SoBRO: South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation

SoBRO SPONSORS YOUTH EDUCATION FORUM

October 12, 2010—SoBRO, the New York City Montessori Charter School (NYCMCS), and New Visions for Public Schools have announced that they will host a forum on new educational trends and opportunities available to Bronx youth. The forum will take place on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the SoBRO Center (555 Bergen Avenue, Third Floor, Bronx, New York). All South Bronx residents and stakeholders are invited to attend, and food and refreshments will be served.

The forum will provide educational experts, school staff, and the community an opportunity to discuss topics of particular relevance to the educational advancement of Bronx youth. The first segment of the forum will include a workshop on family literacy. Presenters will provide guidance to parents on activities they can partake in at home to support their children’s education and stimulate them intellectually.

The second segment of the forum will include a presentation on the topic of charter schools, an issue that is currently at the center of the national debate on educational reform. Presenters will frame the debate in a local context, and will explain exactly what charter schools are and what parents can expect of them.

Finally, NYCMCS and New Visions will present their upcoming plans for opening charter schools in the Bronx. The NYCMCS, which will serve Kindergarten through 5th grade children, will be located in District 7 in the South Bronx and aim to empower students to think critically and cultivate problem solving and social skills to assist in their pursuit of higher education and succeed in high demand careers in the 21st Century. Instruction will be tailored to the individual needs of each student and the Montessori approach will benefit children by helping them learn to be self-motivated, hard-working, self-confident, and abstract thinkers. One hundred students are expected to enroll in Kindergarten and 1st grade in NYCMCS’s first year. As the community partner to NYCMCS, SoBRO will provide after school programs, parent workshops, and other support services to the NYCMCS community.

New Visions for Public Schools has received approval to open two charter high schools in the Bronx: the New Visions Charter High School for Humanities and the New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science. These high schools will work as sister schools to prepare students for graduation, college enrollment, career placement, and a 21st Century economy. They will challenge students to apply their academic knowledge and skills to solve problems, present their results and defend their positions, all within a highly supportive environment. Model highlights for the New Visions schools include an acceleration of learning in the 9th and 10th grades, a systematic approach to writing in all classes, extended day programming, and opportunities for students to complete college courses in the 11th and 12th grades.

New Visions for Public Schools, founded in 1989, is dedicated to improving the quality of education children receive in New York City’s public schools. As a Partnership Support Organization (PSO), New Visions for Public Schools is accountable for improving student achievement in 76 New York City public schools, serving 34,000 students. The goal of the New Visions PSO is to graduate at least 80 percent of its students and prepare them to be college and career ready.

SoBRO is proud to continue its efforts to promote and expand educational opportunities to Bronx residents through the Bronx Youth Education Forum. “Education is too important to the future of our children and our community to be taken for granted,” said Dr. Denise Clay, Director of Education and Staff Development at SoBRO. “This forum will give us the opportunity to discuss and more fully understand the ideas and movements that have the potential to transform how we educate the next generation.”

For more information about the Community Forum or SoBRO’s educational programming, call Denise Clay at (718) 732-7595. For details about the New York City Montessori Charter School, contact Gina Sardi at (646) 645-9346; and for information about New Visions for Public Schools, contact Jennie Soler-McIntosh at (646) 486-8159.

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Contact: Dr. Denise Clay, Director of Education and Staff Development, (718) 732-7595, dclay@sobro.org.