Life Academy High School for Film and Music, a tiny school opened in 2007 in the Lafayette Educational Complex, was designed to engage students in academic subjects while teaching them how to make movies. The school underwent some turmoil in its early years but seems to have stabilized somewhat since Lisa Ferraiola, formerly the assistant principal at Kingsborough Early College Secondary School, became principal in 2011.

More than 90 percent of teachers trust the principal and feel supported by her, according to the 2011-12 Learning Environment Survey. Students and teachers said expectations are higher and the school is safer than it was the year before, according to the survey. Network Leader Malika Bibbs told Insideschools that Ferraiola is committed to the school and knows the community and parents.

In 2012, the school added a music program two days a week that focuses on vocal instruction, though there is still no instrumental training. “There is still a much stronger emphasis on our film program and the desire for a larger music program is still voiced throughout the school,” Ferraiola wrote in an email.

The high school directory says the school offers electives in film, editing, set design, audio production and cinematography. However, 60 percent of students reported in the survey that there are not enough classes to keep them interested.

Ferraiola told Insideschools that many graduates choose to work and about one-third go to college. “We are encouraging college as the first option,” she added. Most students enter with very low levels of skills.

Afterschool, students may participate in tutoring and clubs such as karate, drumming and magazine publication along with campus-wide PSAL sports.

There are still significant concerns. Attendance is poor. Students must pass through metal detectors to enter the school and one-third reported in the survey that they do not feel safe outside the building on school property. The school directory states that students wear a uniform of a special school shirt and dark pants/skirt.

The school's founding principal, Kaia Mashariki, was fired in 2010 for mishandling an incident in which a teacher was accused of punching a student. Edison Teano was the acting principal for a year until Ferraiola was appointed.

Admissions: Priority to students who attend an information session. (Aryn Bloodworth, interviews, DOE statistics, January 2013)