Smaller, Safer, Saner Successful Schools. - National Clearinghouse ...

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH ON SMALL SCHOOLS AND SHARED FACILITIESJulia RichmanEducation CenterNew York, New York45aFor further information. ContactDr. Gregory Hodge, Principal,Frederick Douglass Academy, 2581Adam C. Powell, Jr. Blvd., New York,N.Y. 10039; (212) 491-4107; ghodge@schools.nyc.gov; www.FDA1.org .44a, 44b and 45a: The spirit of hardwork, high expectations, and persistencepervades Frederick DouglassAcademy. Douglass’ picture, bust,and quotations are found throughoutthe school. Students are taught toexcel in traditional subjects like Latinas well as to develop entrepreneurialskills through mini-businesses theycreate.People come from all over theworld to see what educatorshave done to the rejuvenatedJulia Richman school building in NewYork City. Opened in 1923, the buildinghosted a school for young womenwho were being trained in clericalwork. Then it was turned into a largecomprehensive school for more than2,000 students. By the mid-1990s, attendanceand graduation rates wereso low the New York City Board ofEducation adopted a plan, proposedby the Coalition of Essential Schools,to close the large failing high schooland create six small schools ofchoice. Today six autonomousschools share the Julia RichmanEducation Complex (JREC) space.Key educational features. Theschools include• Ella Baker Elementary School, whichprovides a child-centered curriculumfor children from pre-kindergartenage through to eighth grade• P226M Junior High, which serves autisticjunior high school students byemphasizing learning through artsand technology• Manhattan International HighSchool for students who have lived inthe United States less than four yearsand are becoming bilingual• Talent Unlimited High School, whichfocuses on the performing arts• Urban Academy, a transfer schoolwhich emphasizes inquiry-basedteaching and learning and uses a45