Our Insights
What’s Special
Lots of sports to engage teens who struggled in 9th grade
The Downside
Suspension rate is above the citywide average
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 2018, this charter school is open to students who are 14-16 years old and who earned fewer than 9 credits their freshman year. It is based on the first Urban Dove Team Charter in Brooklyn.
The school has a longer day and year. In addition to regular high school classes, students spend 2.5 hours on sports, such as volleyball, softball, basketball, 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 throughout the day for all three years. The coach supports them with friendships, conflicts, academics, organization, and 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.
Many students participate in paid internships 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. While most students report feeling safe at school on the NYC School Survey, the suspension rate is far above the citywide average. (Lydie Raschka, interview and web reports, August 2024)
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Contact & Location
Location
671 Prospect Avenue
Bronx
NY
10455
Contact
Other Details
This school is in its own building.
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