ACADEMICS: Bread and Roses is dedicated to building "more fair and democratic schools and a more fair and democratic society," in the words of a brochure it distributes. The school, named for a motto from the labor union movement, takes its mission seriously. In one social studies class we visited, students were preparing posters protesting sweatshops.
The school seeks to combine academic rigor with an emphasis on the arts, and accomplishes this by employing a variety of teaching methods. A chemistry class we observed was an old-fashioned chalk-and-talk lesson, with the teacher calling on students to solve problems at the blackboard. An 11th-grade math class, by contrast, had students taking turns to demonstrate the use of graphing and number lines to solve word problems involving number relationships. For homework, students had been required to develop a story behind an equation. Many students have poor literacy skills, so writing and reading are built into all subjects, according to school founder, Carol Foresta.
ART:
Video Teacher: Mrs. Ceballos
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
* Bronx High School for the Visual Arts
925 Astor Avenue, Bronx, New York 10469
Phone: 718-319-5160, fax: 718-944-3409, Principal: George York
http://www.bhsva.org (old web site) / http://www.bhsva.com (more current)
According to Essential Schools:
DEMOGRAPHICS: small New Visions school. 350 students.
ACADEMICS: The vision of the Bronx High School for the Visual Arts is to provide a quality educational program in and through the arts that emphasizes critical thinking, student engagement and deep curricular knowledge necessary for authentic student achievement and for meeting state standards. School opening in 2001 and is based on the belief that an arts curriculum, developed in conjunction with the major disciplines, will develop lifelong learners who are informed, responsible and productive citizens and empower them with the skills and knowledge to respond creatively to the individual and collective changes they will face in their lifetimes. Our mission will be accomplished by working together with parents and the community to provide students with challenging programs that reflect high expectations and promote excellence in a safe, nurturing environment.
ART: The school is dedicated to visual art. Every student takes visual art every semester, every year. First year is foundation art. Sophmore/Junior year students start to specialize (2-D, 3-D, ceramics, digital art, etc.)
Visual Art teachers: There are 4 art teachers. NOTE** If you are interested in student teaching at this school you must contact Jessica Hamlin first to set up email contact with the principal. Once contact is established, meeting will be set up to show portfolio to the principal and discuss placement.
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
Bronx HS for Writing & Communication Arts
800 East Gun Hill Road Bronx, NY 10467
Phone: (718) 519-7700 | Fax: (718) 991-0117 Principal: Steven Chernigoff
According to Inside Schools:
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade levels: 9 to 12
Class size: 15-28
Enrollment: 335
Ethnicity %: 2 W / 46 B / 50 H / 3 A
Attendance: 86%
What's special: Arts integrated into a unique writing curriculum.
Downside: Discipline can be a problem
ACADEMICS: The Bronx High School for Writing and Communication Arts, opened in fall 2004, is a labor of love for Principal Steven Chernigoff, who holds a master's degree in creative writing in addition to his teaching credentials. Chernigoff, a former assistant principal for English at Morris High School who has worked in the public schools in the Bronx for more than 15 years, proposed the school because of his abiding interest in language and literacy, and the plan for the school calls for frequent writing in every subject area, not just in English class. "We believe--based on research--that not only do you write to express yourself, but writing actually helps you learn," he said. Every teacher at the school, housed in the large Evander Childs High School building, is considered a writing teacher, Chernigoff said, and indeed we saw writing assignments in every class. Courses meet for more than an hour almost every day to accommodate the writing load. Assignments posted in the halls showed that students had written letters from the perspective of a Civil War soldier in a history class and taken on the point of view of a germ in a science class. Students keep journals documenting their learning in math and science classes. Assignments in English and history seemed challenging and engaging. Students related the plot of Monster, the popular Walter Dean Myers novel about a teenager accused of murder, to the story of Emmett Till, the black teenager whose brutal killing in Mississippi in 1955 helped mobilize the modern Civil Rights Movement. Tenth grade students read The Bluest Eye, by Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison.
ART:
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
* Bronx Studio School for Artists & Writers / M.S. 269
1180 Tinton Avenue Bronx, NY 10456
Phone: (718) 861-8704
DEMOGRAPHICS:
From www.insideschools.org
Grade levels: 6 to 12
Class size: 15 - 20
Enrollment: 211
Attendance: 92%
ACADEMICS:
For Bronx parents concerned about whether their children will get into college and overwhelmed by the idea of paying for it, the Bronx Studio School is a new and potentially exciting opportunity. Principal David Vazquez, who grew up in the neighborhood and previously taught at other schools in the area, describes the school as an "early college secondary school" where students are provided with a liberal arts education focusing on preparing them to attend and excel in college. The program includes a partnership with Mercy College that will allow high school aged students to earn up to 60 college credits both at Bronx Studio and as part of the student body at the Mercy College campus.
