Chronic budget woes and high staff turnover continue to shortchange city school kids, according to a new report by the nonprofit Advocates for Children. After months of research and 400 school visits, the authors discovered that Mayor Bloomberg’s recent education reforms still face several roadblocks: The new reading and writing curriculum was implemented without sufficient teacher training, they found. A shortage of teachers competent in math is hindering the new, more conceptual math curriculum. Many schools allow little or no outdoor play or recess time. On the positive side, new “parent coordinators” have been successful in involving parents and the new reading program, though in need of fine-tuning, shows promise. “Our schools continue to be led by very highly talented principals and administrators committed to the mission of New York City public schools,” said Keith Kalb, a spokesperson for the Department of Education. [9/20]