WCS’s School House Rocks NYC Department of Education's Charts
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School
for Wildlife Conservation Scores an “A"
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Bronx
Families Finally Seeing Achievement
Gap Close
Thanks
to School for Wildlife Conservation
Bronx, N.Y. – October 8, 2009 – The School
for Wildlife Conservation is proud to announce that after only two years of
operation it has been given a grade of A, the highest score awarded by New York
City’s Department of Education, on its first ever progress report.
“We
are very proud of this progress after just two years,” says Don Lisowy,
Director of Education for the Wildlife Conservation Society. “The
students and teachers are working very hard. This grade is not easily
achieved by a school in its second year. We want to thank all who have
supported this effort.”
Lisowy
explained that each school is graded on three areas – School Environment,
which is survey based, Student Performance (Levels on the ELA and Math State
Exam) and, the most weighted section, Student Progress. The final grade
is then determined in comparison to schools in a Peer Group – those that
share similar demographics (level of poverty, special education, ELL, etc.).
“Our
school stands as a beacon of hope for the families in the Bronx
– as a successful school where the achievement gap is finally
closing,” says Lisowy.
The Urban Assembly
School for Wildlife Conservation
(UASWC) opened in September 2007 in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS), NYC Department of Education, and the Phipps Community Development Corporation
to provide underserved Bronx youth with a
middle school education focused on wildlife science and conservation.
Students have access to the Bronx Zoo as a living laboratory and WCS
researchers as mentors, speakers and guests. At UASWC, students learn how
to ask questions within a scientific-inquiry method, conduct research, collect
data and determine whether their answers are right or wrong.
In 1929,
the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo established the first and
longest operating Education Department of any zoo in the country.
Today,
WCS provides educational services to more than two million people in
the New York metro area, trains 13,500 New York City teachers, and
educates hundreds
of thousands of students in 50 states and 14 countries. WCS has won
more
Education Awards from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA)
than any
other zoological institution and is the only informal science
institution with
comprehensive curricular programs that have been recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education for their outstanding educational merit.
Contact:
Max Pulsinelli 718-220-5182, mpulsinelli@wcs.org
The
Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places
worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and
the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led
by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes
towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in
harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the
integrity of life on Earth.