Comments on: Harlem Success Academies lottery low-key, but high-tech

By: Lulu

Lulu — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:59:54 +0000

What is the calendar year like? When do classes begin and end for the school year?

By: Concerned parent

Concerned parent — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 03:56:31 +0000

Eva Moskowitz spends millions on recruitment so that she can then say there is a high demand for her schools. Community schools educate all children regardless of language or disability. Charters school do not. They can say they do. A ‘happy’ parent will always reply that they do. Can they say they have any self contained special education classes? Can they accept children in the middle of the school year? Can they boast high test scores AND high ELL enrollment? They cannot. They are a private entity using our public funds!

By: Lynda Harris Bronx NY

Lynda Harris Bronx NY — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 01:47:33 +0000

IM A PARENT AND IT HURTS ME WHAT THE CHANCELLOR AINT DOING FOR THE SCHOOLS IN THE BRONX BUT IS ALL FOR HSA .I APPLIED FOR MY SON TO ENTER KINDERGARDEN HIS CHANCES WERE TOO LOW. IM UPSET BUT,I WORK IT OUT.THE CHANCELLOR JOE KLIEN SHOULD COME AND SEE THE WORN AND TORN CHAIRS AND DESK IN SOME OF THESE SCHOOLS UP HERE IN THE BRONX.”PAY THESE CHILREN A VISIT”TELL THEM HOW MUCH YOU SUPPORT CHARTER SCHOOLS AND LEAVE PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE BRONX WITH NOTHING.ITS NOT FAIR,OUR CHILDREN SUFFER TEARING THEIR CLOTHING ON THESE WORN OUT DESK FROM THE 80′S AT P.S.6X ON TREMONT I PULLED MY THIRD GRADER OUT TO ATTENT C.S.102 FOR FOURTH GRADE. THE SCHOOL INSIDE LOOK BRAND NEW ,AND HAS BEEN THERE FOR YEARS AT P.S6 THE WHOLE SCHOOL INSIDE LOOK LIKE NO CARES ABOUT THAT SCHOOL. MAINLY THE CHANCELLOR HE NEEDS TO GO TAKE A LOOK.I PULLED MY CHILD OUT FOR A BETTER SCHOOL INVIORMENT SETTING AND I FOUND IT CLOSER BUT PASS MY HOME AT C.S102. IM FRUSTRATED WANNA MOVE OUT THE CITY BECAUSE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.

By: HSA parent III

HSA parent III — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:20:32 +0000

You must be tripping! Or this must be puppet from Eva ^. Either way, HSA is a terrible place for children. My son was dumped because of his special needs issues. I speak spanish and I never received anything in terms of an application in spanish. How do you explain such low ELL students in a school in East Harlem? But, the school gets funded for the average of ELL in the districts. I guess that explains how Mosko takes home all that cash. She is robbing the children of Harlem blind! And, she talks down to parents like we are stupid. I applied for 4 other charters just because I have no choice. The chancellor abandoned the district schools. I am really worried about me child’s future.

By: Also an HSA parent

Also an HSA parent — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:29:55 +0000

I live in Harlem and received a Spanish application from Harlem Success on my door. They also had them available in other languages at the school, such as French and Creole.

My child attends HSA, is special needs (autistic) and has received tremendous support and treatment at HSA. Last year, as a Kindergartner, she attended a school for students with special needs and was not making the progress that I felt confident she could achieve. My older son was already attending HSA and I decided she should join him their this past fall. At HSA she has flourished, both academically AND socially! She is now ABOVE grade level and has a circle of friends that she loves and that accept her for all of her special gifts.

Yes it is a long day, but my the longer day affords greater enrichment activities that were not available to my older son when he attended a neighboring district school. They get a lot more specials each day than my son had when attending DOE schools. As far as test prep, it is minimal. They do have homework every night in the form of a weekly homework packet, but it is not of the test prep variety but includes spelling work, reading work (they read 1 book every night), some writing homework, math homework that matches the skills being covered in the unit of study and weekly science homework.

I am sorry that you were not satisfied with your experience at HSA, but know that there are many parents here in District 5 and throughout New York City that are not pleased with the services received in DOE schools and have found salvation through charter schools.

I don’t know what I would have done without HSA. I can’t afford private schooling for my children, and I am not capable of entirely bridging the gap at home that was left by the education provided by the neighborhood schools.

By: Michael Fiorillo

Michael Fiorillo — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:19:23 +0000

The Gotham Schools article also fails to mention that, as shown by Eva Moskowitz’s emails to Joel Klein, HSA sends out multiple saturation mailings of glossy promotional materials in District 5 and surrounding districts to solicit applications, for the purpose of making it seem that thousands of parents are clamoring to get their children into her little private fiefdom.

More PR distortions from the privateers.

By: Charter Lady

Charter Lady — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 23:21:04 +0000

Wow! Wow! Wow! I wonder how long people are actually going to believe in “Harlem Success.” It seems strange that charter schools would brag how many applicants they have. Does the public or media not know that parents apply to multiple schools; therefore inflating every charter schools “applicant totals?” I would like to see the press look into charters and not just post their press releases. We all know the lottery is fixed too. Eva sends out applications in just English which limits the numbers of ELL students to…zero. If your child happens to be special needs and slips by the “lottery,” they get another round of interviews to determine if they up to par. If your child gets past that but later down the road has some special needs issues–they get dumped on the district school faster than you can say “success.” The children are worked to death on test prep from dawn till dusk, that they actually come home wishing for death. How do I know all of this? My two children were admitted to HSA a year ago. They are now in a neighboring district school. I could only hope that the Chancellor pours as much time and money into giving my children what they need to succeed in the schools he is supposed to run. But, this does not seem to be his priority.