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What’s Special
International Baccalaureate program
The Downside
Tiny school with limited courses and activities
Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy (BELA), a tiny all-girls charter high school opened in 2017, aims to provide a strong education in science and technology to young women in and around Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Students take International Baccalaureate courses and receive a laptop computer in their first year which they may keep after graduation.
Academics and Instruction: All students are required to take a minimum of 3 to 4 classes from the challenging International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum with the option of receiving an IB diploma by taking and passing the full sequence of courses.
Classes are driven by discussion, and students are encouraged to ask questions of their teachers. Chairs and desks have wheels, so they can be easily reconfigured from a lecture-style into a circle. Classes run for 75 minutes, which is meant to prepare students for college classes. There are on average 20 students per classroom.
Students study either Arabic and Spanish and all take SAT prep classes.
All 9th-graders take visual art, dance and theater and in upper grades choose which electives they want to take.
Culture and Environment: Students meet with a teacher mentor for a weekly “leadership academy,” which is similar to advisory in other schools. Each grade is assigned its own clinical social worker who stays with them throughout their four years at the school.
The school uses a “restorative justice” approach to discipline that minimizes suspensions and promotes positive behavior through conversation, reflection, and corrective action.
Clubs and extracurricular activities include student government, art, a financial literacy group, and theater. Clubs often change from year to year.
Policies regarding academics and student life are outlined in a 57-page handbook.
Special Education and English as a New Language (ENL): BELA offers ICT (integrated co-teaching) classes, which are taught by two teachers, one trained in special education. There are no dedicated ENL classes. Students learning English get extra support from the world language faculty.
Building and Facilities: BELA is on the second floor and half of the third floor of a building it shares with two other schools: Whitelaw Reid Academy of Arts and Business and The Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance.
The shared campus has a gym, auditorium and cafeteria. BELA’s floor includes a library and science lab. Students from the three schools share some sports teams, such as basketball.
College and Career: Students take “post-secondary” classes starting in 9th grade designed to prepare them for the world beyond BELA. All students are required to participate in a “beyond BELA experience” each summer, which could be anything from a pre-college program, an internship, studying abroad, athletics camp, or the Summer Youth Employment Program. Students take “exposure trips” to colleges and universities. (Dashiell Allen, interview, July 2024)
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School Stats
Academics
Students
Race/Ethnicity
Safety & Vibe
Advanced Courses
Calculus
Not offered in 2021-21Computer Science
Not offered in 2021-21Physics
Advanced Foreign Language
AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science
AP/IB Math or Science
Music
Not offered in 2021-21College Readiness
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Contact & Location
Location
125 Stuyvesant Avenue
Brooklyn
NY
11221
Trains: to Kosciuszko St; , to Myrtle Ave
Buses: B15, B47, B54, B38, B46, B46 SBS, Q24
Contact
Other Details
This school shares a building with The Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance
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