P.S. 208 Elsa Ebeling

PS 208 Elsa Ebeling is a small neighborhood school that has long served generations of families who are primarily of Caribbean and African descent. The parent coordinator not only sent her own three children there, but also attended herself.

On the day of our visit, kids in maroon jumpers and pale yellow shirts enjoyed painting, writing, planting seeds, dancing and playing games outside. Pre-kindergarten classrooms were equipped with blocks and dramatic play areas in spacious uncluttered classrooms.

The school has a beautiful outdoor play space with a running track and four square courts. On nice days the gym teacher holds classes outdoors. Children in pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade go outside nearly everyday for free play.

The school day runs form 8 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. but parents may drop their children off at 7:30 a.m. Children told us they feel supported by their teachers and challenged in their classrooms. “Teachers care for us,” said one. “The work is fun.” Fifth graders said their homework load is about one hour per night.

The building is clean with well-lit classrooms and lots of student work on the walls. Written work showed a range of abilities. Kids learn how to edit their own work to get it ready to publish.

Former assistant principal Nakoley Renville took the helm in 2015. She has an open door policy, she said, and has been working to move the school from a more traditional model, in which teachers do most of the talking, to a more student-centered one where kids discuss topics with each other and do hands-on projects.

"I'm proud of the work we are doing here," Renville said. "We work hard at understanding and learning cutting edge techniques so kids can compete with 21st century skills." 

Renville acknowledged the school has seen a drastic decline in enrollment in recent years. She attributes this to the growth of charter schools in the area that offer longer hours, and the fact that some young families can no longer afford to live in the area. Some of her families have left for charter schools but some have returned because they experienced high teacher turnover and felt a loss of community, she said.  

Children at PS 208 said they would like more after-school programs. Current offerings are not held on a regular basis and mostly consist of test prep, they said.

The school has a Scouts program on Friday evenings and the principal seemed especially proud that PS 208 participates in the district-wide initiative My Brother's Keeper, a movement to break down barriers to success at school and in other aspects of life for boys and young men of color.

ADMISSIONS: Neighborhood school (Mica Vanterpool, June 2018)