New York City’s public schools serve some 1.8 million parents and families across the five boroughs. Our goal is to give families the information and access they need to be informed and involved. This is important because we know that when families are informed and involved, children do better in school.

In the past year, we’ve renewed our commitment to New York City parents and families. Our Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy is led by the Chief Family Engagement Officer, whose top responsibility is listening to parents, helping them access information, and becoming active partners in their children’s education. And now a District Family Advocate is located in each district office so that parents can get their questions answered close to home. A number of fact sheets are also available to answer your questions. 

This Web site is designed to help answer your most common questions:

• What enrollment choices does my child have? Learn more about the wide range of options available and how to enroll in these programs. Click on relevant link if you're interested in prekindergarten and kindergarten, elementary schools, middle schools,  high schools,  charter schools, ELL programs, gifted/talented programs,  home schooling, new schools, special education, and transfers.
  • Click here if you’re not a NYC resident.
  • Click here to go to Find a School portal.
  
  
• What is my child learning? Learn more about the academic standards and curriculum, plus graduation requirements for English language arts,  mathematics, science, social studies, fitness and health, and world languages.
  
  
• What rules and polices affect my child and his or her school? Learn more about the Chancellor’s Regulations, the Discipline Code, NCLB, the Parent Bill of Rights, the Student Bill of Rights, and our promotion policy.  
  
  
• What kind of support can my child receive? Learn more about the various services available to help our students succeed, including guidance, food service, school health, transportation, tutoring, library services, instructional technology, and arts.
  
  
• What kind of sports, extracurricular activities, and other activities are available? Learn how your child can try out for middle school sports or high school sports, participate in music/arts programs, or join an after-school program.
  
  
• How is my child tested and how is my child’s school doing? Learn more about our accountability program, including yearly testing, Periodic Assessments, Progress Reports, Quality Reviews, and Surveys. Click here for our annual assessment calendar. Many of these reports are available for each school. Click here to find a school and go directly to your school’s report.
  
  
• How can I get involved? Learn more about what you can do at home and in your child’s school.
  
  
• How is the New York City Department of Education organized? Learn how the system is structured to provide high-quality instruction to 1.1 million students and manage about 135,000 full-time employees.
  
  
• What have the Mayor and Chancellor done to improve the schools?  Ensuring that all teachers are well-qualified, giving principals more flexibility over their school’s programs, and moving hundreds of millions of dollars out of central offices into the classroom ... those are among the many changes that have been implemented since 2003 as part of our Children First reform efforts.
  
  
• How can I learn more? Read the "NYC Family Guide: 2007-2008." The guide provides useful information for families about the City’s Children First school reforms, what students are learning, and the kinds of services that are available to the City’s public school students. It also provides information about how families can get involved in their children’s education—and how they can find answers, help, and support.