Editor’s note: To read a long-form story with profiles of all 15 2014-2015 Blackboard Awards honorees, click HERE!
THE CORLEARS SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: DAVID EGOLF
N-5
324 West 15th Street
corlearsschool.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING NURSERY & GRADE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Corlears believes in partnering as a community to raise leaders in the 21st Century through an education that develops creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication… Corlears employs a pedagogical approach that views the world from multiple perspectives, and seeks to build an economically and culturally diverse community that reflects the vibrant life of New York City. We recognize that students are interested in exploring differences as well as commonality…and we strive to create an atmosphere of respect and appreciation.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
A new program that we introduced this year is Project Time, a dedicated block built into students’ schedules for interdisciplinary problem-solving across the grades 3-5. The first trimester is an elective period that allows students to focus their interest in classes like Literary Performance or News Reporting… The second trimester will be collaborative problem solving of weekly STEAM challenges… Our final trimester will ask students to work in small groups to find solutions to community-based problems.
What’s new?
Our school’s approach to interdisciplinary, student-centered, and collaborative learning is quickly becoming the model for 21st-Century education… We are leveraging what we have always done to reflect the interests of our students and the changing times. For example, at the start of this year, I sat with our pre-K-2 teachers to discuss how we could introduce second language learning to the daily routines of their classrooms. The teachers embraced the challenge, worked with the Spanish teacher, and found ways to bring a partial immersion Spanish program to these grades.
What do you love about your school?
Corlears embodies that love of creativity and celebrates the unique points of view and approaches to learning from all our students. It couldn’t be a better fit for me and my passions. I don’t have a classroom anymore, but I still find ways to connect with students, and these are the most joyful moments in the week. I greet families at the door every day, welcome students to our assembly, and whenever possible, meet with students to get their feedback.
