Education
With 1.1 million students attending more than 1,600 schools, New York City’s is the largest public school system in the United States. Through its education program, the Helmsley Charitable Trust seeks to support high-quality teaching and learning in schools to close persistent achievement gaps, to address the tremendous diversity in students’ learning and language ability, and to advance educational outcomes community-wide.
Citywide
The Trust’s citywide investments will:
a) Support innovative policy initiatives designed to drive systemic change relating to issues that potentially impact every NYC student, such as aligned curriculum and assessment design and implementation, teacher development and evaluation systems, etc.;
b) Fund promising educational models that improve service to vulnerable populations and may be scalable.
A Place-Based Approach in the South Bronx
Geography: The Trust’s major education investments will target traditional public schools and high-performing public charter schools in school districts #9 and #12 in the South Bronx. The Trust will connect schools with high-quality programs that advance student achievement and effectively engage families, ultimately helping to create a pipeline of outstanding educational options for local students from birth through college completion.
Purpose: Informed by research-based evidence regarding best practices and effective interventions as well as the stated needs of local educational leaders, the Trust’s program in the Bronx will provide a broad spectrum of schools-based services targeting students from early childhood through college completion.
Participation: All schools will have the opportunity to apply to individual organizations funded by the Trust and its partners for services appropriate for their students, and in many cases, school cost share will help expand the impact of the Trust’s investments in these districts. A Web-based, professional learning community for educators and service providers will help schools share best practices and foster collaborative networks among schools.
Grantee Selection: Grantees will be selected based on their demonstrated track record of driving academic achievement, youth development outcomes and other meaningful measures of success for students living in high-poverty neighborhoods. The Trust will also seek prospective grantees with expertise serving students with special needs, English Language Learners, and other vulnerable populations.
Examples of high-quality services and interventions include:
- Teacher and principal professional development
- Extended day, extended year, and summer learning programs
- Youth development programs
- School culture transformation interventions
- Programs supporting postsecondary matching, access and persistence