McCourt emceed all the Blackboard Award ceremonies until his death in 2009, and I have no doubt his words and wisdom still echo in the minds of many the educators—teachers and principals alike—who were there during those ceremonies. They certainly do in me. McCourt’s message was that only a teacher really knows what it’s like to stand in front of classroom full of kids and get them to learn something. He bristled about how the teaching profession was besieged by so-called experts telling teachers what to do, when many of the experts themselves were never teachers. Mostly, though, he expressed a lot of camaraderie, respect and dark-humored sympathy for his fellow educators.

Only Frank could say it like Frank, but we try to carry his message forth in our own way: hoping to express that you, our dedicated and talented local educators, are deeply appreciated by many around you, your colleagues, students and parents. Chances are it was one of them who put in the nomination for you or your school.

Originally founded by the leaders of Manhattan Media, Tom Allon and Richard Burns, the Blackboard Awards are dedicated to honoring excellence in local education wherever it exists—public, private, charter or parochial school. It humbles us to learn about the good work you do, and that, in turn, impassions us to get out the word.

Speaking for all my colleagues at Manhattan Media, I have two final words for you: Thank you.

—Eric Messinger, Editor, New York Family

2012 Blackboard Award Winners

West Side YMCA, Where Teachers and Parents Work Hand-in-Hand

Students Learn to ‘GELL’ at Village School

Nurturing the Whole Child at St. Stephen of Hungary

PS 199 Creates Lifelong Learners

Horace Mann: A Century of Quality Teaching in the Heart of the City

Character Counts at Harlem Village Academies

The Uncommon Way: Improving the Norm for Inner-City Students

Small Step From High School to College

A Blueprint for the Global School of the Future

The World Awaits at Leman School

Emphasis on Whole Child at Battery Park School

Prepping for a Bright Future at Winston Prep

Math and Sciences Under Microscope at High School

All the World’s a Stage at Performing Arts School

Opening the Doors to the Future for Students

Empowering Students and Teachers to Find their Voice

Given how dads are taking a much more hands-on role in raising children than they did even a generation ago, we think that it’s time to ask successful working fathers the same questions that female executives get asked all the time. How do you balance work and family? Can you excel in your career and be the parent you want to be? What has becoming a parent done to your career?

The ever resourceful Matt Schneider and Lance Somerfeld, Co-Organizers of the NYC Dads Group, brought together and moderated a small (but candid) cast of dads to discuss these issues. Joining the party is Dr. Brad Harrington, the Executive Director of the Boston College Center for Work and Family, who spends considerable time researching what working dads think they want out of work and life. (At the beginning of the conversation, Prof. Harrington presented some of his recent findings to the panel. Here we present them in the sidebar below.)

The other panelists:

Scott Heiferman: Founder and CEO of Meetup; father of an 18-month-old girl.

Rob Candelino: VP Marketing at Unilever; father of an 11-month-old boy.

Eric Messinger: Editor of New York Family magazine; father of 12-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy.

NYC Dads Group: What is your definition of a “good father” in 2012?

Rob: The principles that made a dad a good dad 20, 40, 60 years ago are still there, provider, protector, etc. What is new are the added expectations: caregiver, diaper changer, dinner maker, all that.

Eric: Both you and Scott are first-time dads. Do you feel like you come by these added responsibilities easily, or is it a kind of personal code?

Rob: It’s a bit of both. There is a pact that I made with myself, my wife, and my son. I want to be involved. The last 11 months have been the most sleep deprived and stressful, but also the most joyous and happy.

Scott: For me, it started with an ambiguous, almost ominous sense of responsibility—as in, Holy shit, I’m responsible for this thing. Then there is the sense of joy. This little thing needs you…and you do what you need to do because of love. Also, I entered parenting with a woman who advocates for women’s rights and she reset my expectations in a good way—about creating a balance in caregiving.

NYC Dads Group: Rob, personally, are there things that you do now that you are a dad that affect your work?

