CU partners wtih Harlem local schools

Early on Saturday morning, local teachers and administrators filed into Macy Hall at Teachers College, chatting energetically and exchanging stories and tips as if they were students waiting for class to begin.

Instead of standing at the front of the classroom, these teachers and principals from 10 public elementary, middle, and high schools in Harlem became pupils of the Harlem Schools Partnership, an initiative they seemed excited to help kick off on Saturday.

To prepare teachers and students for the demands of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the 21st century workforce, Teachers College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science received a grant from the General Electric Foundation to launch the Harlem Schools Partnership. In June 2008, GE donated $5 million for the five-year program, according to a University press release.
The weekend event, “Co-envisioning Success in STEM,” consisted of a series of workshops and breakout sessions focusing on schools’ professional development needs and STEM teaching strategies, with an emphasis on English language learners—children growing up in homes in which English is not the primary language.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for general education teachers to get more information to help in STEM,” said Mary Reide, a teacher at P.S. 161 Don Pedro Albizu Campos. “It’s needed in schools that focus on English, English language arts, and math.”

With topics such as “What Happens Next? Real-life Teaching in Mathematics Classrooms,” “The Secret Lives of Bats: Using Technology to Reveal Science Secrets,” and “Lego Robotics for Teaching Physical Science and Mathematics in Your Classroom,” the pedagogy emphasized the prevalence and usefulness of STEM topics today. Teachers present expressed high expectations for TC’s new involvement in Harlem schools.
Anna Goldman, who teaches at P.S. M154, Harriet Tubman Learning Center, said she thinks the tools from TC will enhance the curriculum already in place at her school. “In order for public schools to be truly successful, there has to be a private partnership, especially with a teachers college,” she said.

“This is a very stable institution that has the reputation of being an excellent school,” Michele Broderick, a teacher at P.S. 153, the Adam Clayton Powell School, said of TC.

The event began with an address by keynote speaker Dr. George Jenkins, associate professor of clinical dentistry in the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia. Jenkins, who pursued his dream of becoming a doctor despite the hardships he faced growing up in Newark, N.J., is the subject of the documentary “The Pact.”

In his speech, Jenkins attributed his success in large part to his third grade teacher, who “showed us that the world was a lot bigger than our block ... our condition is temporary.” In doing so, Jenkins said, this teacher taught him to believe that “college was a 13th grade and you just have to go.” He told the educators in the room to instill the belief in their students that “Where they are not isn’t where they have to be,” and to ensure that students do not quit after one bad grade. “If they don’t have money, teach them how important each A is.”

Jenkins also noted that “especially in the inner city there is a problem culturally when it comes to success and education ... the pursuit of excellence is shunned upon.”

TC Associate Vice President Nancy Streim—who leads the newly-created Office for School and Community Partnerships—is principal investigator of the HSP. Streim told Spectator in December that the typical model for TC’s involvement in public schools has been to go in and work on one program but that new partnerships would utilize existing TC faculty, student interests, research, and outreach to strategically “bring a host of resources together to help schools,” she said.

The 10 schools selected to participate in the HSP were chosen based on a range of criteria, Stein explained. They had to be located in Upper Manhattan and operate in an “underserved and challenged community.” In addition, the schools must be willing to accept TC as a participant in their decision-making.

Ann McIver—executive director of Morningside Area Alliance—serves as an HSP Community Partner. She told Spectator in December that this collaboration could lay down a sustainable relationship that would continue to aid schools over many years and bring them to the standards “we’d all like to see.”

“There has been over the years very minimal work directly with schools,” McIver said. “For the schools, it’s something they’d hoped to see. They’re looking to see what’s going to come to them in terms of ... improving resources and opportunities.”