In December, Arts & Letters won approval to expand our middle school downward to include elementary grades, eventually becoming a K-8 school.  And now, happily, we are engaged in the important and exciting work of recruiting children, families, and teachers to build a vibrant, meaningful educational institution in Brooklyn. (See our website for information on upcoming information sessions and how to apply.)

In my last post, Getting diversity on the agenda, many commenters wrote about the controversy surrounding our proposal and their fear that creating a school of "choice" in the district could create separate and unequal systems. I want to address some of those concerns

We are committed to creating a diverse school in District 13 which is, according to this New York Times Interactive map of the census, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city. We have a recruiting plan in place that we believe will capture the district's diversity by casting a very wide net, even with the random selection process required by the Department of Education. We are making hundreds of phone calls, walking, emailing, and faxing flyers all around the district, and enlisting our middle school students to alert their cousins, nieces, and younger siblings about this new option.<!--more-->

Some  question whether "choice" schools are good for the school system, arguing that they can drain the neighborhood schools of the most active families.  As a parent, I believe choice is a good thing. For my own child, I considered distance from home, the social-emotional environment, the teaching philosophy, and size. I wanted to be able to see what types of educational experiences my children would have and to choose the one that best fits us.  For my family, some factors were more important than others. This is true for every family.

As an educator, I also believe choice is a good thing for New York City. Healthy competition can bring everyone along together (it has certainly pushed our middle school to be better as we've had to compete for students), and families should have the right to look around and decide what type of environment will best fit their child's personality, learning needs, and family.

There will always be dissenting opinions, and this is the great opportunity of diversity. The conversation about choice is important, and we are looking forward to continuing the dialogue as our school grows.