THE ARTS:
Children have art class two to three days per week (alternating with physical education). In the fall of 6th grade, students had drawn some well-executed self-portraits and completed research on famous artists.
Art Teacher: Nicole Boucher
NYU Student Comments:
“Overall, this school is very interested in students playing the dual role of scholars and activists. They are still a new school, so they’re still trying to work this out. It feels like a combination between progressive ideals and traditional practices… but they have good intentions. Nicole’s training is in DBAE, but she is really interested in NYU’s philosophy, and always seeking feedback on her pedagogy, curriculum, etc. I would definitely recommend this school, but it’s a little tricky to get in the door. Because of the school’s volatile state, the principal is apprehensive of having outsiders in the school. Still, Nicole makes it worth the fight, and the students are really interesting and enthusiastic.” Nora Zale, Spring 07
LAST UPDATED MAY 2008
* Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School
300 Willoughby Avenue, Room 309
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Phone: (718) 230-5748
http://www.bcamhs.org
From www.insideschools.org
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade levels: 9 to 12
Enrollment: 220
Ethnicity %: 2 W 78 B 16 H 1 A
Attendance: 90%
ACADEMICS:
Media "is my passion," said James O'Brien, principal of the newly created Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School scheduled to open in September 2006. A veteran of the alternative schools, O'Brien, who has a PhD in urban education and who was formerly assistant principal at Vanguard High School on Manhattan's Upper East Side, said he envisions "not exactly a school without walls," but a school that would be "a hub," with students spending time in the field as well as in classrooms. Students at Brooklyn Community will explore different media including film, video, magazines, journals. O'Brien has forged a partnerships with Essence magazine to help develop a curriculum. "Instead of just being consumers, I want them [students] to be critical and to learn how to write critically and analytically," he said.
Art Teacher: Christy Herbes (NYU Alum 2006) (cherbes@gmail.com)
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2008
* Brooklyn Friends School (Private)
375 Pearl St Brooklyn, NY
Phone: 718-852-1029
http://www.brooklynfriends.org
According to their website:
DEMOGRAPHICS: Brooklyn Friends School (BFS) is a PreK-12, independent, college preparatory Quaker school serving a culturally diverse educational community of approximately 600 students.
ACADEMICS: Between the world outside Brooklyn Friends School and the world inside our doors there is a palpable difference. BFS is a place where people of all backgrounds and ages listen to and learn from one another, a place where individual and collective efforts are celebrated and encouraged. Our role as educators is to cultivate all of our children’s gifts—verbal, mathematical, scientific, artistic, social, and kinesthetic—as we develop their moral character.
ART: Our visual arts program develops each student’s innate creative abilities by encouraging visual awareness and self-expression. The program builds a greater understanding of the arts as part of an integrated and increasingly complex curriculum. Students explore design, shapes, color, texture, composition, balance, and both abstract and representational themes through a variety of media that includes paints, craypas, oils, watercolors, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, woodworking, collage, and video.
Visual Art Teachers: Ellen Kahan (Ceramics), Roslyn Sommer (Art Dept. Chair)
NYU Student Comments:
“Projects include lots of color, and are painting heavy. It is a supportive atmosphere with good teaching, though different from the NYU philosophy.”
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
Brooklyn High School for Music & Theater
883 Classon Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11225
Phone: (718) 636-5800 #2 | Fax: (718) 789-7279 Principal: K. Mcguire
http://schools.nyc.gov/OurSchools/Region6/K548/AboutUs
According to insideschools.org:
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade levels: 9 to 12
Class size: 25-32
Enrollment: 411
Ethnicity %: 2 W / 87 B / 10 H / 3 A
Attendance: 89%
What's special: Partnership with Roundabout Theatre
Downside: School is in its infancy ands arts program is not yet fully developed
ACADEMICS: Our academic program accommodates the intellectual, social, emotional and physical needs of creative high school students. Our vision is to provide a model of a professional environment where respect is mutual, ideas are shared and learning is not limited to the classroom. We prepare students for higher education and professional careers in the music and theatre industries.
ART:
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
* Brooklyn International High School
49 Flatbush Avenue Ext
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 643-9315
www.brooklyninternational.org
According to www.insideschools.org
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade levels: 9 to 12
Class size: 20
Enrollment: 393
Ethnicity %: 12W / 22B / 33H / 35A
ACADEMICS:
Brooklyn International High School, one of the most established of a network of schools designed to serve new immigrants, teaches students English while engaging them in creative interdisciplinary projects and a strong arts curriculum. Academic standards are high, and students graduate well prepared for college.
