GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

Data from the Department of Education show which school support organizations are gaining schools and which are losing them.

Given the choice to switch to a new support organization, most schools are deciding to stay put, Department of Education data that I obtained today show. Eric Nadelstern, the city’s chief schools officer, confirmed the data in a short telephone interview.

Nadelstern said the information is “gratifying” because it indicates schools are happy with the level of service they are receiving. But he said that he hopes that in the future schools will make their decisions based not just on their own experiences, but also on data showing how well students inside each support organization’s umbrella are performing academically. (Data were released for the first time earlier this year.)

A large group schools next year will also join a trial organizational model known as the Children First Network, which tries to personalize the way schools receive non-academic, logistical supports. Twenty networks of schools will join the Children First Network next year, Nadelstern told me. Each network includes about 20 schools, suggesting that the total number of schools moving into the Children First Network is increasing to about 490, roughly a third of all city schools. (more…)

Spanish Native Language Arts Class at High School for Arts and Business from Diana Scalera on Vimeo.

Here’s a rare peek into an actual classroom at the High School for Arts and Business, where Spanish-speaking students are learning about the literature and culture of their native language by analyzing the lyrics of the song “Guantanamera,” which were adapted from a poem by Cuban hero Jose Marti.

The video was created by Integrated Curriculum and Instruction, one of the city’s School Support Organizations that provides professional development for teachers and other services for their network of schools.