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Our Insights

What’s Special

Lots of sports to engage teens who fell behind in 9th grade

The Downside

Some students struggle to get along

Urban Dove (UD) Team Charter School offers several hours of sports every day as a way to engage older students who have struggled in school and who are behind in their studies. Started in 2012, this charter school is open to students who are 14-16 years old and who earned fewer than 9 credits their freshman year. 

The school has a longer day and year. In addition to regular high school classes, teens spend 2.5 hours on seasonal team sports, such as volleyball, softball or basketball, or soccer, weight training, yoga or dance. 

Students are divided into teams of about 16 members with a “coach,” who serves as an adult mentor and travels with them throughout the day for all three years. The coach supports them with friendships, conflicts, organization, and job readiness skills like leadership and teamwork.

The school's founder, Jai Nanda, was a basketball coach at another transfer school, Lower East Side Prep in Manhattan, in the 1990s. He noticed that his team members had better school performance during the sports season, and their attendance dropped after it ended. 

Nearly half the students have special education needs. Every classroom has two teachers: one for general education and one for special education. All students use laptops or iPads to work at their own pace on tasks suited to their needs. With the school’s trimester system, students can earn credits faster and catch up more quickly. However, very few are ready for college-level work by graduation. 

More than 100 students participate in paid internships, mostly at local elementary schools. They help run after-school and summer programs for younger children, planning activities, organizing games, and serving as role models.

Students and staff use restorative practices to address conflicts. They meet in circles once or twice a week to discuss and solve problems together. This method has reduced suspensions. While most students report some bullying on the NYC School Survey, they overwhelmingly say they feel safe in school and that conflicts are resolved fairly. (Lydie Raschka, interview and web reports, August 2024)

 

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Academics

School
Citywide
Transfer school graduation rate
 
52%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
100%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
100%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

260
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
100%
Students with disabilities
 
45%
Multilingual learners
 
6%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
7%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
96%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
73%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
70%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
81%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
83%
2.0
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
57%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey, 2022-23 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

College Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students graduate with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?
 
7%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide
Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

1256 East 21st Street
Brooklyn NY 11210

Trains: G Line to Bedford-Nostrand Aves

Buses: B38, B44, B44-SBS


Contact

Principal: Chris Barfield

Phone: 917-588-1002

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares a building with East Midwood Hebrew Day School

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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