Event | Education, For Parents & Students
Facing FAFSA In The Fall:
Will the New Application Process Help or Hurt NYC Students?
The federal government’s notoriously complicated financial aid process may become simpler for students beginning this fall with a new rule allowing families to use tax information they have in hand from the “prior, prior” year’s returns. The hope is that the government’s FAFSA form will be easier to fill out on-line using existing tax data from the IRS and students can apply for aid as early as October, allowing colleges to speed up financial aid offers.
But many are worried about what this change will bring in New York. Students may have to apply for financial aid at the same time they are applying for colleges, doubling the college application work that must be done in the fall. And New York State hasn’t moved to bring its financial aid process in line with the feds, potentially leaving students to face a dizzying array of conflicting aid application rules.
Greg Darnieder, senior advisor to the secretary on the College Access Initiative, U.S. Department of Education;
Kristen Harris, director of college readiness supports, NYC Department of Education.;
Susan Mead, director of financial aid, Dutchess Community College, SUNY;
Allison Palmer, director, College Access Center, New Settlement Apartments;
Kevin Stump, northeast regional director, Young Invincibles.
Moderated by Kim Nauer, research director at the Center for New York City Affairs and author of FAFSA: A How-To Guide for High School Students (And the Adults Who Help Them), available at: http://www.understandingfafsa.org/
Event | Student Needs, School Improvement, Insideschools
The Low-down on Pre-K from Insideschools
If your child turns 4 this year, he or she is eligible for free pre-kindergarten, either in a public school or at a site run by a community organization. The de Blasio administration gets an A for effort in its rapid expansion of pre-kindergarten, with more than 30,000 new seats last fall and another 20,000 planned for this coming fall. But what is the quality of these new programs?
Even though the city is rapidly expanding free all-day pre-k programs, demand still outstrips supply in many neighborhoods. The staff of Insideschools and a panel of experts will tell you how to find a good program for your child and to navigate the application process.
This free workshop for parents will:
-- Explain the difference between "child care" and "pre-kindergarten"
-- Help you decide whether to choose pre-k run by public schools or community groups
-- Tell you what to look for when you visit such programs
-- Detail where the available seats are
-- Explain how and when to apply
-- Talk about what to do if there’s no slot for your child where you want it
-- Describe ethnic and racial diversity in pre-k programs.
Moderated by: Clara Hemphill, interim director, Center for New York City Affairs at the New School
Report & Event| Student Needs
A BETTER PICTURE OF POVERTY:
WHAT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM AND RISK LOAD REVEAL ABOUT NYC'S LOWEST-INCOME ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
READ THE REPORT
Children can't learn if they aren't in school. That should be obvious, but a new report shows that chronic absenteeism consigns tens of thousands of children to academic failure even before they leave elementary school.
WATCH THE EVENT
Mayor Bill de Blasio will unveil 45 new community schools this month in a much-touted effort to help low-income students. But which schools need the most help? And what kind of supports will have the greatest impact? A new report by the Center for New York City Affairs explores these questions in elementary schools, documenting how high absenteeism rates and community challenges can bedevil schools in low-income neighborhoods. We propose a new measure of poverty, designed to identify the highest needs schools, and discuss what should come next in the mayor's bid to reduce poverty's effects on students.
Richard Buery, deputy mayor for strategic policy initiatives, City of New York.
Rudy Crew, president, Medgar Evers College, City University of New York.
Kevin Dahill-Fuchel, executive director, Counseling in Schools.
Patricia Mitchell, principal, PS 48, William Wordsworth.
Sheena Wright, president and CEO, United Way of New York City
Moderated by Kim Nauer, education research director, Center for New York City Affairs.
Event | Student Needs
Understanding FAFSA 2014
Relevant excerpts from FAFSA 2014 event on making higher education easier to achieve for NYC students.
Free 2015 guide is now available here: http://www.understandingfafsa.org/.
Securing college financial aid can be intimidating for NYC students. Aid is crucial for low-income and first generation college students—but they need help, particularly navigating the government's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), finding grants and loans and working with college aid offices. Experts say the system is needlessly complicated and should be reformed.
View the full event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnH7O..
Report | Student Needs, Improving Schools
SCALING THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL STRATEGY IN NEW YORK CITY
A report detailing recommendations that can help sustain the city's new community schools initiative. New York City has long been home to some of the nation's most celebrated community schools -- where school leaders, community partners, and parents come together to build a network of comprehensive support services around students and their families -- but until recently there has been little support for this strategy at the city level.
RECENT REPORT
BIG DREAMS FOR NY'S YOUNGEST CHILDREN: THE FUTURE OF EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION
In October 2012, New York City launched EarlyLearnNYC, a plan that would upend its system for providing subsidized child care to working class and low-income families. The goal was to take the city's sprawling assortment of child care programs and blend them into a unified, holistic spectrum of early education services for children from 6 weeks through 4 years old. Two years in, the results are mixed. The report draws on dozens of interviews and program observations, providing a series of recommendations for reform.
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RECENT REPORT
HELP FILLING OUT THE FAFSA: UPDATED GUIDE FOR STUDENTS AND ADULTS
Filling out the FAFSA form is the first step for most students seeking financial support to go to college. But the form can be complicated and intimidating. The Center's popular "FAFSA: How-To Guide" is easy to read and answers common questions of students and families. And new this year: How to compare financial aid packages.
READ MORE »
DOWNLOAD REPORT »
WATCH VIDEO »
NEW REPORT
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR BETTER SCHOOLS
NOVEMBER 21, 2013
New York City's Education Funders Research Initiative asked the Center for New York City Affairs to identify key priorities for education reform under Mayor-elect Bill DeBlasio. Our paper analyzes the successes and failures of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's education initiatives--and proposes six key areas on which the next administration should focus attention and resources. A top priority: Make sure young children can read.
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RECENT PUBLICATION
CREATING COLLEGE READY COMMUNITIES
SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
More kids than ever are going to college, but few are getting degrees. How can New York prepare more students to succeed? Researchers at the Center for New York City Affairs spent four years in 14 schools exploring this question, learning why some students finish high school, go to college and succeed—and so many others fail.
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DOWNLOAD REPORT »
RECENT PUBLICATION
INTRODUCING INSIDESTATS: OUR NEW TOOL TO EVALUATE HIGH SCHOOLS
MARCH 12, 2013
Students and parents in the nation's largest public school system just got a crucial, free new tool: Insidestats. A project of Insideschools.org at the Center for New York City Affairs, Insidestats is a new online scorecard that provides in-depth data on 422 New York City high schools. Clara Hemphill, editor-in-chief of Insideschools.org, launched Insidestats on Tuesday, March 12, with a live demonstration.
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EVENT AND PRESENTATIONS
CREATING COLLEGE READY COMMUNITIES: PREPARING NYC'S PRECARIOUS NEW GENERATION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS
JUNE 21, 2012
The good news is, New York City has seen dramatic increases in students graduating high school and applying to college. The bad news is, most will never get a college degree. This growing generation of college students is frequently stymied by poor academic preparation, financial aid issues or complicated personal lives. The Center for New York City Affairs released an analysis of NYC's school and community-based college readiness efforts. What must happen if we want more students to succeed?
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