2008 UPDATE: Javier Muniz has succeeded Sylvia Lacerra as principal of PS 300.

2002 REVIEW: PS 200 is a big, old school, but it's also well kept and well run. It has a full-size gym unchanged since principal Sylvia La Cerra was a student here herself an enviable auditorium with wonderful art on display, and a new library/media center. The school has a bilingual gifted program for Russian-speaking children, called "Globe," and an interesting mix of children from different countries. One spring morning, two women in traditional Egyptian garb waited with a woman in Pakistani dress, and a mother from Puerto Rico chatted with a mother from China outside the school. Inside, a group of 5th-grade girls one Palestinian, one from Russia, one from Egypt, and another from Albania made plans for graduation.

"The best thing I did for my children was to bring them to this school," said a parent volunteer, Seema Imran, who was a teacher in her native Pakistan. Although the school has just begun to introduce "balanced literacy," the teaching method that allows each child to read a different book rather than having everyone in the class read the same graded reader, Ms. La Cerra has long been a proponent of using children's literature to teach reading. "I hated basal readers," she said. "I felt they were too restrictive."

Benson School is one of the 209 successful schools the chancellor has exempted from the citywide unifrom curriculum mandated in 2003.

The younger grades mix kids of different abilities. Upper grades are tracked. Special events include a springtime art parade and dance festival. The PTA sponsors visits by famous children's authors, including Vera Williams, Johanna Hurwitz, and Neil Waldman. A concert musician from Russia teaches violin to all kindergarten classes.

Admissions: The "Globe" gifted program accepts Russian-speaking students from across the district. (This school is featured in New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools. Pamela Wheaton, updated 2002)