WHAT'S GOING ON NOW:

The Awards

Why We Give Them

In the lives of New Yorkers, it’s hard to think of a bigger issue than the state of our educational system.

It’s a financial, political and moral issue: educating the next generation. The city’s in the middle of a gigantic debate about how best to do that, just as the state’s in a struggle over how much to pay for it.

While the big issues continue to play out — and we’re committed to covering them — it’s also important to tell the success stories from our educational system. That’s one reason we have the Blackboard Awards, which pay tribute to the schools, teachers and students who are succeeding, every day and in every way.

Despite the drumbeat of criticism and the ongoing debates, some of our children are learning – not just their ABCs, but how to become active citizens in a global community. And what better place to learn that than here in New York City?

In this dizzyingly diverse city, our children are growing up street smart, tech savvy and racially tolerant. The number of children from the city’s schools matriculating to the best colleges in the country is at a high - all thanks to a dedicated corps of public servants who work long hours, for little pay and even less recognition. Teaching is a labor of love – nobody gets rich in this business.

Manhattan Media and The Blackboard Awards salute the professionals who work so hard to create and sustain successful learning communities; the parents who provide the moral and financial support to make that success possible; and our children, whose spirit, enthusiasm and openness make it all worthwhile.

How it Works

The Blackboard Awards were created in 2002 by Manhattan Media, owners of Our Town, the West Side Spirit and Our Town Downtown newspapers, and New York Family and Avenue magazines.

Our goal is to highlight notable achievements by schools across all of New York's educational systems. The Blackboard Awards program has met with an excellent response from schools, readers and the New York Press Association.

Enormous care is taken with the selection process. We poll parents and students; speak with many educators and educational consultants; and run a website where well more than 1,000 opinions were recorded. We were guided throughout by a distinguished advisory board, including representatives from independent, public and religious schools.

Using all this information, we selected one outstanding school each from the public, independent and religious categories. Rising stars and special citations were also awarded to notable institutions.

A note to the reader: The Blackboard Awards are NOT a ranking or competition between schools. Our focus throughout has been on identifying those New York City institutions—public, independent and religious—where a vibrant, caring and challenging learning community has been created. By spotlighting these excellent schools, we hope to inspire greater dialogue and positive developments across New York City's educational community.