PS 201, The Discovery School of Research and Inquiry, is a charming and diverse school where classrooms hum with cheerful energy as students work on engrossing hands-on projects. Affiliated with the International Baccalaureate (IB), PS 201 encourages students to take part in their own learning—to find answers to questions they pose themselves. PS 201 draws its student body primarily from the nearby Pomonok Houses and the large Asian community in nearby Flushing.

Situated in a calm, quiet neighborhood near Queens College, PS 201 is a three-story redbrick schoolhouse with a large playground and park out front. The school is sparkling clean, and its bright walls are hung with samples of student assignments, some of them quite good. Students are encouraged, but not required, to wear a uniform of navy blue pants and light blue shirts.

Classes at PS 201 are small, just 20 students on average, and the students we observed were quiet and attentive. First-graders were writing short paragraphs about what they would do if they ran the circus. Two fifth-grade girls showed us their posters about the conquistadors from Spain, rattling off an impressive list of facts that they had learned from the exercise. In another class, students eagerly described the science projects their teacher creates, including one in which they performed experiments on rocks to test their properties. As part of the IB program’s focus on international issues, all students take Chinese.

PS 201 continues, however, to struggle with literacy. The principal says that many students come to them with limited vocabularies. To improve reading, they have hired a reading specialist to work with small groups of students three times a week. Teachers work together on “focus groups,” trying different strategies to improve reading and then sharing their success with one another.

Special education: PS 201 takes children with special needs from across the district. It offers visually impaired children a well-established program (overseen by the citywide district for special education) equipped with computers that translate documents into Braille and devices that allow a blind student to take notes. In fact, the school tries hard to make sure no child feels excluded from the community. Students in special education classes participate in general education classes whenever possible. Developmentally delayed children take part in an "adaptive" physical education program one tailored to their needs and Special Olympics trophies are showcased. Special education teachers, as well as aides who are present in many classrooms, are particularly warm and attentive.

PS 201 offers self-contained and CTT courses for students at all levels, but prefers to keep the students integrated in the same classroom. We observed one special education teacher working closely with a small group of students, patiently explaining fractions and answering students’ questions. The school also serves visually impaired students.

Admissions: Priority is given to residents in the zone, but additional spots are open to residents of Districts 25 and 28. Contact the magnet coordinator for more information. (Tom Jacobs, January 2011)