Public Prep
Encyclopedia
Public Prep charter schools
, run by the Public Prep Network, are open to girls in New York
, N.Y.
, in the Lower East Side
of Manhattan
and in the South Bronx. Expansion to other urban area
s and to educate boys is being planned.
Girls Prep schools are already open. Boys Prep is being planned.
. "We believe that single-sex education should be an option open to all New York City families, not only those who have the opportunity to send their child to private school." The goal for student
s is high academic achievement toward college
admission. Schools are in New York City and will be expanded to other urban centers around New York City. Girls are being educated now. "Public Prep seeks to serve thousands of students in New York City's neediest neighborhoods." Boy
s, it is expected, will be educated when Boys Prep is opened, possibly in 2011. The goal is to run six schools in total by 2014.
through grade 6
are open now, depending on the school. The elementary schools go up to the 4th grade, while the middle school
has 5th grade and 6th grade and will add 7th grade in in the 2011–2012 school year. Expansion plans include the middle school reaching the 8th grade.
or yoga
is held for every student daily. Computer programming and website design is being taught to middle school fifth-grade girls on Saturdays, with a possibility of including it in the regular curriculum, and with additional benefits of encouraging creativity, understanding how other things might be made, and entry into nontraditional fields.
The math program is based on the Saxon Math
curriculum
and is taught daily, with an extra period each week.
Reading
is daily, and designed to be intensive, with students in a small group reading together. Interactive read-alouds, reading both shared and independent, and studies in words and language concepts are included all day.
Science and social studies use the Scott Foresman
curriculum.
The goal is to exceed New York State's standards. To track students' progress along the way, TerraNova
tests and other assessments are intended to be applied every month and a half or two months.
Each student has a binder for carrying between school and home, so parents can follow their child's progress and exchange messages with teachers.
s serve each class. The lead teacher is certified and has three years of experience.
Individualized teaching is provided, because different students learn in different ways.
Early each school year or just before it starts, a teacher visits parents at home, to establish an educational relationship. The family will be given a teacher's cell phone
number.
For specialized needs, an instructional coach to teach small groups and tailor curricula
, a special education coordinator, and an English language learners coordinator all provide assistance.
New teachers are developed through the Girls Prep Fellows Program, lasting two years full time per teacher. It includes teaching with a mentor and assistance toward achieving a master's degree
from Hunter College
. Fellows are salaried
and independent teaching responsibilities include science
and, in middle school, social studies
.
Girls Prep received 85 applications for each teaching position that was open in 2007. It pays teachers 15–20% over what the New York City
Department of Education
pays.
are not provided in the Bronx. In both Lower East Side schools, they're art, gym, yoga, and music.
er will be available for non-classroom and nontraditional needs.
The Director of Student and Family Affairs is a full-time representative for parents and assists with student discipline.
's name is given to every classroom. Sonia Sotomayor
, the new U.S.
Supreme Court
Justice
appointed
by President
Obama
, is named in a classroom at Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School. Other namesakes include Bella Abzug
, former U.S. Representative in the House of Representatives
(in Congress
), Zaha Hadid
, architect
, and Brenda Berkman, formerly a firefighter
and an officer in the New York City Fire Department
, at the Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary School. Because of the focus through naming, for example, a teacher in the Bella Abzug classroom gave extra lessons about government.
, Latina
, or multiracial.
At Girls Prep Lower East Side Middle School, 97% of students are African American or Latina.
At Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School, 99% of students are African American, Latina, or multiracial.
At Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School, 64% of students are District 8 residents.
are received by 73% of the LES (Lower East Side) schools' students and 90% of the Bronx school students. LES schools' services include SETTS, tutoring, speech, and counseling. The Bronx school has English language learners, i.e., they arrived knowing another language or none and are now learnng English. The Bronx school also has students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
. The East Harlem school is being planned to include English language learners and students with disabilities. An Academic Intervention Specialist assists with teaching at-risk students.
Because programs are customized to students' needs, there is less need to label students under special education
, and this brings the special-needs numbers down while providing what the same students need for high achievement.
The governing board is chaired by investor
Bryan Lawrence, founder of Oakcliff Capital.
