School of the Future Brooklyn

The School of the Future Brooklyn, opened in 2013, was designed to replicate the success of the original School of the Future in Manhattan, with classes that focus on “real world problems and solutions,” according to the school’s website.

The tiny East New York school has struggled with low levels of academic achievement, poor attendance and uneven discipline. Students don’t feel challenged, according to a Department of Education evaluation known as the Quality Review.

The school serves a large proportion of children with special needs, students learning English, and students in temporary housing, according to the Comprehensive Educational Plan.

Robert Burnside, a graduate of the principal’s Institute at Bank Street College, became principal in 2017, replacing the founding principal, Sarah Kaufmann, who taught at the original School of the Future in Manhattan. Burnside, a member of the National Alliance of Black School Educators, has long experience in alternative schools in Westchester County where he successfully improved attendance, academic achievement and school climate, according to the school website.

The school shares a building with Brooklyn Gardens Elementary School.

Admissions: District 19 school choice. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, May 2019)