The School for Human Rights

Our Review

The School for Human Rights does an impressive job of taking students who enter school reading below grade level and graduating them on time. Teachers agree academic standards are high and students say their teachers inspire them to learn, according to the Learning Environment Survey. The school, which serves grades 6-12, opened in the Wingate Educational Complex in September 2004.

Michael Alexander became principal in 2008, and has a good repertoire with the staff: nearly all teachers reported on the 2011-12 Learning Environment Survey that they trust the principal and feel he is an effective leader. Attendance at the school is also very good.

More than 90 percent of students responded in the survey say the school sets high expectations for them. College Now classes and AP calculus are offered for more advanced students. Additionally, more than a quarter of 2011 graduates earned an advanced Regents diploma. However, classes can be large, some with as many as 40 students in the 2010-11 school year.

Though students must pass through metal detectors, the majority of students and staff reported in the survey that they feel safe in the building. A uniform of a school shirt with navy blue or black pants/skirt distinguishes students from other schools in the building.

Afterschool, there are a variety of clubs and activities, including building-wide PSAL sports. Selected students participate in the Global Kids Summer of Service, a 7-week internship program for high school students.

Special education: Classes with special needs students are team-taught by two teachers, one with a special education certification.

Admissions: Priority to continuing 8^th graders, then Brooklyn residents who attend an information session. (Aryn Bloodworth, DOE Statistics, November 2012)