Visual Art Teachers: Susan Handwerker
NYU Student Comments:
“Art program philosophy is less discreet. The students get art in their first year and in their last year. It is likely to be only time many of these students partake in art, so the teachers focus on creating an understanding of the arts that can serve these students beyond the school.
I definitely recommend this school. I am the third NYU person at the school in two years. Both art teachers (though very different) have lots to offer a student teacher. Assertiveness and clarified goals for what you want to get out of student teaching here is helpful in shaping the experience for yourself to fit your needs. For me the head teacher took a fairly hands off approach and let me proceed while she stood by mostly available for help if I needed it.” Fall 2007
LAST UPDATED MAY 2008
Brooklyn School for Global Studies
284 Baltic St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 330-9390
According to greatschools .org
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade levels: 6-12
Ethnicity %: 12W / 43 B / 40H / 4A
ACADEMICS:
What's special: Students get lots of attention and nurturing
Downside: School has a way to go to boost children's academic skills
The Brooklyn School for Global Studies has a cohesive and attentive staff, a principal who seems to know every child by name, and a warm and nurturing environment. It has a strong college office, with a full-time counselor who starts working with students early in their high school careers to ensure they understand their options for higher education. The administration fosters tolerance among different groups. Arabs and Jews seem to get along here, as do new immigrants from Pakistan and the Caribbean and children whose families who have lived here for years.
ART:
Visual Art Teacher: Vered Raz. NYU student teachers worked with former visual art teacher, Rebecca Roberts, in Spring 2005.
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
Bushwick Community High School
231 Palmetto St. 3rd floor Brooklyn, NY 11221
Phone: (718) 443-3083 | Fax: (718) 919-0781 Principal: Tira Randall
According to Insideschools.org:
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade levels: 9 to 12
Class size: 15-40
Enrollment: 372
Ethnicity %: 3 W / 35 B / 63 H / 1 A
Attendance: 67%
ACADEMICS: Above the chalkboard, gigantic letters read: "BE HERE NOW." This is the classroom of social studies teacher, Ellie Weiss, and she, like everyone working at Bushwick Community High School, is offering support, encouragement, and an education to students aged 17-21 who have not been successful at their previous high school. "Let me tell you, it's normal to feel discouraged, to feel you can't do it. That's normal. What's not, is caving into it," said Weiss, who has been inspiring and educating students at the school and its predecessor for 20 years. In 2004, she received the Sloan Public Service Award for excellence in public service.
Participates in the Project : Make the Road by Walking - One of the most exciting developments of Make the Road by Walking’s last five years has been the growth of our Youth Power Project which has highlighted the enormous opportunities generated by fostering and supporting youth-led community organizing efforts and integrating young people into the membership of our organization.
ART:
Visual Art Teacher: Chris Davis
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
City-as-School
16 Clarkson Street, NYC, NY 10014
phone: 212-337-6800
www.city-as-school.org
According to their website:
ACADEMICS: City-As-School offers a rigorous program that sets high expectations both for students and the professionals in the community who work with them. We utilize the facilities of over 500 New York City businesses at which students participate in professional activities. These Educational Resources, along with classroom learning, form the basis of learning in math, history, English, science and other academic areas. All student learning experiences are designed to provide background information and skill acquisition through the attainment of practical knowledge.
ART: Art is offered, along with a class entitled Zine and Computer Technology. Courses listed: Silk Screen, Halloween Parade, Open Studio.
Visual Art Teacher:
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
Dalton School (Private)
108 E. 89th Street, New York, NY
212 423 5200
http://www.dalton.org/
According to the school website
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade Levels: K-12
ACADEMICS: The Dalton School is an independent, co-educational day school (K-12), founded in 1919 by the renowned progressive educator Helen Parkhurst. Parkhurst’s visionary Dalton Plan remains the keystone of the school’s progressive educational philosophy and is now the model for over 200 Dalton schools in other parts of the world.
The Dalton Plan, which consists of House, Assignment, and Lab, is the essential framework of the entire school, including the High School. The daily classroom experience consists of lively discussion, active experimentation, and creative participation in the arts and physical activity. The daily schedule provides time for academic Labs and relaxation.
ART: Each year, nearly a third of the school's graduating seniors choose seminar-based independent programs in Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, and Dance.
