Seventeen schools on a list of 60 targeted as "academically struggling" earlier this fall are now slated for closure, Deputy Schools Chancellor Marc Sternberg said today, with more school closures to be announced tomorrow. If approved, two of the schools would be closed at the end of the school year -- MS 45 in East Harlem and Freedom Academy in downtown Brooklyn --  the others would be phased out more slowly, with current students allowed to stay until graduation.

Three of the 17 schools are elementary schools, six are middle schools, seven are high schools and one, Choir Academy, serves grades 6-12. Most have previously been identified as troubled and at risk of being shut down. A few are large neighborhood high schools, such as Lehman in the Bronx and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, but others are small high schools, created as an alternative to huge zoned schools, such as Bread and Rosesand Jonathan Levin High School for Media and Communications. All have test scores and graduation rates that are below the city average.

Sternberg said that the decision to close the schools was made after a "rigorous review of academic performance" this fall. "We expect success," he said. "We've listened to the community and provided comprehensive support services to these schools based on their needs. Ultimately, we know we can better serve our students and families with new options and a new start."

All closures are subject to approval by the Panel for Educational Policy which, in the past, has approved virtually all of the DOE's proposals.

Today's announcement provoked an immediate reaction from parents and community activiists who are opposed to closing poor-performing schools, advocating instead for more support from the DOE. "The Mayor has closed 140 schools, but still hasn't closed the racial achievement gap and students are still no closer to graduating college-ready. Research shows that many new schools are performing worse than the schools they replaced-- that is clear evidence of failure, which is why countless parents, teachers, principals, and students oppose school closures. Mayor Bloomberg needs to own up to his failed policy and give struggling schools the resources and support they need to succeed," said a statement by Zakiyah Ansari, a public school parent and spokeswoman for the NY Coalition for Great Public Schools.

The 17 schools proposed for closure and phase-out are:

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DBN

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School Name

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School Level

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Proposal

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02M625

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High School of Graphic Communication Arts

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HS

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Phase Out

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04M045

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M.S. 45/S.T.A.R.S. Prep Academy

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MS

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Closure

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05M469

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Choir Academy of Harlem

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SS

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Phase Out

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05M685

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Bread & Roses Integrated Arts High School

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HS

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Phase Out

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07X203

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M.S. 203

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MS

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Phase Out

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08X405

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Herbert H. Lehman High School

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HS

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Phase Out

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09X064

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P.S. 064 Pura Belpre

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ES

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Phase Out

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09X414

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Jonathan Levin High School for Media and Communications

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HS

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Phase Out

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11X142

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MS 142 John Philip Sousa

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MS

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Phase Out

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13K509

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Freedom Academy High School

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HS

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Closure

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17K167

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P.S. 167 The Parkway

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ES

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Phase Out

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19K166

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J.H.S. 166 George Gershwin

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MS

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Phase Out

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19K302

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J.H.S. 302 Rafael Cordero

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MS

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Phase Out

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22K495

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Sheepshead Bay High School

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HS

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Phase Out

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23K634

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General D. Chappie James Middle School of Science

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MS

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Phase Out

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28Q140

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P.S. 140 Edward K Ellington

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ES

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Phase Out

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29Q494

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Law, Government and Community Service High School

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HS

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Phase Out

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