New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools: A Parents' Guide [Paperback]

Clara Hemphill (Author), Pamela Wheaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002

For this third edition, Clara and her staff visited nearly 500 of New York City’s elementary schools and chose 200 of the best schools to recommend. This essential guide uncovers the "inside scoop" on schools (the condition of the building, homework, teacher quality, etc.), includes a checklist of questions to ask on a school tour, and incorporates new listings of charter schools and "magnet" programs.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Clara Hemphill is director of Insideschools.org at Advocates for Children of New York and author of New York City’s Best Public Middle Schools and New York City’s Best Public High Schools. Her two children attend public school in Manhattan. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Teachers College Press; 2 Sub edition (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807742554
• ISBN-13: 978-0807742556
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,514,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Resource, September 16, 2002

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Emily Glickman "Abacus Guide Educational Cons... (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools: A Parents' Guide (Paperback)

As a NYC K-12 educational consultant, I frequently listen to parents' worries about entrusting their children to the New York City public schools. This is unfortunate, because some local public schools are excellent.

Hemphill's book is extremely valuable because she identifies top schools and demystifies the admissions process for zoned and out-of-zone students. She also explains admissions to gifted and other special programs...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good place to start, January 1, 2006

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Anonymous (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools: A Parents' Guide (Paperback)

I agree with both previous reviewers. I am so glad this book exists because there are many wonderful public elementary schools in NYC. (My son's at one!) But this book does not always contain the very latest information, such as a change in principals. (Principals are very important.) Use this book as a starting point and then talk with as many parents, teachers as you can for the latest developments in the schools you're considering.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No point if it's out of date, February 19, 2012

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Lillith (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools: A Parents' Guide (Paperback)

It's 2012. I bought this book in 2009 and then was disappointed to realize how out of date it was, but thought it would soon be updated. What's going on? Perhaps you are just expected to use the website. I would prefer to have the book version as well.

This kind of book is nothing when it's out of date. To take just one example, PS 161 is reviewed here as a successful school. It declined dramatically in the last 3 years and would never make the cut now - in fact, it's now under threat of closure.