The DOE’s assessment of schools is similar to the 11 criteria used by NCUST. They include high proficiency and attendance rates, reaching federal progress goals and having small achievement gaps.
The K to 5 school has won accolades for three consecutive years from the state for having a small achievement gap.
This is due, in part, to the P.S. 62 teachers’ ability to relate to and identify with students, O’Dowd said. A large number of the school’s 70 teachers share the ethnicities and cultures of the mostly Indian and Guyanese student body. “It’s good the children see their culture mirrored,” she added.
About 13 percent of the students are immigrants, like their principal — a native of Ireland who has been in the city’s school system for about 10 years. “I’m an immigrant myself, which helps me identify with many of the children here,” she said.
In general, O’Dowd’s theory is that hiring teachers and teaching fellows from various backgrounds and occupations provides a richer experience for the students.
One of P.S. 62’s teachers taught in Alaska for 30 years and another in a rain forest in Guyana. Bringing their stories, knowledge and understanding of other cultures in different parts of the world, as well as using unique approaches in the classroom, stimulates the students, the principal explained.
Another important aspect of interactive education, she said, is having an open environment in which teachers can collaborate, exchange ideas and experiment with thought-provoking pilot programs.
Teachers meet once a week to discuss lessons and plans, testing out which techniques work and which can be reshaped. They also keep their doors and minds open, welcoming new ideas, according to the principal. “We don’t read from scripts. We listen to the kids” and respond appropriately to their needs.
Greeted with a smile from every teacher and student throughout the tour, O’Dowd seems to have created a friendly and warm atmosphere. “It’s a very lovely, professional environment,” O’Dowd said modestly, “and yet a sense of a real disciplined purpose.”
The principal’s journey, which began in 2003, right when Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched the first major overhaul of the city’s school system, was long, she said.
But, even when faced with the difficult task of reconstructing the curriculum, O’Dowd didn’t lose site of her goal — keeping her teachers from being overwhelmed or feeling lost.
“I absorb(ed) it and then relay(ed) it to the staff,” O’Dowd said. “You can’t put across that feeling of chaos. It’s all about how it rolls down from the top.”
The softspoken principal said that by bonding with her teachers and constantly keeping them updated and learning, she is able to ensure that her students’ needs are met. “It’s not about programs, it’s about teacher quality.”
A vital way to keep students interested and focused, is to use technology, such as SMART Boards and podcasting. “We’re using technology to bring about more transparency to teachers, students and parents,” O’Dowd said. “And, by making it exciting to learn.”
|
|