Visual Art Teachers: Rob Meredith and Linda Hanauer
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
DreamYard Preparatory School
240 East 172nd Street Bronx, NY 10457
Phone: (718) 410-4242 | Fax: (718) 410-4312 Principal: Rod Bowen
http://www.dreamyardprep.org
According to dreamyardprep.org:
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade levels: 9 to 12
Enrollment: 116
Attendance: 81%
ACADEMICS: The DREAMYARD PREPARATORY SCHOOL will cultivate scholarship, artistry and character within its students to develop successful individuals and effective participants in the wider social and professional world. DY Prep will provide a rigorous arts integrated curriculum that will emphasize indepth inquiry and critical thinking while deepening students¹ understanding of the core content areas. All of our classes will empower students with skills to engage the world creatively and pursue careers in the arts or other fields. Community, leadership and social activism will inform a school culture that will nurture the growth of articulate, responsible citizens. DY Prep values the academic, artistic and social development of every student and is committed to providing supports that will allow each to graduate with a Regents diploma, acceptance to a college or university, and a clear path toward a fulfilling and meaningful career.
As scholars, DY Prep students will obtain a Regents diploma, complete three years of a foreign language, meet the specified exit criteria for all subjects including the arts, and apply to a college and/or university.
ARTS: Artistry - the ability to consciously use the skill of creative imagination to achieve a goal: Fluency in the arts will empower youth with the ability to understand and impact the world around them by developing essential critical thinking, creative problem solving and communication skills. The arts programming at DY Prep will also serve as an excellent foundation for arts-based and other compelling careers.
As artists, DY Prep students will participate in arts electives, declare and complete an arts major, and forge connections between their arts studies, coursework across disciplines and the world around them.
Visual Art Teacher: Mrs. Wuargo
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
* Elizabeth Irwin High School (Private)
272 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212.477.5316 x210, Fax: 212.677.9159
http://www.lrei.org
ACADEMICS:
The Elisabeth Irwin High School curriculum is problem-based, inquiry driven and interdisciplinary. Coursework encompasses offerings in seven academic departments and six artistic genres. A less fragmented school day and longer class time blocks allow activities to reach natural conclusions. Students can commit more quality time and energy to their studies, obtain immediate feedback from their teachers and sustain a greater sense of momentum and purpose in their academic life. Classes stress field experiences, laboratory work and research projects.
ART: The arts lie at the heart of the curriculum at LREI. Throughout the three divisions, students have experiences with studio arts, music, drama, movement, dance, woodworking, photography, and the digital media arts. The Arts program is closely integrated with the Core Social Studies curriculum, encouraging each student to develop a personal vocabulary of expression, while building confidence as students explore a wide range of materials and techniques.
Video/Film teacher: Vinay Chowdhry Studio Art teacher: Janet Atkinson
NYU Student Comments:
“Old private, small, technical, well-funded, liberal. Diversity is semi-emphasized. Film/Video program”
“School is uber progressive. Visual art program is old-school studio arts. I would recommend the school because it is a fantastic environment.” James French, Spring 08
LAST UPDATED: May 2008
* El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice
211 South Fourth Street BROOKLYN, NY 11211
Phone: (718) 599-2895 | Fax: (718) 599-3087 Principal: Hector Caldero
http://elpuente.us/academy/index.htm
According to Insideschools.org
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Grade levels: 9 to 12
Class size: 15-22
Enrollment: 178
Ethnicity %: 3 W 12 B 86 H 1 A
Attendance: 81%
ACADEMICS:
What's special: Small class size, lots of personal attention. Good integration of arts in curriculum.
Downside: Funky building. No science labs, gym or AP courses.
The tiny school, one of about 40 New Visions schools that emphasize intimacy and community involvement, was founded in 1993 by activists from the El Puente community organization, also housed in the church. Its 150 students are scattered among a handful of classrooms, most located in the church basement. Class size is small, with 15-20 kids in most courses, and the approach to education is progressive. There are no bells. Students are on a first-name basis with teachers, referred to as facilitators here. The faculty is young and dedicated. El Puente recently lost their longtime home and is currently running the school from a temporary site.
ART: NYC's first and longest running HIV/AIDS educational theater group; and the outstanding community murals completed by the El Puente Muralistas. El Puente was also honored in 1999 with the Presidential Committee on Arts and Humanities & National Endowment for the Arts Coming Up Taller Award as one of the ten leading arts institutions for young people in the United States.
Visual Art Teacher: Joe Matunis.
NYU Student Comments:
LAST UPDATED: December 2006
Facing History School
525 West 50th St. New York, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 757-2680 | Fax: (212) 757-2156 Principal: Gillian Smith
www.fhschool.org/atom.xml
According to Insideschools.org:
DEMOGRAPHICS:
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