Going Public Tired of hearing about failing schools? Public school expert and education advocate CLARA HEMPHILL reports on several which are succeeding nicely...

"Initially, we never thought that public school could be an option for us," says Hamparsumyan, a French-born art dealer, who feared her local school would be crowded, dirty, or even dangerous. "But I went on the tour and I was really very, very impressed."

She forfeited the private school deposit, enrolled Aris at P.S. 183, and now, four years later, her younger son, Adrien, starts kindergarten there this fall. Hamparsumyan says the school continues to impress her with excellent teachers who give children individual attention, an engaging curriculum that encourages children to make their own discoveries, and parent body that includes lawyers, fashion photographers, and an international group of research scientists from nearby Rockefeller University.

The insane competition over admission to private school has made thousands of well-heeled New York City parents crazy over where their children will attend kindergarten — or even pre-school. Who can forget the story of Jack Grubman, the former stock analyst for Citigroup, who engineered a $1 million donation to the 92nd Street Y with the hopes of getting his twins into nursery school there?

But increasing numbers of middle class and even wealthy parents are realizing that all it takes to get a good education in many New York City neighborhoods is to bring proof of residence, a birth certificate and immunization records to their local school and register their child. Bad press about public education notwithstanding, the cognoscenti know there are many neighborhoods in which the local schools range from perfectly adequate to truly superior.

"People have really rediscovered and revitalized the public schools," claims Catherine Hausman, co-author of The Manhattan Family Guide to Private Schools, who, despite her expertise in private schools, has chosen public schools for her own three children. "The fact is, private school admissions have gotten very tight, and people don't want to leave the city. People are weighing the options, and they see there are options in the public schools."

"Every year, I think parents' eyes are little more open to public schools," says Mimi Yunis Broner, co-director of Merricat's Castle School, a private nursery school on the Upper East Side, which sends about half of its graduates to private school and half to public school. At first, some parents whose children were rejected at private school sent their children to public school reluctantly. But once there, many of these parents were satisfied with what they found. "They told their friends, and their friends told their friends and [sending a child to public school] became an acceptable thing to do," Broner says.

The reporters of Insideschools.org, an online guide to public schools sponsored by Advocates for Children of New York, have designated 183 of the city's more than 600 public elementary schools as "noteworthy”. New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools, published by Teachers College Press, has profiles of more than 120 elementary schools. Even public middle and high schools — long considered weaker than the elementary schools — are seeing a modest revival. New York City's Best Public Middle Schools, also published by Teachers College Press, lists 68 schools, while New York City's Best Public High Schools lists 50.

The public schools aren't all good, of course, and the bad ones are dreadful. But in Manhattan, there are many excellent schools, particularly on the Upper East Side, in midtown, Greenwich Village, and Tribeca. Strong new leadership in Brooklyn has revitalized neighborhood schools in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, and Brooklyn Heights. In Staten Island and portions of Queens, stodgy, traditional schools are giving way to more imaginative styles of teaching as a result of Mayor Mike Bloomberg's new curriculum, which replaces textbooks with children's literature and encourages creative writing projects based on the work of researchers at Teachers College.

Public school parents cite both practical and ideological reasons for their choice. Hausman says she transferred her children from private to public schools because she had "three children and no trust fund." But she also appreciates what she calls the "egalitarian" nature of the public schools, the absence of social competition, and the emphasis on tolerance. Hamparsumyan says she appreciates the "sophistication" of the P.S. 183 parents who are highly educated, but not super rich — research scientists rather than investment bankers. Others value the exposure to children from different parts of the world.

"My kids don't think Omar and Fatma and Mohammed are weird names," says Miriam Schneider, whose twin girls attend P.S. 59 on the East Side, not far from the United Nations and near many U.N. missions. "There are 44 languages spoken at our school. My daughters went to one birthday party at the Libyan mission and one at the Swedish mission." Schneider, who left a job in banking with a six-figure salary and substantial annual bonuses when her daughters were born, now devotes herself full-time to volunteering in the school, helping the PTA raise some $150,000 a year.

Amy Chan moved to Little Neck from Fresh Meadows so her daughters could attend P.S. 221. She cites the experienced teachers who know how to deal well with all types of kids as a big draw, though she notes that many of these teachers have retired. P.S. 221 is a large school with an active parents’ association. Chan‘s older daughter is entering the sixth grade at the highly regarded M.S. 67.

Some parents are so keen on public education that they invest considerable time, energy and money improving their neighborhood school even before their children are school age. In the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn, parents of toddlers have formed a group called "Friends of P.S. 11" to support a school that has suffered from declining test scores and rapid staff turnover in recent years.

"People put a tremendous amount of energy into getting their children into private schools or good public schools in other districts," says Benjamin Dulchin, the father of a 4-year-old and a 6-month-old, as he passes a tray of hors d'oeuvres at a fundraising cocktail party at an elegant turn-of-the-century brownstone on a tree-lined street, the home of one of the parents in the group. "We thought, why not put that energy into improving our local school?"

Starting when his son was 2, Dulchin, who works for a non-profit housing organization, and others met with the administration of P.S. 11 to offer their support. They raised money for a new library, and a parent-architect volunteered his time to design it. They lobbied their city council member to find money for a new science lab and organized fundraising parties at one another's homes. Perhaps most significantly, these professional, middle class parents — a mix of white, black and Asian — have agreed to send their own children to P.S. 11 when they are old enough.

Of course, parent involvement, by itself, won't make a school good. The secret to success of any school is strong leadership: a good principal with a vision and the ability to carry it out. A strong administration can turn a school around in just a few years — and without good leadership, change is next to impossible.