Rob: I’m trying to leave early to be home in the evenings. I could stay all night, but there are times now when I can’t take that 5:30 or 6PM call—I need to go to feed my son or give my wife a break. I’ve tried to be more consistent, but it’s a real struggle.

NYC Dads Group: How is it received by your colleagues, when you say you can’t take a 5:30 call?

Rob: It’s absolutely fine. Unilever is that kind of culture. I just don’t think it’s common enough. Sheryl Sandberg’s announcement was uncommon because she’s the COO of Facebook, but it’s not uncommon for women to say that they have to go home to relieve the nanny, or feed my son, etc. What you don’t hear is a lot of is guys saying, overtly, the same thing. I think we are only starting to scratch the surface of that now. Professionally, everything that Prof. Harrington found [see sidebar below] is consistent with what we’ve found as we researched for the launch of Dove Men Care. Men reach a point in their mid-30s where they get “comfortable in their own skin.” The single greatest catalyst is the birth of a child…

To read the full article at New York Family Magazine click here.

For City Parents, The Search For A New Apartment Usually Goes Hand-In-Hand With Schooling Yourself About Local Education

By Eric Messinger

We all know that parents—like most home seekers—don’t examine a property on its own when considering whether to buy or rent it. They care about outside factors like the neighborhood, the location relative to the office, and of course, the local school options. For responsible parents, the old saw “Location, Location, Location” goes hand-in-hand with “Education, Education, Education.” We all want our children to have a good education, for their growth and happiness as children and for their future. But the question of what’s a good education—or good enough—is deeply personal and very complex in a city where there are so many outstanding choices among public, private, charter and parochial schools (as well as mediocre choices).  

For that reason, when a city family with young children is in the market for a new apartment, it’s also a good time to do extensive research about local education—how to identify good schools, how to do admissions work on every level, from nursery through high school. In terms of education, what does living in a certain place guarantee you, if anything?

We report stories about these issues all of the time, of course. (And you can find many of them on our website.) Think of this story less as a comprehensive overview for researching local education than as an informed starting point to education resources every parent should know while they’re researching where to live locally.

For independent (i.e. private) nursery schools and ongoing schools, check out Victoria Goldman’s various tomes, with their straightforward info on schools and admissions policies. The Parents League is another wonderful resource, as is the Independent School Admission Association of Greater New York, more simply known as ISAAGNY.

For public school, Clara Hemphill has three editions out—covering grade, middle and high school, respectively—and the website she founded, Inside Schools, is the place to go for candid but reliable overviews of particular schools. But a local parent interested in public school should also become familiar with the Department of Education’s website—especially its school search engine and data on particular ones of interest to you. At the very least you will be able to learn which local public grade school a particular building is zoned for. And then you will be able to check out some baseline data like reading and math scores by tabbing over to the area on “Performance & Accountability” and looking up ELA and Math scores by school from the last few years. By the way, the DOE website lists good charter info too, but interested parents should supplement it by visiting the Charter Center’s website.   

In selecting the following available properties, we aspired to our usual goal of trying to give readers a feel for the marketplace while hopefully turning them on to a few places they may like. This time however, the added thread is that every property is zoned for a good local public school (see sidebar matching properties and schools). But don’t take our word for it: do your own research.

424 West End Avenue, Apartment 16J (above)
West River House | Upper West Side
In one of the few luxury rental residences on West End Avenue, this high-floor apartment has much to offer, including a gut renovation with condo-like finishes, a convertible 3 bedroom with 2.5 baths, approximately 1,400-square-feet with a gourmet chef’s windowed and eat-in kitchen boasting Costa Esmeralda granite counters and stainless steel appliances. There are customized closets and a large master bedroom with an ensuite master bath. The full-service building is pet-friendly, has a 24-hour attended garage, penthouse fitness center, a landscaped furnished roofdeck with magnificent views of the Hudson River and the city skyline, a bicycle storage room and exclusive Sky’s The Limit concierge service.
Number of Bedrooms: Convertible 3
Asking Price (Rental): $8,595/month
Contact: Manhattan Skyline’s rental office, 347-728-0367

To see the full article at New York Family click here.