5th grade parents across the district.

new school option proposed for district 13

I heard a rumor and it has been confirmed by Allison Gaines Pell, Principal at the wonderful Urban Assembly Academy of Arts and Letters Middle School in Ft. Greene that they have applied to the DOE for a grade extension to become a K to 8 program. It is just an intital application. The DOE has to analyze space and feasibility, but they are hopeful to create a new and vibrant educational institution for the whole community. If approved to move forward, the expansion would begin in the fall of 2011, and there will be a lot of ways for the community and families to be involved in the process. There is no "official" information yet, and there probably won't be until early summer, but questions can be sent to Principal Alison Gaines Pell at apell@uaaal.org  I am in contact with her and I will also post updates here. 

Here is a statement from the school, “At Arts & Letters, we believe that the purpose of public education is to raise young people -- in collaboration with parents-- who are strong, flexible, and deep thinkers, as well as thoughtful, caring, responsible, and productive members of a vibrant, democratic society. We are committed to the notion that that through a public education, we can and will develop creative, confident, courageous people who will, through their rich and challenging questioning of the world, find and carry out our world's next great discoveries and traditions. In school, we can find our selves, our passions, and our talents. In school, we can learn how to listen, to challenge, to defend, to succeed and fail. In school, we can learn that answering hard questions and meeting big challenges is interesting and engaging, and that nothing is greater than mastery of something that you never thought possible.

To do this right, we need more time with every child and family. Over these past four years, we have watched our young people-- your children -- grow through young adolescence, working with them during a powerful, but brief, window of time. As you know, young people come to us in 6th grade from all different schools, from which they bring a variety of habits and attitudes towards learning. We have just a three-year window with them, and it takes almost all three years to develop the habits of mind and heart that we know they must have to fulfill our mission. It also takes almost all three years to develop relationships with young people and their families that enable deep support and understanding of each unique child. We believe that we need to begin working with families and children much earlier. Through a seamless nine-year sequence, beginning in Kindergarten and ending in grade eight, and the multiple opportunities for interage learning and routines that this affords, we feel sure that we can teach and nurture the thinking, listening and problem-solving skills necessary for a successful upper level educational experience including high school and college, as well as a vibrant democracy. We feel sure that this will allow us time to develop the kinds of people who learn their whole lives long, who truly embody courage, confidence, clarity, creativity and compassion, and who will grace the covers of newspapers and magazines (if digitally!) as "ones to watch."

In our early childhood program, our classrooms will be places of exploration and experiential learning. We will maintain our focus on higher order thinking skills: reasoning, problem-solving, interpretation, precision, and research, and our students will look deeply at big questions about our world and our communities each year. We will utilize the best of the resources our local community has to offer, including arts and cultural institutions, but also Fort Greene park, a natural place for exploration and scientific inquiry. And of course, we will continue to recruit and develop the best teachers in New York City, as we know that this is the most important factor that has contributed to our success thus far.”

prek application update

I have been talking to a lot of families in brief phone consults about the PreK applications and the strategy of a Round 2 application is coming up a lot.

I just want to give you a heads up about the Second Round paragraph in the instructions:

"Round 2 will take place in July 2010; if you apply in Round 2 after having received a placement in Round 1, your application will only be considered after new applicants and applicants from Round 1 who did not receive an offer. We will use your Round 1 application choices during the Round 2 process. Additional details for the Round 2 application process will be available in the Round 2 directory which will become available in July 2010.

If you wish to appeal your Round 1 match, you must fill out the form which will be located online at

http://schools.nyc.gov/PreK. Appeals will be considered based on factual errors that may occur during the application process. Appeal forms will be available after Round 1 offers are made in June 2010."

They don't want a lot of people trying to game the system. Put down your choices according to your preferences and keep the lottery priorities in mind. If you get a seat, that is great but it would serve you to take it because in the second round you will be at the end of the cue for being picky.

News for twins:

The online application and the paper app are different, in that there is no place online to enter that the first child is a mulitple. This is what the DOE told me today:

"If you are applying for twins online, you should first complete one child's application, and then click on the 'Submit Application for Another Child.' You will then be able to enter the second child's application. The two applications will automatically be linked."

nyc prek, upk and cbos

It is almost March 1! - time for the public prek applications.

