Get more from InsideSchools

A Message from InsideSchools: The data below is the most up-to-date data available from City and State systems. We are working hard to update the narratives for all schools. We welcome your insights in the Comments section. Questions? Ask us!

P.S. 748 Brooklyn School for Global Scholars

Grades: K-5
Staff Pick
1664 Benson Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11214
Phone: 718-382-3130

Our Insights

What’s Special

Strong Leadership, creative and engaging instruction

The Downside

No longer has room for pre-k

PS 748, also called the Brooklyn School for Global Scholars, is a vibrant and well-run school with strong leadership and a friendly vibe. A zoned, neighborhood school, it serves a multicultural student body, including many English language learners, from within its zone.

From the time it opened in 2010, the school has been committed to project-based learning. What you will not see here are worksheets or test prep, said the founding principal, Ursula Annio, who gets high marks from teachers and parents based on their responses to annual school surveys. Teachers develop their curriculum in-house, injecting a lot of creativity into lessons while doing a nice job of addressing both learning fundamentals and doing more complex work. Math drills, phonics and grammar lessons help shore up basic skills, but what drives instruction here is the emphasis on hands-on, in-depth and inventive work.

A history lesson may be paired with writing and art assignments. When students study the history of New York State, they research early explorers of the region and then each composes an illustrated book as well as create a doll in the likeness of the researched explorer. In math, students develop computational accuracy by completing calculation-dense projects such as designing a dream home with room-by-room specifications or plotting out a 60-kilometer bike trip complete with stops for food and rest.

In classes, there's a nice balance between independent and collaborative work. Students select books from well-stocked classroom libraries to read and write on a range of topics; they critique each others writings and present their polished pieces to the class. Instead of answering questions from a textbook, 5th-graders we observed were creating their own study guides to help them prepare for an upcoming math test.

Beginning in 3rd grade, classes are departmentalized--essentially a modified middle school format. The idea is that students learn better when taught by a teacher who spends most or all of the day focusing on specific subjects. Students, including those in special education classes, have one teacher for English and social studies and another for math and science. Special needs students have the added assurance that they're getting the same quality of instruction as their peers in other classes because they share the same teachers. "Some of these students came to us non-verbal and now they can participate in Socratic Seminar," said Annio, referring to the practice where the teacher prompts a class-wide discussion with an open-ended question, and then students comment and challenge each others responses.

In addition to taking art, music, gym and technology, students participate in weekly enrichment activities that vary by grades but include offerings such as music (recorder or keyboard), LEGO Robotics, movement and games. Teachers plan regular field trips to museums and other cultural institutions and students in all grades join in on community service projects.

Parent involvement is good and the staff puts a lot of effort into communication with parents. Teachers send home weekly newsletters and have students compile goal booklets to share with their parents. The staff invites parents to weekly talks that cover a range of academic and parenting topics. For their part, parents raise funds to support arts instruction and other programs and volunteer to help out during the school day.

The Federation of Italian-Americans runs a free after-school program onsite that is open to students in grades 1 though 5.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school offers ICT classes in the lower grades. It plans to phase out self-contained classes in the upper grades and replace them with team-taught classes, Annio said.

ADMISSIONS: Originally open to children from all over District 20, PS 748 is now a zoned, neighborhood school. It is phasing out its G&T program and no longer offers pre-k. (Laura Zingmond, March 2016)

Read more

School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Is this school safe and well-run?

From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey

How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
88%
82% Citywide Average

From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card

How many students were suspended?
0%
1% Citywide Average

From this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Are teachers effective?

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
72%
84% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
12.2

How do students perform academically?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
75%
53% Citywide Average
How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
55%
50% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
434
Asian
44%
Black
0%
Hispanic
27%
White
26%
Other
2%
Free or reduced priced lunch
82%
Students with disabilities
15%
English language learners
16%

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
95%
90% Citywide Average
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
13%
40% Citywide Average

How does this school serve special populations?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
42%
30% Citywide Average
How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
13%
23% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
36%
21% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
13%
12% Citywide Average


For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

Bensonhurst (District 20)
Trains: D Line to 18th Ave
Buses: B1, B64, B8

Contact

Principal
Ursula Annio
Parent Coordinator
Donna Salerno

Other Details

Shared campus?
No
This school is in its own building.
Metal detectors?
No

Zone for the 2019-2020 school year. Call school to confirm.

Was this information helpful?

Get more from InsideSchools

You may also like …

P.S. 186 Dr. Irving A Gladstone

7601 19 Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11214

P.S. 200 Benson School

1940 Benson Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11214

Comments

  • Is this your school? Please post any news, updates, events, changes, or other information!
  • We welcome questions, open discussions, and disagreements but comments with personal attacks, rude language, or those with seemingly malicious intent will be deleted.
  • Very long comments, those that contain links, or repeat comments may be blocked by our spam filter.
  • Problems? email us at contact@insideschools.org.
  • Users must comply with our Terms of Use.

×