Principals may be former Girls Prep teachers and teaching fellows.
Other management includes a director of business and operations and an administrative associate.
.
Preference for admission is given to local school district residents. The schools' districts are shown next to the locations in this article.
Seven applications have been received for each student's space, an increase from six per opening in 2007.
The deadline for a Fall admission is generally in the early Spring. A school planning associate at the school can provide information on applying.
A lottery
is used to select among qualified applicants.
In 2008, every 3rd and 4th grade student—100%—scored as proficient in math, while 92.0% of 4th graders and 97.7% of 3rd graders scored as proficient in English. By comparison, the whole district did less well, the proficient in English being only 69.5% of 4th graders and 70.5% of 3rd graders and in math 82.8% of 4th graders and 91.9% of 3rd graders. The difference between district-wide scores and Girls Prep scores thus ranges from 8.1% to 27.2%, all of them in Girls Prep students' favor.
, 83% achieved or exceeded grade level in reading
and 79% did it in math
.
Three schools are now open in New York City
:
Girls Prep East Harlem
is being planned; an application to open it was submitted. It's to be in Community School District 4.
Outside of New York City, locations have not yet been chosen, but are being planned.
es. A MetroCard allows riding on City transit buses and subways
.
by students' families are encouraged at all times.
Family events include workshops, breakfasts, picnics, and movie nights.
For political support, Save Girls Prep organizes and brings parents and students to events where they can present their views on the need for school space for successful charters.
Department of Education
in existing public schools, where students' parents often object to the loss of noncharter space their students use. A proposal to expand the Lower East Side middle school potentially affects the public noncharter's space for students with autism
, a concern raised by the disability-rights education organization Advocates for Children, but the City's Department of Education assures that there won't be overcrowding. The East Harlem school expects to receive space from the City's Department of Education. Support for space for charters has come from elected political office-holders Sheldon Silver
, Speaker
of the State
Assembly
, and State Senator
Daniel Squadron; "[b]oth have emphasized their support for Girls Prep's expansion". In some cases, the public noncharter schools may also be successful schools and still be required to share space.
and in other schools in the city, including for boys only. State law allows single-sex schools (Education Law subdiv. 2854(2)).
Another all-girls school that's open, under other management, is the Young Women's Leadership Academy, a high school in East Harlem since the 1990s. While the American Civil Liberties Union
prepared to sue, it couldn't find a boy who wanted to attend it.
Charter school (New York)
This article is mainly about characteristics specific to those charter schools that are in New York State.-Authorizers:A charter school may be authorized by the State University of New York , New York State's Education Department's Board of Regents, or the New York City Department of Education This...
, run by the Public Prep Network, are open to girls in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, N.Y.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and in the South Bronx. Expansion to other urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and to educate boys is being planned.
Girls Prep schools are already open. Boys Prep is being planned.
Mission
Public Prep provides single-sex schoolsSingle-sex education
Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. The practice was predominant before the mid-twentieth century, particularly in secondary education and...
. "We believe that single-sex education should be an option open to all New York City families, not only those who have the opportunity to send their child to private school." The goal for student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s is high academic achievement toward college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
admission. Schools are in New York City and will be expanded to other urban centers around New York City. Girls are being educated now. "Public Prep seeks to serve thousands of students in New York City's neediest neighborhoods." Boy
Boy
A boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
s, it is expected, will be educated when Boys Prep is opened, possibly in 2011. The goal is to run six schools in total by 2014.
Grades offered
KindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through grade 6
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
are open now, depending on the school. The elementary schools go up to the 4th grade, while the middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
has 5th grade and 6th grade and will add 7th grade in in the 2011–2012 school year. Expansion plans include the middle school reaching the 8th grade.
Academics
In addition to being immersed in academics, "students attend music or art every day . . . [and] take yoga classes". GymGym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
or yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
is held for every student daily. Computer programming and website design is being taught to middle school fifth-grade girls on Saturdays, with a possibility of including it in the regular curriculum, and with additional benefits of encouraging creativity, understanding how other things might be made, and entry into nontraditional fields.
