Village Academy Schools in Harlem

...cross posted from our sister site, New York City Moms Blog.  Written by Katie Couric.

Sixty percent of kids in New York City schools will not graduate from high school. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but when I read that on the wall at the Leadership Academy School in Harlem I was pretty shocked. The school’s founder Deborah Kenny explained that part of the problem is that quality teachers get frustrated by the system, having to teach for tests rather than really develop a child’s interest in learning.

I had heard of the Village Academy Schools in Harlem before I visited. There are three of them including one high school and President Bush visited one last year during a push for No Child Left Behind.  He commended them on some pretty impressive statistics; 98% of the academy eighth graders passed the state math test. The average in NYC is 46%. And, by the way, those math scores are the highest in the whole state of New York.

I could tell instantly that the school was different. First of all, they have a silent hallway policy. By enforcing a no talking rule and walking in single file line, the Village Academy can keep control. Kenny, who is also the founding principal, told me that’s where most incidents of violence or bad behavior occur in other schools.

CLICK HERE to see the YouTube VIDEO of the visit and to continue reading this post.