DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSAcademy for Young Writers Principal Courtney Winkfield (l.) — with students (l.-r.) Travis Santiago, Keyanti Chavis and Jessica Evans — touted East New York, Brooklyn, high school’s mentoring program.
East New York Young Writer's Academy in Brooklyn
Six kids crowd around a table to share their favorite classes and writers.
English and science are the preferred subjects, and Edgar Allan Poe edges out Amos Oz. All the kids are on their way to college - emblematic of the high standards principal Courtney Winkfield and her staff impose upon their students.
"Nobody slips through the cracks," said Winkfield, who invests heavily in a personal mentoring program to keep Young Writer's Academy kids on track.
FIGHT FOR THEIR FUTURE: AT SOME NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS, POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS FOLLOW STUDENTS TO CLASS
The school graduated 80% of its seniors in 2014 - and the graduation rate is consistently 15-20% higher than the DOE average. Last year, 100% of the senior class got into college, Winkfield said. "The teachers here give you very good advice, on everything," says Willasia Mazil, 18.
ANDREW HINDERAKER/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWSJacqiline Tricomi leads third-grade class at low-income but high-achieving PS 172, the Beacon School of Excellence, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Beacon School of Excellence in Brooklyn
On a gritty stretch of industrial Sunset Park, near a gas station, sits the highly-acclaimed Beacon School of Excellence.
Principal Jack Spatola, born in Italy, has been in charge for 31 years, and has maintained a near-perfect record of excellence - earning straight A's again and again.
The trick, according to Spatola, is to maximize every second in the classroom, and squeeze every penny from the budget. During a classroom visit, Spatola points out three groups of students, each with its own teacher, a technique known as parallel instruction.
FIGHT FOR THEIR FUTURE: COMPLETE COVERAGE OF NYC'S SCHOOLS IN CRISIS
Nearly 90% of Beacon's students qualify for free lunch and live in low-income households; 29% don't speak English at home and 24% have learning disabilities.
Yet with all that, it remains in high demand, with some parents moving nearby to get their kids into the school. "Our success is measured through the success of the children, so we dedicate a tremendous amount of time to professional development of our teachers,” the principal says. “We are always looking to teach ourselves, so we can better teach them.”
DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSBrianna Benabe (l.) and Seidy Martinez work with teacher Michael Comerford at thriving Bronx Latin, in U.S.’ poorest district.
Bronx Latin
Students here are greeted by two things each morning: the school motto, "Fortes Fortuna Juvat," or "Fortune Favors the Brave," and the friendly face of principal Annette Fiorentino.
"We've been called the 'Breaking all odds school,'" says Fiorentino, who can count Bronx Latin's 89.5% graduation rate among the school’s achievements.
BEATING THE ODDS: NYC SCHOOLS GO THE EXTRA MILE TO BATTLE STUDENT POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS AND MORE
Much of her student body lives in Morrisania, part of the nation's poorest Congressional district and Fiorentino dedicates a lot of time to family outreach.
A staffer calls the families of absent students - daily. Her guidance counselors and teachers do a certain number of phone calls each month, and submit logs of their work.
The numbers reflect their efforts: Bronx Latin's attendance rate, currently at 93%, is never below 90%, Fiorentino says. The school's 149 seniors all applied to college and 139 already have acceptances, including one student who got a full ride to Gettysburg College.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/nyc-schools-succeeding-teaching-students-article-1.2153311
0 comments:
Post a Comment