UPK stands for Universal PreK - government subsidized fours programs. Your child must have been born between 1/1/06 and 12/31/06 (4 years old this year) and reside in NYC. These are programs available to everyone (not based on need). Unfortunately, there are not enough seats available for everyone. You can find them in public schools (full 6+ hours for five days) or in different private preschools around the city. The programs that are located in the public schools are free.

What is a CBO? They are Community Based Organizations. These are various preschools and daycares that have applied for UPK funds. Many of these are private for fee programs (some neighborhood preschools that you may recognize). You apply for them in the regular way (whatever applicaton, touring or interview/playdate that they normally require). The difference is that in the fours "preK" year the tuition will be cheaper than the threes tuition because of the UPK subsidy (usually a couple thousand off). It won't be free though.

The Prek directories are coming online to the DOE site on Monday, March 1. You can download the pdf or pick up a hard copy at your borough enrollment office. You will find the preks in the public schools listed in the front of the book, as well as an application. The back of the book will have the CBO's listed for your convenience, but you need to go to the individual school to apply.

On March 8 you can pick up a directory at your local Elementary school if they have a prek program.

Applying:

The application period for the preks in the public schools is from March 1 to April 9 and it is a lottery process (not first come first served, so don't go nuts trying to download the directory at 4am on Monday). The date of your application definitely does not matter as long as you get it in before April 9.

To apply to a CBO, just contact the school and follow their procedures. They are not part of the lottery.

To apply to a public prek, study the directory and list up to 12 choices on the application. I I recommend using the online app. which enables you to recieve an email receipt of the app and email notifications as well as by snail mail. There are many more ways for error with the paper app. If you do the paper app. I recommend hand delivery and make sure that you get a receipt, or send it in plenty of time in the envelope provided, so that it doesn't go missing. Also, make a copy of the app. and keep it in a safe place.

There is a priority to this lottery:

First siblings of children attending a school

Then children zoned for the school,

Then children outside the zone with no prek program in their zoned school

Then children outside the zone but within the district

Then children outside the district but within the borough

and on...

There will be information sessions to explain all of this:

3/8/10 Brooklyn Tech HS 29 Ft. Greene Place 5:30 - 8pm

check the DOE's website for other dates.

Schools will continue conducting tours through March. Check the school's website or contact their parent coordinator for information.

You will not hear about placement in the public prek programs until Memorial Day.

There are no waiting lists but there is a second round and most schools have at least a tiny amount of seats still available. I will explain this in further posts.

Helpful hints:

They love the drop down menus, so before you call me saying that you can't find something, actually answer the question. You will find that when you give specific answers a drop down may appear to take further information, like if you have twins.

If you will have a kindergartener attending your zoned school in 2010 you need to have preapplied to that school to get the "inzone sibling preference" in the lottery for your preschooler.

I can help you. If you want some insight into your prek application, I do 15 minute and half hour phone consults. Just call and I am happy to help. 718 781-1928

more on lefferts gardens

The blog Hawthorne St. did some more great reporting on the ongoing plans for the Lefferts Gardens Charter School. They covered the meeting concerning housing the Charter in PS 92 and the subsequent loss of three of their Board members.

This is important reading if you are considering this school or you are interested in the process of starting a new Charter program. It is not always a straight path.

what is up with downtown?

It has always been the case that parents in northwest Brooklyn have looked to lower Manhattan and the east side as possible options when their neighborhood schools didn't serve. Recently the old elementary standbys like the Earth School have not been able to take students from outside their districts much less their boroughs.

District 2 has long been the Holy Grail of progressive education but aside from I.C.E. it is closed to outside middle or high school students.

When the DOE announced that there were new schools opening in lower Manhattan to help ease the overcrowding there, I inquired about whether there might be a spot or two open for Brooklyn families in either PS/IS 397 The Spruce St. School or PS/IS 276. The report was not encouraging. The projections show that they are probably already over capacity. It never hurts to inquire, but don't count on finding a placement.

There was better news at the Manhattan Charter School, the only K-5 charter below Houston. They give priority to District 1 students but they often move onto their waiting list as many charters do. A significant percentage of current students are from Brooklyn and the school is very convenient to the F train - a couple blocks from the Delancy St. stop. This school which has been open for 6 years has had a rocky beginning with a total of 3 principals since its founding, but the current principal, Genie Depolo, seems to be there to stay and the classrooms are bright and focused. They are particularly interesting for their French and music enrichments. Definitely worth a tour.