The math program is based on the Saxon Math
Saxon (teaching method)
Saxon math, developed by John Saxon, is a teaching method for incremental learning of mathematics. It involves teaching a new mathematical concept every day and constantly reviewing old concepts. Early editions were deprecated for providing very few opportunities to practice the new material...
curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
and is taught daily, with an extra period each week.
Reading
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
is daily, and designed to be intensive, with students in a small group reading together. Interactive read-alouds, reading both shared and independent, and studies in words and language concepts are included all day.
Science and social studies use the Scott Foresman
Pearson Scott Foresman
Scott Foresman is an elementary educational publisher for PreK through Grade 6 in all subject areas. It is owned by Pearson Education.-Company history:...
curriculum.
The goal is to exceed New York State's standards. To track students' progress along the way, TerraNova
TerraNova (test)
TerraNova is a series of standardized achievement tests used in the United States designed to assess K-12 student achievement in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, vocabulary, spelling, and other areas. The test series is published by CTB/McGraw-Hill...
tests and other assessments are intended to be applied every month and a half or two months.
Each student has a binder for carrying between school and home, so parents can follow their child's progress and exchange messages with teachers.
Teaching
Two teacherTeacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s serve each class. The lead teacher is certified and has three years of experience.
Individualized teaching is provided, because different students learn in different ways.
Early each school year or just before it starts, a teacher visits parents at home, to establish an educational relationship. The family will be given a teacher's cell phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
number.
For specialized needs, an instructional coach to teach small groups and tailor curricula
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
, a special education coordinator, and an English language learners coordinator all provide assistance.
New teachers are developed through the Girls Prep Fellows Program, lasting two years full time per teacher. It includes teaching with a mentor and assistance toward achieving a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
. Fellows are salaried
Salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
and independent teaching responsibilities include science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and, in middle school, social studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
.
Girls Prep received 85 applications for each teaching position that was open in 2007. It pays teachers 15–20% over what the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Department of Education
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
pays.
Extracurricular activities
Extracurricular activitiesExtracurricular activity
Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education...
are not provided in the Bronx. In both Lower East Side schools, they're art, gym, yoga, and music.
Support
A school social workSocial work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
er will be available for non-classroom and nontraditional needs.
The Director of Student and Family Affairs is a full-time representative for parents and assists with student discipline.
Inspiration
A great womanWoman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
's name is given to every classroom. Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice....
, the new U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
appointed
Appointment and confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States
The appointment and confirmation of Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States involves several steps set forth by the United States Constitution, which have been further refined and developed by decades of tradition. Justices are appointed by the President of the United States, and must be...
by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, is named in a classroom at Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School. Other namesakes include Bella Abzug
Bella Abzug
Bella Savitsky Abzug was an American lawyer, Congresswoman, social activist and a leader of the Women's Movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan to found the National Women's Political Caucus...
, former U.S. Representative in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
), Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, and Brenda Berkman, formerly a firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
and an officer in the New York City Fire Department
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...
, at the Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary School. Because of the focus through naming, for example, a teacher in the Bella Abzug classroom gave extra lessons about government.
Total enrollments
For the 2010–2011 school year, the two Lower East Side schools together are expected to have 330 students while the Bronx school is expected to have 198 students, for a total of 528 students.Ethnic and racial demography
At Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary School, 97% of students are African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, Latina
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
, or multiracial.
At Girls Prep Lower East Side Middle School, 97% of students are African American or Latina.
At Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School, 99% of students are African American, Latina, or multiracial.
Neighborhood or district
At Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary and Middle Schools each, 46% of students are District 1 residents. At the middle school in September, 2009, nearly half were District 1 residents.At Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School, 64% of students are District 8 residents.
Special needs
All three schools "provide . . . intensive at-risk services and academic supports" and free or low-price lunchesNational School Lunch Act
The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act is a United States federal law signed by President Harry S. Truman in 1946. The act created the National School Lunch Program , a program to provide low-cost or free school lunch meals to qualified students through subsidies to schools...
are received by 73% of the LES (Lower East Side) schools' students and 90% of the Bronx school students. LES schools' services include SETTS, tutoring, speech, and counseling. The Bronx school has English language learners, i.e., they arrived knowing another language or none and are now learnng English. The Bronx school also has students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
Individualized Education Program
In the United States an Individualized Education Program, commonly referred to as an IEP, is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act...
