Families are drawn to PS 166 for its big song and dance performances, popular gifted and talented program and super active parent organization. Every year parents raise nearly a $1 million to fund a long list of extras including assistants to help at recess and in the classroom, a Test Prep Boot Camp and an award-winning chess club.

The school was once starkly segregated, with mostly black and Latino children in general education classes and mostly whites in gifted and talented. But on our visit, we couldn’t easily tell the difference between the classes. That’s because more white families from the zone are opting for general education classes, which offer smaller class size than the G & T and the same wonderful art, music and drama that everyone enjoys.

The school went through a rough spell with rapid turnover in leadership (one principal stayed only one year), but it seems to be on the upswing since Deborah Mastriano, a former teacher and special education staff developer, was named principal in 2012. Mastriano has encouraged teachers to attend workshops and take advantage of in-school coaching.

Test scores and attendance have improved, and parents told us the work is more challenging. For example, Karyn Gooden said her daughter not only had to choose a favorite book as kindergarten homework, she also had to explain why she liked it using the word “because” in her answer.

There is fluidity between G & T and the general education programs, especially outside classroom time. Special events, like the school musical, include everyone, and reading buddies are intentionally paired across programs. Children in the upper grades sometimes test into G & T and teachers move around from year to year. Field trips and the playground adjacent to the school are great levelers. A 4th grade parent said her daughter has “friends in every grade, every class.”

All children benefit from the many extras parents are able to offer. Parents pay for full-day classroom assistants in Kindergarten and 1st grade, and half-day assistants in 2nd grade. They fund a science coordinator, math and literacy coaches, field trips and a healthy lunch program.

The rich arts programs can be heard and seen throughout the building. We watched third grade girls twirl in red skirts as they practiced a Mexican folk dance. In the science lab, children plucked kalimbas, African thumb pianos, to explore pitch and amplification. In the music room we heard a lively spiritual sung by a small group of children from one of two “self-contained” classrooms. Writing samples on the wall included biographies of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Shirley Temple as part of the 3rd grade tap dance program. As for technology, we saw a variety of attractive reports that had been produced in the media lab and were impressed to see 3rd graders doing online research about Ancient Egypt using a clear, step-by-step outline.

Recess takes place before lunch to encourage children to eat more slowly and to create a calmer transition back to the classroom. Unfortunately, the playground has wavy surfaces and stones that have resulted in injuries and, because it’s hard to shovel snow off the bumps, children may end up playing games, reading, exercising and watching movies in the auditorium, sometimes for weeks in the coldest months. Kindergartners have their own safe playground.

There is only one secretary and one school aide, which make it difficult to process the applications that flood into the office from non-zoned families who have virtually no chance of getting in. It’s also harder to oversee bus arrival, lunchtime and departure, according to the parent coordinator, Deborah Markewich.

Parents praise the parent coordinator for her assistance with the transition from elementary to middle school. Most students choose MS 54 The Delta Program for middle school. Other popular choices are the Computer School, the Center School and Community Action School.

Special education: There are two classrooms that mix general and special needs children in one classroom with two teachers, one of whom is trained in special education. Two mixed-age “self-contained” classrooms serve only children with special needs.

Admissions: Neighborhood school. “We don’t anticipate allowing kids from out of zone into general ed,” said Markewich. Only three were accepted in 2012. Students from across the district are admitted to the G & T program according to the results of an exam administered by the Department of Education. Check the school website or call the parent coordinator to schedule a tour. (Lydie Raschka, March 2013)