Frank McCourt HS, Murray Hill Academy and others at the New School Fair

There were some brand new and nearly new programs at the New HS Fair this weekend. Many of these schools are having open houses or informational meetings. Contact the schools for more information.

The Frank McCourt High School is a screened program that will be open to all NYC students. They will be located on the Brandeis HS Campus, W. 84th St. in Manhattan. They will review students' transcripts, test scores and attendance, but they will rely heavily on the interview. They are focusing on communication, collaboration and community service. email: fmhsnyc@gmail.com 718-935-4095.

The Global Learning Collabortive is also in the Brandeis Campus on W.84th St. It was a new school fall of 2009. They have a partnership with the Asia Society. For a small school they are offering a wide variety of languages; Chinese, French, Italian, German, Japanese and Spanish. There are also opportunities for overseas travel.

The transfer schools are primarily for older students but there is  a new option for 9th graders who are not finding their way in their current school. Murray Hill Academy (111 E. 33rd St. in Manhattan) is accepting 8th graders and 9th graders who have less than 7 credits and are less than 16 years old. Contact: Anita Manninen-Felix amannin3@schools.nyc.gov 718-935-4089.

Frances Perkins Academy in Brooklyn is an interesting option. The students work several days a week in professional internships. They are focused on college prep and real world personalized experiences. fpaltic@gmail.com 718-388-7721. They are moving this year and will be located at the Bushwick High School Campus.

Sunset Park High School opened fall of 2009 in their beautiful 4th Ave. facility. They are having an open house on Monday, Feb. 8, 6-8pm. 718 840-1900.

The Urban Assembly School for Criminal Justice is a very interesting all girls 6-12 program that is accepting their first class of 9th graders. This schools is aiming high for their girls. Check out their open house: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 5-7pm room 427. Contact: Ms. Cazeau 718 438-3895 x463

It is a bit of a haul from Brooklyn, but if you are close to the 6 train, The Cinema School in the Bronx is a compelling program. For more information: Dr. Maryann Dickar mdickar@thecinemaschool.org 718-620-2560.

Letter Day 2010

This Thursday, Feb. 4 is letter day. The day that 8th grade students who took the SHSAT will receive word on their placement. If they did get a seat in one of the specialized high schools they will also get word about their placement in their "1 in 12" school. Envelopes will be distributed in the public schools. Families will have about two weeks to make their decisions. There are usually specialized high school tours set up early the following week to enable students to take a look and help them decide.  Private school families may have to wait a day or two depending on the efficiency of the distribution.

Students will be instructed to wait until they get home to open the letters, although most can't stand the temptation to rip them open the minute that they step outside the school building.Talk to your 8th grader and try and make the case for waiting until they get home, or at least find a private moment to open the letter. This is what they think is going to happen, "I'm getting into the school of my dreams and all of my friends will be as excited for me as I will be." Of course what happens is always different from our expectations. Often the news is great, but because it may not be what they expect there is disappointment. Their friends are so worried about their own situations everyone feels awful no matter what the outcome. There can be crying, or lying to save face and the students who are really thrilled can't show it without feeling like they are rubbing it in others faces. This sounds awful doesn't it? If they come home they can scream with delight or feel disappointed without humiliation, and you can hug them and give them perspective. Then, when they are composed they can call everyone and be their best selves. It can be an emotional day, good and not so good. It is not a bad idea to be ready for it.

If you have the option, you will need to make the decision in a timely manner. Before you return it to the guidance counselor, make a copy of the letter with your choice and keep it in a safe place.

If you are going to be waiting for your news in March, check out

The New School Fair on Saturday, February 6 and Sunday, February 7

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Emigrant Savings Bank Hall, 51 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007

You will have an opportunity to see the new programs that are opening in the fall and submit a new application with a new programs included in the list. The Frank McCourt High School will be among them.

New high school choice forms and Specialized Round student decisions are due back to guidance counselors on Feb. 23

charter schools?

People feel strongly about charter programs. My role is to let parents understand all of their options. Charter schools are publicly funded programs. They are often housed in public school buildings. Sometimes the relationship is good, sometimes it is strained. It is good for parents to know if the school is going to have to move. This is very disruptive to any program.

