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There are mountains of data available online about New York City public schools if you know where to look. But for many parents, finding that data, deciding which parts are important, and figuring out what they tell you is overwhelming — especially when there are so many schools to choose from.
That’s why Chalkbeat teamed up with The City Reporter earlier this month to publish a guide for parents about how to vet New York City schools like an education reporter. We laid out which pieces of data we find most useful in assessing the quality of a school and talked about their limitations.
But we know that even with those suggestions, navigating the city’s sometimes-clunky online databases can be tricky. So Chalkbeat and The City Reporter invited New Yorkers to an event Thursday, in person at the Brooklyn Public Library and online, where reporters walked through how to use some of the key data we mentioned in the guide — including what teachers think of their schools, how principals spend their money, and how much schools help their students grow. We also took your questions about things that didn’t make it into the school guide.
We’re publishing a recording of the event here in the hopes it will be a helpful tool for parents and others who want to better understand New York City schools.
Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael at melsen-rooney@chalkbeat.org.