Middle School 223, the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, is the only school in District 7 that hit the 20% passing mark for reading and math proficiency among students.
Tracy Woodall (right) takes the public transportation with her daughter Isis Woodall, 13, and son Isaiah Woodall, 12, to drop them off at KIPP Academy.
Art for Daily News' Education Special Report -- DISTRICTNUMS15N graphic.
Vanessa Stigliano, a teacher at P.S. 157, brings hope to her Bronx classroom.
Principal Alison Coviello of P.S. 154 says dealing with the entire family and their concerns is the best way to give their kids the best possible shot at success.
In the city’s worst school district, where test scores are dismal and bright futures grow dim, education depends as much on a student’s home life as on homework.
Neither offers much promise for the 19,200 South Bronx kids who attend public schools in long-foundering District 7.
Teachers in the crime-ridden, poor neighborhood toil in a grim landscape where multitasking is a must: They serve as social workers, translators — and even gardeners — in hopes of turning things around.
FIGHT FOR THEIR FUTURE: COMPLETE COVERAGE OF NYC'S SCHOOLS IN CRISIS
Parents, beginning last year, have been allowed to choose from elementary schools anywhere in the district, instead of being forced to send their kids to the closest school. But a Daily News analysis showed there are no high-performing schools in the district. And while the effort is there, results remain elusive in a district where 10% of the students are homeless and every day brings its own struggle.
“A parent can’t focus on a child’s education when they don’t have food on the table,” said Tracy Woodall, a single mom and longtime local activist.
“This child could be a genius,” she continued. “But if this child is coming home to a house that has no heat, no lights, no food — then this child can’t learn.”
While Woodall is a member of the local Community Education Council, her own kids are not among the students in District 7’s pre-K through high school classes.
The 44-year-old mom instead sends Isaiah, 12, and Isis, 13, to the KIPP Academy charter school in Melrose, a 40-minute trip in each direction. She says her children’s future is too important to roll the dice with a South Bronx city school.
“I had to,” she said of her decision.
Students in the district face a daunting assortment of impediments to learning.
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The district council, desperate to reverse the discouraging numbers, adopted a new policy for the first time last school year allowing parents to choose any elementary school in the district.
It was a glimmer of hope for parents distraught by the knowledge they were previously forced to send their kids to failing schools.
The pickings are slim.
Only one of its 28 elementary and middle schools hit the 20% passing mark for reading proficiency among students — 27% at Middle School 223, the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology.
And just eight of the 28 reached the same one-in-five rate of success for students in math, with the highest proficiency rate at just 35%, also at MS 223.
It’s no wonder parents like Daisy Worrell, 31, battle to enroll their children into the district’s charter schools — which, in the case of Success Academy, means hitting the lottery.
Just 457 elementary and middle school students were admitted last year after a random drawing. It was the highest-performing school in the district, with 93% testing proficient in math and 60% in reading.
“I had to figure out how to get them in a charter school, because I wouldn’t send them to a public school,” Worrell said of her daughters Jada, 10, and LaQuinn, 5, who both attend Success.
Overall, only 58% of the kids enrolled in District 7 charter schools actually live in the district, compared with 87% at ordinary public schools, according to the city Department of Education.
Charisse Cobb, 56, whose grandson Sean attends second grade at Public School 168, said the teachers and administrators in the South Bronx were dedicated to fighting the good fight.
“The schools may not have good grades, but I think they do the best they can,” she said.
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Meet Exhibit A: Teacher Vanessa Stigliano at Public School 157, who brings something special to her classroom — hope.
Stigliano’s school sits on Cauldwell Ave., a residential street opposite a dilapidated auto body shop. In her third year at the school, she tells her students their dreams are as valid as any kid in a pricey prep school.
“It’s about inspiring them, and letting them know there are opportunities for them,” she said. “They have a place in the world, with a career, and they will be just as ready for college as anybody else.”
Principal Alison Coviello of Public School 154 acknowledged teachers at her school were juggling a lot more than reading, writing and arithmetic. The school, opposite a housing project, is home to a community garden tended by students and parents, many of them African immigrants, under the guidance of teachers.
“We’ve had somebody who can provide winter coats and (we) give them to families in need,” she said. “We were able to provide families with turkeys for Thanksgiving. We do a lot of work through guidance counselors to recommend social services.”
According to Coviello, dealing with the entire family and their concerns is the best way to give their kids the best possible shot at success.
Education Department officials said the city has recently taken new steps to help improve performance in the district, including appointing a new executive superintendent who is heading the turnaround of 94 “renewal schools.”
District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres is a 28-year veteran of city schools. A Bronx native who attended elementary school in the district, Torres said her schools are making progress.
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Math scores on state exams inched up from 11.8% of third-graders meeting standards in 2013 to 16% meeting standards in 2015. Enrollment in prekindergarten programs more than doubled from about 600 students in 2013 to 1,500 in 2014.
All of the 26 public schools in the district offer expanded social services for kids and parents, Torres said. Many schools are adding more services on an ongoing basis, including GED and tech literacy classes for parents and clinics for families.
“There are always going to be challenges, but the important thing is how we move forward,” Torres said. “We love this community, and we want the best for these children and their families.”
With Ben Chapman
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