Charter schools are not zoned. They choose their students by lottery. They are required to give priority in the lottery to families who live within the district where the school is located. When the school is new or under capacity they may often have extra seats and take children from outside of the district. There is no downside to registering for lots of charter programs. You don't need to rank them, or decide which one you like better until you are offered a seat. They often call families from their waitlist. Why not register for every one you like? Charter schools do not have Prek programs. They often begin in Kindergarten and may be K - 5, K - 8, K - 12, 6 - 8, 6 - 12, or 9 -12 programs.

Charter schools are not under the DOE's jurisdiction so they may use a different curriculum, different hours and hire teachers in different ways. They still have to take the same NY state tests and they answer to their own individual Board of Trustees to maintain their charter.

The Brooklyn New School and the Brooklyn Children's School accept their students by lottery but they are NOT charter schools. These schools do have prek programs. To search for Charters in a NYC Charter School directory.

Spanish dual language at PS 46

If you live in Ft. Greene/Clinton Hill (and even if you don't) you should check out the new Spanish dual language program at PS 46, Edward Blum School, in district 13. Karyn Nicholson, their energetic new principal, is reaching out to the community. The staff which has long experience with bilingual education is well suited to put a dual language program into place. They started this fall with preK, k and first grade dual language classrooms. If the program proves popular there would be room for a second class on a grade. They are assessing students who are interested in the program for language proficiency (they are looking for both English and Spanish speakers) as well as looking for strong learners who will be able to handle the challenge of the dual language program. The k class I saw was focused and engaged and reading the Spanish lesson easily. The hallways are lined with excellent and varied writer's workshop published pieces.

Ms. Nicholson has a strong vision for the school and there are good facilities and lots of enrichment in place for her to build on. The school has a beautiful Robin Hood library. There is an art classroom and teacher with a science focus and a second art room/teacher with a math focus. There is also an extensive music program. I was very impressed with the science teacher, who is clearly transferring his enthusiasm for his subject to his students.

The parent coordinator, Cecilia Lopez (347) 563-5323 has a open door policy and her parent's room is open from 8 to 4. Contact her to find out about the next open house which will be scheduled shortly. I will also list it in the newsletter.

Middle School Interviews

The middle school interview season is here. Why interview? The schools want to get an idea of what the child is like, more than just a number and a name. It is hard for many parents to imagine their 10 or 11 year old managing to speak coherently to a strange adult. We all know that when things get "awkward" for a tween (my kids' favorite word for any situation that is the least bit cringy) they either get silly or silent. Parents need to know that these lovely teachers and parents who are conducting the interviews have seen HUNDREDS of 11 year olds. After a while the silly and the silent is so normal that they can surely see through it.

This is what you should tell your child:

• The interviewers are really interested in learning about you. So tell them about what you love in a way that will make them see a picture in their heads. Remember the "because" in your answer.

• Tell them about why you are interested in their school.There are no wrong answers.

• If you are in a group you have to be considerate of the other kids when they are talking and find a way to politely add what you want to say. If you are silent they will not learn enough about you. If you are silly they may misjudge what a good student you will be.

If you think that your child could use some help getting used to talking to a stranger, I can help them with relaxation, presentation and converstation.

redshirting

I answered a question on Park Slope Parents about a child with a late fall birthday whose parents were interested in waiting a year for kindergarten. It seemed to be helpful so I am posting it here.

The age cut off in NYC is Dec. 31. Any child that turns five years from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 is eligible for kindergarten. Some parents feel that their children are not ready for kindergarten at five and want to wait to enroll them in public school. Starting a six year old child in kindergarten is not completely the parent’s choice. The principals may entertain the conversation if the child has a very late birthday (like the last week in Dec.). The principals are not trying to be rigid (they really care about your child’s education) they have seen a lot of children and there are reasons to keep the kids within a years range of each other. Someone has to be the youngest. The chancellor’s regulations are vague. A child is required to attend the appropriate class at 6 years old. Since the age cutoff is Dec. 31 it implies first grade. Kindergarten is the first academic year (no longer play-based) in public school but it is not a mandated grade. It is common practice for there to be enough seats in the k classes for everyone in the zone, but the desire to keep classes small makes it hard to find seats in very sought after schools when you are not in the regular age cohort.

