In 2002-03, we worked with 9 partners in the New York City public schools: one primary school, four middle schools and four high schools. The teacher participants from each school are shown on our people page.

Elementary Schools

Fred R. Moore School (CS133)
2121 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10037
[District 5]
This is a 600-student elementary (PK-6) school in central Harlem, where over 70 percent of the students are eligible for free lunch. The general approach in the school is holistic, using systematic programs with pre- and post-lesson assessments. Cooperative group work is stressed in professional development sessions. Students are evaluated formally and informally, using a variety of assessments, including homework, portfolios, presentations, journals, tests, quizzes, oral questioning, etc. There is a computer lab and most teachers have several computers in their classrooms.

Middle Schools

The Crossroads School
234 West 109 Street
New York, NY 10025
[District 3]
This is a small middle school (Grades 6 - 8), with only 200 students. Its personalized academic program is enriched by affiliations with the Coalition of Essential Schools, Bank St. College, Riverside Church, and Teachers College. It occupies one floor of a large building that houses two other schools (another small middle school and a larger elementary school). The classes are very small for a New York City public school, and almost all are multi-age. Testing is not emphasized, except as necessary to meet state and city requirements; grading is by portfolio where possible; teachers collaborate extensively; and student inquiry is strongly encouraged. There is no computer lab, but with the help of a grant from the New York City Council, the GK12 Teacher now has access to a laptop cart with a wireless hub.

Edward W. Stitt School (IS164)
401 West 164 Street
New York, NY 10032
[District 6]
This is a very large middle school (Grades 6 - 8) with over 1,200 students in an area of upper Manhattan where 99 percent of the students are eligible for free lunch. Students are tracked, classrooms are organized in traditional fashion with rows of chairs and desks, and teachers seldom collaborate. Although group work is encouraged in theory, in practice there is not very much of it. There is one computer lab, as well as computers in the library and a few classrooms. The GK12 Teacher and a GK12 Fellow successfully wrote a grant to a private foundation to purchase laptops, a wireless hub, and a set of probes for use in this project.

Ditmas Educational Complex (IS62)
The School for Environmental Science
700 Cortelyou Rd.
Brookyn, NY 11218
[District 20]
http://www.nycenet.edu/csd20/is62/seshome.htm
In September 1996, the large (1,200 students) Ditmas Intermediate School 62 was restructured into an educational complex consisting of four autonomous specialized theme-based institutes. The school has an ethnically and nationally diverse student body, with a large percentage of recent immigrants. Over 90 percent of the students are eligible for free lunch. In September 2001, the school entered into a partnership with JP Morgan Chase that provides teachers with laptops and students with computers at home, as well as extensive professional development opportunities.

Arturo Toscanini School (CIS145)
1000 Teller Avenue
Bronx, NY 10456
[District 9]
Over 90 percent of the students in this large (1,500 students) middle school (Grades 5 - 8) are eligible for free lunch, and for many English is a second language. Classes are tracked and classrooms are crowded. There are four computers in almost every classroom, as well as a lab, but the lab is dedicated to drill and practice programs.

High Schools

Manhattan Center for Science & Math
280 Pleasant Avenue
New York, NY 10029
[Manhattan High School Superintendency]
This 1,500-student academic high school shares a large building with two other schools (a middle school and an elementary school). It is a traditional high school, with a strong emphasis on science and math. Computers are confined to the 3 computer labs.

A. Philip Randolph Campus High School
135 Street & Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
[Manhattan High School Superintendency]
This is a large (1,600 students) academic high school on the City College campus, where students can go to take classes for college credit. There are several computer labs but no computers in the classrooms or labs.

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
of Music & Art and Performing Arts
100 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10023
[Manhattan High School Superintendency]
http://www.laguardiahs.org/
LaGuardia has a dual mission of providing each student with professional preparation in atelier and conservatory arts education and in college preparatory academic education. It has an international reputation for its students' work in the arts, but also has strong math and science departments. Its 2,000+ students in Grades 9 - 12 occupy a nine-story building near Lincoln Center on Manhattan's West Side. There are few computers in the classrooms, but there are several computer labs and the science department has collected an assortment of computers to put in the science labs. The GK12 Teacher was able to buy a set of probes with help from a supportive group of parents.

The Brooklyn International High School
49 Flatbush Avenue Extension
Brooklyn, NY 11201
[Alternative High School Superintendency]
http://www.brooklyninternational.org/
The Brooklyn International High School, a member of the International Schools Partnership and the Center for Collaborative Education, is a small school for students who have arrived in this country in the past five years and are still learning English. Students use their native languages to support their learning of English, but writing and speaking in English is important in all classes, including math and science. Classes are small and students are evaluated by portfolio as well as standardized tests. The school has two computer labs and has recently acquired a wireless laptop cart with 30 iBooks.