The first kindergarten class is expected to begin this coming fall

Teachers College and the New York City Department of Education (DOE)are preparing to open a new public elementary school for children living in New York City’s Community School District 5. The Teachers College Community School is scheduled to begin with a class of kindergarten students in September 2011. The only criterion for admission is residency in Community School District 5. Students will be selected by lottery. Jeanene Worrell-Breeden, a highly accomplished and innovative educator who is currently the principal at P.S. 30 in the Bronx, will serve as the new school’s leader.

“The Teachers College Community School will offer children and families an outstanding academic program coupled with community services to support happy, healthy living and learning,” said Nancy Streim, Associate Vice President for School and Community Partnerships. “TC faculty from across the College have been--and will continue to be—instrumental in guiding the school’s development and success.”

The Teachers College Community School will also anchor a consortium of Teachers College Partnership Schools, established through a recent Memorandum of Understanding between TC and the DOE. Starting with six schools, the consortium is expected to expand to as many as 12 schools in northern Manhattan.

The Teachers College Community School will open this fall at a temporary site within P.S. 133, located on 5th Avenue at 131st Street, and enroll a kindergarten class with up to 50 students. TC and the DOE are reviewing options for a permanent site closer to Teachers College for the 2012–13 school year.

TC and the DOE are holding a series of parent outreach and information sessions, and the lottery is scheduled for June.

“The Teachers College Community School represents a milestone in our legacy of shaping practices and policies in public education,” said Streim. “Launching the new elementary school and establishing the TC Partnership Schools consortium demonstrates our strong commitment to invest TC’s expertise and resources in providing quality educational opportunities for children in our community.”

More information about the school will be posted as it becomes available on www.tc.edu/communityschool or email communityschool@tc.edu.

Published Thursday, May. 19, 2011