A recent interview at Forbes features a wealth of effective practices from the Founder and Head of STC School Harlem Academy, Vincent Dotoli.
Predominantly free and reduced lunch eligible, 96% of Harlem Academy’s students score above the national average and almost 25% score in the top 95th percentile.
When asked why his school has achieved success, Vinny highlights several effective practices with potential value to every school looking for improvement:
Team independence and responsibility. We attract driven, smart, passionate people by offering an intentionally flat structure in which each individual takes ownership of his or her work and makes decisions to move the organization forward.
Flexibility in methods. “Once your mission and team are in place, you have the flexibility to explore different pathways to the same endpoint.” The school recently switched from the Everyday Math program to Singapore Mathematics which produced “double-digit growth in students’ quantitative reasoning scores in a single year.”
Parent engagement. “All too often, parents from low-income communities are disregarded and then blamed when their children fall behind… Parents are best prepared to support their children’s education when they share their school’s goals, and the best way to build shared goals is through shared experiences.”
For more details on these practices and many more including teacher recruitment and a hiring committee involving parents, read the entire article at Forbes.