JUNE 2009 UPDATE: In September 2009, PS 132 will have gifted and talented class for kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. The G&T program at the school began in September 2008.

2006 REVIEW: Located in an area where old-time bagel shops are making way for artsy brunch spots, PS 132 in Williamsburg is changing along with its neighborhood. Principal Beth Lubeck-Ceffalia, who took the helm in 2003 after two years as assistant principal, rearranged and redecorated much of the school, inviting local artists in to paint colorful murals. The building's overall tone is inviting and pleasant. Whereas test prep and old-fashioned reading-lesson books had long defined instruction at PS 132, classrooms now have such hallmarks of progressive-style education as libraries of children's literature, and lessons focused on group work. Hallways are wall-papered with student work and art projects. The inviting tone extends to the principal, whose office, on the day of one of our visits, displayed a sign-up sheet for children who wanted to come to read to her.

"We embraced it [change] as an administration," said Lubeck-Ceffalia. "It's the way we feel." The school also shifted from one in which all students were "tracked"placed in classrooms according to their abilitiesto one in which students of different strengths share classrooms. Many teachers seemed to have made the leap to progressive instruction fairly deftly. A 4th-grade teacher read part of a story about snowflakes aloud to her class and then asked students to turn to each other and make predictions about what would happen next in the tale. The lesson encouraged students to work together and learn from student-to-student conversations. The school has benefited from its collaboration with Columbia University's Teachers College, which pioneered the Writers Workshop model, in which students write in a variety of genres, do a lot of revision, and "publish" their work. In fact, according to Lubeck-Ceffalia, the school is now visited by educators from all over the city, who come to look at its programs. PS 132 was one of 200 schools chosen by Deputy Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina as a "collaborative community of practice," a school that has successfully implemented the local Department of Education's mandated (and progressive-leaning) curriculum, introduced citywide in 2003.

We also saw some traditional math lessons with kids learning the basics: adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions at the blackboard. Teachers we observed were warm and competent, and students were well behaved.

The youngest students are being introduced to music in a program called Music and the Brain, which was developed in accordance with research showing that musical training can help boost learning. One driver of the program is the notion that the sooner children begin to learn music, the better their test scores may be. There is a keyboard lab for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders, who learn to play four-note songs. Some children have become so enthusiastic about music that they received keyboards as Christmas presents, the music teacher told us.

The school benefits from strong leadership, and is catching the interest of many community parents who once might have placed their children in well-regarded elementary schools in lower Manhattan. "They're not crossing the bridge anymore," an administrator told us. On the third Friday of every month, local business owners, artists, parents, and other members of the community visit the school to share their experiences and expertise with students, helping to strengthen support for the school in the area. In response to neighborhood demand, there are now four pre-kindergarten classrooms.

The school building is somewhat cramped. Conselyea Prep, a middle school that used to be part of a K-8 program at PS 132 but has since become a separate school with its own principal, is housed in a portable building attached to the main structure. (Administrators at both schools were unclear as to why the schools had been split apart, especially since the trend in schools has been to combine elementary and middle schools and make them K-8.) Facilities, including a gym that doubles as an auditorium, are shared. Kids get recess every day.

After school: Twice a week from 3 - 5 p.m. kids can take part in activities such as dance or robotics.

Special education: At the time of our visit, there were two classes for special education students only. There was also one "collaborative team teaching" class, in which special education and general education students learn side by side, taught by two teachers, one a specialist in special education.

Admissions: PS 132 is a neighborhood school, but if there is room, some children from outside the zone are admitted to pre-kindergarten. And the school's attitude is "once you're in, you're in," so those students may stay, administrators told us. (Deborah Apsel, December 2003/updated Pamela Wheaton, January 2006. This school is featured in New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools and in New York City's Best Public Middle Schools.)

"I attended the school in 2001 as a forth grader for about six months and I loved it and now as a high school senior I've decided to write about it. =) I mean it wasn't the BOMB but the teachers were ok, some more patient with students than others. I never saw any violence, and the after school programs were great. I despised the food though. And during the time I was there the 8th graders were placed in the basement due to lack of space, which explains why in 2004 they made it a k-5 school. But all else, the schools tight. Your kid will love it."

Parent Mary Stalone writes: "As an actively involved parent, it is refreshing to see all of the new families who will have children attending PS 132 this fall. I would like to commend them on their willingness to become involved at PS 132 in an effort to make it an even better school." She adds that she hopes more parents will get involved with the PTA, and notes that some new parents have already applied for grants and set goals for the future. (July 2004)

A parent writes in to let us know about some changes taking place at PS 132 next year: "First, due to the region and DOE rules, the middle school of PS 132 will no longer be part of PS 132. Instead, it will have its own name (supposedly it's MS 577) and it will have its own principal. Second, due to possible change in administration and in rules, many of the middle school's exceptional teachers will no longer be teaching in the school during the 2004-05 school term." She adds, "Who knows? These changes may be for the better, or they may be for the worse. Although, these teachers will be greatly missed." (June 2004)

A student complains that a recent change in school leadership has hampered communication between students, teachers, and the administration. She complains that students and teachers are rarely consulted about or informed of impending changes in the school. (June 2004)