. The East Harlem school is being planned to include English language learners and students with disabilities. An Academic Intervention Specialist assists with teaching at-risk students.
Because programs are customized to students' needs, there is less need to label students under special education
Special Education in the United States
Special education programs in the United States were made mandatory in 1975 when the United States Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in response to discriminatory treatment by public educational agencies against students with disabilities...
, and this brings the special-needs numbers down while providing what the same students need for high achievement.
Management
The Chief Executive Officer is Ian Rowe. He was formerly with the Gates Foundation.The governing board is chaired by investor
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
Bryan Lawrence, founder of Oakcliff Capital.
Principals may be former Girls Prep teachers and teaching fellows.
Other management includes a director of business and operations and an administrative associate.
Finances
While school space is rented by the City for only a dollar a year, the state funds the school at $12,000 per student per year. The school does its own supplemental fundraising, bringing in about $1,000 more per student per year. Support with fundraising is provided by Friends of Girls Prep, Inc.Professional affiliation
Public Prep (as Girls Prep) is a member of the National Coalition of Girls' SchoolsNational Coalition of Girls' Schools
National Coalition of Girls' Schools is an association of independent and public, day and boarding schools in U.S. which advocates for single-sex schools for girls....
.
Admissions and costs
Tuition is free.Preference for admission is given to local school district residents. The schools' districts are shown next to the locations in this article.
Seven applications have been received for each student's space, an increase from six per opening in 2007.
The deadline for a Fall admission is generally in the early Spring. A school planning associate at the school can provide information on applying.
A lottery
Gaming mathematics
Gaming mathematics, also referred to as the mathematics of gambling, is a collection of probability applications encountered in games of chance and can be included in applied mathematics...
is used to select among qualified applicants.
State tests
The school's management reported, "100% of Girls Prep 3rd and 4th graders scored advanced or proficient on the New York State math & science exams", and "98% of third grade students and 92% of fourth grade students scored advanced or proficient on the New York State ELA ["English Language Arts"] exam." As comparisons, it reported, "[i]n Community School District 1 where Girls Prep [in Manhattan] is located, 91.9% of third graders and 82.8% of fourth graders scored advanced or proficient on the math exam. On the ELA exam, 70.5% of District 1 third graders and 69.5% of fourth graders scored advanced or proficient. In New York City, 91.1% of third graders and 84.4% of fourth graders scored advanced or proficient in Math while 69% of third and fourth graders scored advanced or proficient in ELA."In 2008, every 3rd and 4th grade student—100%—scored as proficient in math, while 92.0% of 4th graders and 97.7% of 3rd graders scored as proficient in English. By comparison, the whole district did less well, the proficient in English being only 69.5% of 4th graders and 70.5% of 3rd graders and in math 82.8% of 4th graders and 91.9% of 3rd graders. The difference between district-wide scores and Girls Prep scores thus ranges from 8.1% to 27.2%, all of them in Girls Prep students' favor.
Internal tests
In 2006, Girls Prep's second year, after taking TerraNova testsTerraNova (test)
TerraNova is a series of standardized achievement tests used in the United States designed to assess K-12 student achievement in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, vocabulary, spelling, and other areas. The test series is published by CTB/McGraw-Hill...
, 83% achieved or exceeded grade level in reading
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
and 79% did it in math
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
.
Evaluations by parents, teachers, and students
The N.Y.C. Department of Education surveys parents and teachers, and, for 6th grade and higher, students, in every school every year about qualities of the school. Comparisons are possible where response rates are reasonably high. NYC School Survey results are published.Locations
The main office is at 681 Kelly Street, Bronx, N.Y. 10455.Three schools are now open in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
:
- Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary School, in ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Lower East SideLower East SideThe Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
, in Community School District 1, at 442 East Houston Street, Room 312, New York, N.Y. 10002, which opened in 2005, as the first school in the network and the city's first all-girls charter school run by anyone. This school serves grades kindergarten through 4. - Girls Prep Lower East Side Middle School, in ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Lower East SideLower East SideThe Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
, in Community School District 1, at 442 East Houston Street, Room 312, New York, N.Y. 10002. This school serves grade 5, in the 2010–2011 school year will serve grades 5 and 6, and will eventually educate grades 5 through 8. - Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School, in the South Bronx, in Community School District 8, at 681 Kelly Street, Bronx, N.Y. 10455, which opened in 2009. This school serves kindergarten and 1st grade, in the 2010–2011 school year will serve grades kindergarten through 2, and will eventually educate grades kindergarten through 5.
