The Youth Policy Lab (YPL) is partnering with the Bank Street Education Center in New York City as part of a major investment in “Next Generation Community Schools (NGCS).”
New York City School Chancellor David C. Banks announced that 20 Community Schools have been selected to participate in the NGCS pilot program. The K-8 pilot program is supported through the Robin Hood Foundation in the form of a $5.5 million grant over the course of three years. NGCS integrates a high-quality, rigorous academic experience into the community school model in twenty K-5 and K-8 schools across the city.
“The Next Generation Community Schools pilot represents the inclusive supports that all children need,” said Banks. “This is the kind of reimagining of the student experience that this administration has been talking about since day one. We must continue to use our resources to develop the whole child while supporting families and communities.”
The NGCS pilot strengthens teaching and learning practices by incorporating academic programming and instructional leadership coaching led by Community Based Organizations (CBOs).
The selected schools partner with three organizations that provide the academic enhancements that are the program’s hallmark. Partners include:
Bank Street College of Education, in collaboration with YPL, provides professional development to help build the capacity of schools’ CBOs to deliver academic programming during the school day and expanded learning time while utilizing the High 5s program. “We are excited to support the Next Generation Community Schools’ commitment to strengthening learning inside and outside of the classroom with a focus on the whole child, families, and community,” said Tracy Fray-Oliver, Vice President, Bank Street Education Center. “In collaboration with University of Michigan, we are proud to work with these 20 schools and their CBO partners to provide high-quality, developmentally appropriate math learning experiences in the early grades across their schools.”
“The Youth Policy Lab at the University of Michigan is thrilled to partner with Bank Street College of Education to support the Next Generation Community Schools’ initiative. We are excited to support CBOs in implementing the High 5s early math program. A study of High 5s in New York City in 2015-16 showed that the program led to two and a half months of additional math learning for kindergarten students and we look forward to expanding the program to serve even more students in New York City,” said Robin Jacob, YPL Faculty Co-Director.
This article is based on a press release from the New York City Public Schools