New York City Schools Win $500,000 Broad Prize

Mayor Michael Bloomberg

David Bloomfield, a professor at Brooklyn College, is a parent who heads the Chancellor's Citywide Council on High Schools. Echoing other parents and educators, Bloomfield warns that it's too early to say which, if any, of the reforms are working. "I think the mayor deserves credit for tackling the problems of urban education and attempting creative solutions and certainly increasing funding to a great degree," he says. "But as to whether these reforms are actually going to stick and have a notable result in achievement...I just think it's too early to be raising the flag of success and saying mission accomplished."

Even Darrisaw admits that while her school has made achievement gains, it is far too soon to declare victory. The academy's courses are mostly just the basics of high school, and there are not enough AP classes. Education experts call it a lack of academic rigor that is typical of most small schools that don't have access to the resources of larger schools. Darrisaw has sought to fix the problem by partnering with the other Bushwick schools to increase their collective course offerings. Now, one AP Spanish teacher takes the native-language speakers and another teaches beginners.

Discipline has improved at the urban planning academy, but the students still have to go through metal detectors each morning. And while the graduation rates have improved campuswide, almost a third of students at Darrisaw's school are not graduating in four years. There are students like the one who arrived at the academy after being kicked out of a nearby school. He says two boys tried to jump him for his sneakers. A trained boxer, he punched one of the boys and broke his nose and jaw. At the academy, the student's behavior has improved, but he hasn't passed the English or math exit exams. Teachers worry whether he will graduate on time. "There's still a fight for his soul," Darrisaw says.

Meanwhile, Dorothy Barrett—the 19-year-old who was thinking of dropping out a few years ago— is considering a two-year college and a career in nursing. The academy's more intimate environment and supportive teachers, including one who used to call every morning to wake her up, have helped her stay on track, she says.

When the bell rings, Barrett and the other students are reminded to think about a research paper. Last year, the school made a presentation to the city's police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, about police brutality and racial profiling, an event that garnered media attention. Dorothy will have time to think about a research paper later, but for now all she can think about is her 10-month-old son downstairs. She grabs her book bag and runs down several flights of stairs to the campus day care center, where workers care for nine infants; the youngest is 2 months old. Thinking once more about what makes the Academy of Urban Planning special, Dorothy says, "Everyone here is like a family."