The School of Education at Brooklyn College

District 19/New York City Partnership:
A New Learning Community

Prof. Wayne Reed
Prof. Haroon Kharem, project coordinators

The School of Education, together with Community School District 19 and Breakthrough for Learning have formed an alliance to improve the academic achievement of students in the district.  The Learning Community consists of a cluster of schools in close geographical proximity to each other. Student teachers from Brooklyn College go into the schools to practice teaching in an urban high-needs setting.  In Fall 2000 the program was implemented in PS 159 and 202.  Three additional schools, IS 218, PS 72 and PS 224 will be added within a year.

When a school becomes part of the Learning Community a faculty member works to place student teachers in the school.  Workshops to support the practice of the student teachers include training in specialized curricula used by the District such as “Success for All”, reading program (developed by Johns Hopkins University). Workshops in teaching strategies, parent involvement and cross-cultural teaching are also offered to immerse student teachers in the social and cultural realities of teaching in an urban public school context. In addition to student teachers, other education majors from Brooklyn College are being introduced to the District this fall.  One section of ED16 is making a field visit to P.S. 159 in October.

On-site development of student teachers gives them the opportunity to benefit from the experience of veteran teachers. Model teachers have the chance to “bequeath” their knowledge and experience to Brooklyn College students, as well as provide a bridge between theory and practice so students can form a broad and realistic view of education.

Representatives from the School of Education, New York City Partnership’s Breakthrough for Learning program, and District 19 plan to undertake an evaluation at the end of the school year, and will look at educational outcomes in matching classes as well as follow the paths of student teachers working in the participating schools.

For more information, contact: 

hkharem@brooklyn.cuny.edu

wreed@brooklyn.cuny.edu

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Updated January 2008 / Brooklyn College School of Education
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