New York City’s P.S. 124, an Official Core Knowledge School, is profiled in the Christian Science Monitor as an example of how to build sustainable success with low-SES students–even on a tight budget.
Ten years ago, the school won a three-year, $784,000 state grant to carry out a plan for comprehensive reform. Rather than looking for money to reduce class size or try the latest fad, as is tempting for schools that feel chronically underfunded, two successive principals committed to a curriculum approach called Core Knowledge, one they hoped would unify teachers and students in high expectations for learning. The school is still reaping the benefits of their decisions today.
When the grant ran out, the paper notes, the school “consistently set aside a portion of its Title I money–federal support for low-income students–to keep Core Knowledge going. ‘Staying true to one program and giving it time to take root is the key,’ principal Valarie Lewis says. ‘Too many schools … have tried to get quick fixes and they’ve brought in too many programs; they’ve spent too much money.’”
National recognition for PS 124 is nothing new. The school was a 2007 winner of Ed Trust’s coveted ”Dispelling the Myth” award for exceptional success in educating low-income students and students of color to high academic levels.
Kudos to Lewis and her staff for sustaining their success.
Love it.
Is CK growing? In traditional suburban schools? Traditional high poverty? Charters?