Students aren’t the only people learning at Harlem Academy.

We knew our students were prolific writers, but were they good writers?  “Not as good as they could be,” said writing and curriculum consultant Dr. Ted Fish when we asked him to review student portfolios and observe classes in the fall of 2008.

Upon receiving this feedback, our teachers immediately set out to improve their instruction.  Beginning with a four-day workshop, the team designed and implemented an evaluation system to better assess writing progress.  By this fall, our curriculum will align with Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and will combat 20 of the most common writing errors cited by university professors.  

Our teachers embraced, rather than dismissed, Dr. Fish’s critical feedback. Their dedication to improvement through self-reflection and action permeates our school’s culture. Emblematic of this ethos, middle school teacher Allison Murray challenges herself to dissolve barriers to excellent science instruction within an urban environment.  Last year, she initiated a partnership with the New York Restoration Project that yielded weekly outings with biologists who taught her students how to establish and maintain a community garden and promote a greener New York.  

I hope you enjoy this newsletter and its focus on our writing and science instruction.  Please come visit this spring to see our entire program in action.  When you do, remember that every great lesson is the product of intentional, ongoing learning by
our teachers.

­—Vincent Dotoli, Head of School