P.S. 116 Mary Lindley Murray

PS 116 in Kips Bay places a high value on independence, choice and project-based learning for students. Acheivement is high in all areas, particularly in the area of reading and writing. Students live in a range of settings, from luxury apartments along Fifth and Park Avenues to low-income housing developments on East 28th Street. Proudly serving children in temporary shelters and the children of United Nations diplomats, PS 116 earned the highest possible marks on the city's most recent annual Quality Review.

Teachers strive to be sure every child is challenged and supported; during a math lesson, for example, some students will use easier methods to solve a problem than others. Relationships are tended thoughtfully here, both within and across classrooms. Working in small mixed-class groups, 5th-graders tackle daily "community challenges," such as using marshmallows and toothpicks to build the tallest structure possible, and different ages eat lunch together.

In 2015, staff and parents decided to eliminate traditional homework assignments and "rebrand" what students do after school. "PDF" (play time, down time, family time), as it's called, is flexible in that children may choose from a wide range of activities. Students design their own homework from a menu of choices. A younger child might play a game of chess with a parent, for example, or visit the park with a friend. An older child may write a poem about snow or measure the perimeter of a household object.

"My son was the kind of student who used to 'phone it in' when it came to homework," one 5th-grader's mother wrote in the Quality Review. "Now, he begins each week by mapping out his required activities, planning his schedule, and showing a true commitment to his own experiences."

One downside: Some classes are large.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: There is an ICT team-teaching class on each grade. Many additional supports include a reading specialist for one-on-one assistance, speech therapy, occuptaional therapy, and the services of a social worker and school psychologist.

ADMISSIONS: Neighborhood school. (Lydie Raschka, web reports and school data, June 2016)