It is up to the principal if there will be a seat in k at 6 years. It may also depend on available seats. Trying to work the private and public school admissions together is a very difficult thing. The problem starts with the different age cut off dates and then you have to contend with the different program notification dates (when they tell you that you have been accepted). The  Chancellor’s regulations do say that if you are entering the NYC public school system from another city or a private school that the child will be placed in the appropriate grade. They will not arbitrarily move a child ahead a grade just because of their age. For example, if a child is 7 years and has completed k they won’t place him in second grade just because 7 years is when the rest of the city’s children are in second grade.

There are no age exceptions made for public school prek programs or gifted and talented.

test scores are only a small piece of the puzzle

How do you judge a school?  To start you can look at the test scores. These may come in the form of the School Progress Reports (the DOE's flawed number crunching), the more nuanced but not fool-proof Quality Reviews or the number rankings given by the national websites. The black and white reality of a simple number or letter ranking is that it predicts how well your child will be able to complete a standardized test, not the quality of their education. The scores are often clung to as a measure of quality by prospective parents, but the tests are scorned by parents whose children already attend school. Assessments need to be made and there has to some kind of accountability, but the richest learning doesn't happen within test prep and the score can be a smoke screen.

You can read reviews on insideschools, study the school's website and get individual parent comments on the list serves. You can tour the schools and stand outside at 2:45 for dismissal and eyeball the parents picking up their kids. All of these are pieces of the puzzle, but none of them will give you the the kind of information about the right school for your child except the school tour that you take with your own eyes.

If you are an informed consumer, armed with the test scores and comments by others, the tour should seal the deal or expose the school as a bad fit and be the biggest factor when deciding.  Even though many parents feel that there is safety in numbers (the most popular schools must be the "best") there are many quality programs laboring in obscurity (often with smaller class sizes). If you can tour several schools, you will start to see similarities and differences. Many of the differences will be comparing apples and oranges, an old building compared to a newer building, a variety of enrichment classes compared to a fabulous afterschool, etc.

Keep your mind open. Look for exciting classrooms instead of the highest test scores. Does what you see in the classroom make sense with the school's scores. Do they seem realistic? Is the work on the bulletin board suspiciously flawless or all the same? Remember to trust your instincts. There are no guarantees in life but it is very possible to get a wonderful public education in the NYC public schools.

looking online for a good school

There are a number of sites that show information on local schools. They often have links to real estate sites that show properties in the area.

insideschools.org is above all my favorite. It is a local non profit run by Advocates for Children. It has a tremendous reach and depth and the first thing any parent worried about schools should do is sign up for their newsletter alerts and send them a little tax deductible thank you for the incredibly good work that they do. (I am not affiliated with them, I just love them.) You can "Ask Judy" a question, browse their forum, check their calendar, and most importantly read their reviews. The data at the beginning of the review (test scores and numbers) are updated every year and any change in principal or location is added right away. Because they review every school in the city, some reviews are a couple years old, check the dates at the end of the review. Remember that all parents that comment on schools are on a mission. They either love the school or hate it and it is difficult to get an objective reading of how much the parent body as a whole feels. If you have trouble searching for the school by name, also try searching by zip and age level, one of these two ways always gets results.

schools.nyc.gov is the Dept. of Education's website. There are individual school pages here (go to find a school). You can find copies of state and city reports on each school under the "statistics" tab on their school page. I recommend browsing the menu on the homepage, often publications, calendars and procedures are listed here or downloadable as pdf files. This is a very large deep and sometimes confusing website. If you find a page that you like, bookmark it so that you can find it again.

https://nyccharterschools.org/ is a searchable NYC database of charter schools

greatschools.org is a national site where you can search by city, or address, district etc. The search tool is clumsy at best and it is difficult to browse. The comparison of local schools also gives a weirdly haphazard and incomplete mix and sometimes elementary, middle and high schools are incorporated in the same list. For a national site that doesn't really address the complexities of the NYC school system, it is the best by far. They give a number ranking to the schools that is mostly based on test scores which can be misleading and are only a small indication of school's quality. There are parent comments and lots of general articles.

schooldigger.com searches by zip or address or city and gives a clear map of public elementary choices, but their ranking system is out of date and based on scores. They have very clear links to real estate if you are looking for that.

All the others are just lists of addresses.