Homework

Enid's, Brooklyn, 2011

I know appallingly little about the public school system in Williamsburg, but lately I've been following the debate over a new charter school that's coming into the neighborhood.

One day, there were giant, slick posters promoting a new elementary school plastered all over the L train platform. The next, people were tearing them down in protest.

This week, the Times got in on the story with this piece, but I'm afraid I'm not feeling much more enlightened.

The gist seems to be that local parents are concerned that Success Academy's education model is highly corporate and "teaches to the test." Others seem to be arguing in favor of "school choice," but no one seems to be giving the existing local schools a huge vote of confidence.

I always had the impression New York's public school system was pretty dysfunctional, and what I've heard from parents hasn't really changed my mind. Sure, Cobble Hill and Park Slope are supposedly great for schools, but if you're intent on sticking it out in Williamsburg, the options appear to be a little less glowy.

But there's obviously a huge baby boom going on in North Brooklyn at the moment, and people are becoming more and more engaged, deciding that they're here for the long haul, so something's gotta change, right?

We're obviously a long way from kindergarten but I clearly need to do some more research.