New Design High School

New Design opened in 2003 with the idea that studying design helps students develop strong academic, social and emotional skills. One of five small high schools housed in the Seward Park Educational Campus, New Design is an artsy, laid-back place with a strong design program, lots of new technology and effective community partnerships.

Students take a four-year sequence of design courses, each year focusing on a different theme and type of media. In 9th grade, students study identity through visual arts; in 10th grade they explore community through fashion or construction; in 11th grade , three-dimensional perspectives drives the furniture design curriculum; and in 12th grade, students consider their future in digital media or in advanced fashion design.

The hallways are lined with patches of blackboard decorated with drawings and inspirational messages etched in colored chalk. Teachers have lots of flexibility in class structure and each class we visited had a different arrangement of chairs. We heard soft jazz music playing in one room while students worked at laptops.

In 9th grade English students must learn to write "an amazing" paragraph," according to founding Principal Scott Conti. "Once you can you can write one amazing paragraph, you can write a lot more." Speaking, listening, and reflection are core milestones in Socratic Seminar, the 10th grade English course where students spend entire lessons addressing each other directly while seated in chairs arranged in a large circle.

Typical students at New Design enter high school performing below grade level. Class sizes are small, most have fewer than 25 students. Some, like English, are taught in longer periods of up to 75 minutes. Most students don't take Regents Algebra and Living Environment until 10th grade; they spend their freshman year shoring up fundamental skills in pre-algebra and human ecology. Spanish is the only foreign language taught.

Class offerings are limited. Stronger students may take Advanced Placement classes, and there are College Now courses as well as an advanced Spanish class for native speakers. One ambitious, tech-savvy senior we met took the 12th grade digital design course during his sophomore year to free up his senior schedule for college-level courses.

New Design participates in iZone360, the Department of Education's school technology initiative. "We're moving to the Cloud," said Conti referring to the school's increased use of online technology such as Google Docs. As part of iZone360, New Design received funding for teachers to commit extra hours to a range of responsibilities including one-on-one tutoring, documenting lesson plans online and providing regular and detailed feedback to students via online programs.

The school benefits from strong community partnerships. New York University provides student teachers. Community of Unity, a not-for-profit youth development organization runs health, wellness and character development programs onsite. The school also has affiliations with cultural and arts organizations such as Urban Arts, Rooftop films and the Museum of Art and Design.

College admission: Nearly all graduates attend college, with half enrolling in four-year programs, schools officials said. The school has a full-time college advisor.

Special education: New Design has ICT (Integrated Collaborative Teaching) classes each lead by two teachers; some also have a paraprofessional.

After school: Through Urban Arts, students participate in off-site arts and academic activities. Student athletes can participate in the campus-wide PSAL teams. There's a skate boarding program on the building's roof top.

Admissions: Students are admitted according to the educational option formula designed to ensure a mix of low- average and high achieving students. (Laura Zingmond, October 2011)