SEPTEMBER 2008 UPDATE: Seth Litt, a graduate of the city's Leadership Academy, which trains aspiring principals, became principal in August 2008 - the third principal in three years. Litt is replacing former Principal Marvin Reid, who became principal on August 30, 2007 and replaced Louis Corominas.

MAY 2004 REVIEW: Located in a worn, South Bronx neighborhood, IS 217 is one of two mid-sized schools created when IS 116, a big, struggling middle school, was broken up in September 2002. IS 217 occupies the 1st and 2nd floors of the building, and IS 216 occupies the top two floors. The principal of IS 217, Louis Corominas, is not new to the building: he was principal of IS 116 for more than 10 years before the school was reorganized. Corominas and his counterpart at IS 216, Domingo Martinez, appear to have a friendly rapport, though there is little collaboration between the two schools.

The school is clean, hallways seem under control and there's a nice new library. Unlike most middle schools, however, the building has a metal detector at its entrance something that Corominas says helps to set a safe tone inside. On the day of our visit, hallways were being painted, and were stripped of bulletin board displays, giving the school a bare feel. While we saw a few good teachers, we also saw a handful of classrooms where little was going on or lessons were uninspired. In one math class, kids had old, battered textbooks.

The administration plans to reorganize IS 217 into six "learning communities," or mini-schools emphasizing special topics, in fall 2004. Corominas was enthusiastic about the change, and said he hopes the themes chorus, art, band, drama, dance, and photo/computer will help engage kids by allowing them to focus on a talent of their choosing.

The parent coordinator said that many of the parents are Spanish speakers and she is working hard to encourage them to become active at the school through such efforts as inviting them to workshops on a host of topics. IS 217 has several bilingual classes for Spanish-speaking students.

Special education: While there are several "self-contained" classes only for students who receive special education services, the school is moving toward "inclusion" classes that mix special education and general education students, according to Corominas. (Deborah Apsel, May 2004)