Girls Prep East Harlem
Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is a section of Harlem in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. It includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which...
is being planned; an application to open it was submitted. It's to be in Community School District 4.
Outside of New York City, locations have not yet been chosen, but are being planned.
Transportation
MetroCards are provided, instead of private school busSchool bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
es. A MetroCard allows riding on City transit buses and subways
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
.
Daily
- The Lower East Side elementary school is open 7:50a to 3:00p and has after-school programs.
- The Lower East Side middle school is open 8:00a to 5:00p and has after-school programs.
- The Bronx school is open Monday–Thursday from 8:00a to 4:00p and Friday 8:00a to 1:40p. There are no after-school programs.
Year length
- At the Lower East Side elementary school, the school year runs August 24, 2010, to June 24, 2011.
- At the Lower East Side middle school, the school year runs August 17, 2010, to June 24, 2011 (the announcement says "2010" for both but the context suggests 2011 for the June date).
- At the Bronx school, the year is not extended.
Family participation
Visits and volunteer serviceVolunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
by students' families are encouraged at all times.
Family events include workshops, breakfasts, picnics, and movie nights.
For political support, Save Girls Prep organizes and brings parents and students to events where they can present their views on the need for school space for successful charters.
Classroom space
Space for the Girls Prep middle school has been a point of controversy, because classroom space is provided by the New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Department of Education
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
in existing public schools, where students' parents often object to the loss of noncharter space their students use. A proposal to expand the Lower East Side middle school potentially affects the public noncharter's space for students with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, a concern raised by the disability-rights education organization Advocates for Children, but the City's Department of Education assures that there won't be overcrowding. The East Harlem school expects to receive space from the City's Department of Education. Support for space for charters has come from elected political office-holders Sheldon Silver
Sheldon Silver
Sheldon "Shelly" Silver is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from New York. He has held the office of Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 1994.- Personal life :...
, Speaker
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
The Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party....
of the State
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, and State Senator
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
Daniel Squadron; "[b]oth have emphasized their support for Girls Prep's expansion". In some cases, the public noncharter schools may also be successful schools and still be required to share space.
Single-sex schooling
Federal law forbids gender discrimination. However, the U.S. Department of Education has provided nonregulatory guidance to the effect that if comparable facilities are provided for both boys and girls then single-sex schools are permitted, and comparable facilities are, both at Excellence Charter School of Bedford StuyvesantBedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
and in other schools in the city, including for boys only. State law allows single-sex schools (Education Law subdiv. 2854(2)).
Another all-girls school that's open, under other management, is the Young Women's Leadership Academy, a high school in East Harlem since the 1990s. While the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
prepared to sue, it couldn't find a boy who wanted to attend it.
Future plans
Plans include the opening of Girls Prep East Harlem, for which an application has been submitted. Class size is planned to be about 24. Enrollment would be about 72 students per grade, starting with kindergarten and first grade and eventually reaching the 8th grade. It is modeled on the Lower East Side schools.Additional names
Additionally, and sometimes informally, Public Prep may also be known as Public Preparatory or Public Preparatory Network, Girls Prep may also be known as Girls' Prep, Girls Preparatory, or Girls' Preparatory, and Boys Prep may also be known as Boys' Prep, Boys Preparatory, or Boys' Preparatory. Each school also is separately named.External links
- Public Prep Network management organization (website domain now PublicPrep.org, formerly GirlsPrep.org)
- Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary School
- Girls Prep Lower East Side Middle School
- Girls Prep Bronx Elementary School
- Friends of Girls Prep, a support organization
- Demographic data provided by Friends of Girls Prep
- New York City Department of Education:
- Find a School (scroll down)
- NYC School Survey (follow links for study and school desired)