P.S. 62 Inocensio Casanova

PS 62 is a well-run neighborhood school that sets high expectations for students, many of whom need extra help and get it in small group work with a teacher. Parents are welcome here and regularly receive reports on their children’s math and reading levels, as well as tips for how to help them at home, according to the Quality Review. 

Children are placed in classrooms and small groups based on the skills they need to improve, according to a set of yearly goals called the Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP). For instance, the entire 1st and 2nd grade classrooms are split into small groups for phonics work depending on their reading level. In another example, a group of English-as-a-New-Language students may be placed together in one classroom so that a second teacher, with special training, can give them extra guidance.

The school has put much effort into the social and emotional health of its students in recent years. Working with Yale University’s RULER program, teachers help kids identify and manage intense feelings such as anger, fear or disappointment. 

Attendance is a challenge. The student population comes and goes, because a number of children come from a network of homeless shelters around the school. A large percentage of students live in foster homes as well, and still others are in transition from shelters and foster homes. 

Marquis Studios provides visual arts, dance, drumming and theater, according to the Arts in Schools report. Dance and visual arts take place in partnership with the 92nd Street Y. 

ADMISSIONS: Neighborhood school (Lydie Raschka, web reports, May 2020)