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Four second-grade boys at Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx are lying on a rug, kicking their legs in the air as gentle saxophone music plays over a classroom speaker. But their teacher, Mr. Lozada, doesn鈥檛 tell them to sit up straight or stop wiggling: They can wiggle all they want, as long as they focus on the day鈥檚 math lesson on skip counting.

In another part of the room, a girl moves to the whiteboard to write up her solution to a math problem and several others work on iPads, while a co-teacher and a student teacher circulate around the room to help.

At first glance, the fluid classroom structure contrasts with some of the conventional wisdom about what it takes to learn at a聽high-poverty public school ranked higher than nearly 96 percent of elementary schools in New York City鈥攔esults similar to those for the top-performing 鈥渘o excuses鈥� charter schools where strict rules and regimens are credited with success.

Instead, at Concourse Village, a combination of high expectations for students, a flat reporting structure that places a premium on teacher empowerment, and an innovative literacy-first approach in all subjects are helping the 361 students excel. Eighty-eight percent of students passed English and math state tests in 2018, more than 40 points higher than the citywide average, and in 2018, the school was awarded a Blue Ribbon for Excellence from the U.S. Department of Education. 聽

Part of the school鈥檚 effectiveness stems from a belief that all students can learn when given access to both high-quality teaching practices and a supportive and safe learning environment, says Principal Alexa Sorden, a former teacher whose children also attend the school. Every morning, teachers greet children with hugs and handshakes as they arrive at school, scan for any signs of trouble, and intervene accordingly.

鈥淲e are located in the poorest congressional district in the nation. For a long time that was used as the excuse as to why success wasn鈥檛 happening,鈥� said Sorden of the students, 15 percent of whom are homeless. 鈥淎s a leader of a school, I don鈥檛 have conversations about whether a student has an IEP or lives in a shelter鈥擨 don鈥檛 believe those things stop you.鈥�

Getting on the Same Page

The school wasn鈥檛 always a success story.

In 2013, Sorden reopened the elementary school after its predecessor was shut down for poor performance and disrepair.

鈥淧reviously, there wasn鈥檛 any consistency,鈥� says Sorden, who grew up in nearby Washington Heights in a low-income household. 鈥淚 needed everything to be aligned鈥攆rom the furniture to the language鈥攕o the children could have a sense of predictability and feel safe.鈥�

When the same first and second graders returned for Sorden鈥檚 first fall on campus, they were greeted by a freshly painted building, new modular furniture, and new teachers. Part of the transformation included a shift in leadership that gave teachers more autonomy. A flat leadership structure鈥擲orden is the only administrator on campus鈥攅ncourages Concourse Village staff to learn from each other and trust that they know what鈥檚 best for their students.

Using a carefully choreographed procedure called intervisitation,聽Sorden pairs off teachers with complementary strengths and weaknesses. For six weeks at a time, these pairs, or 鈥済rowth partners,鈥� visit each other鈥檚 classrooms once a week for 15 minutes to observe. Afterward, they meet to offer feedback in the same format that they teach kids: TAG (tell something you like, ask a question, and give a suggestion).

When Lizzette Nunez, a fourth-grade English and social studies teacher, came to teach at Concourse Village she noticed that there 鈥渨as a difference in the climate.鈥�

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 鈥楥lose your door.鈥� It was 鈥榃e are a team; we are going to help you; we are going to work together. If I have a best practice, I am going to share it with you鈥�,鈥� she said.

A Literacy-First Approach

To establish effective practices in the school, Sorden drew on her own nine years of experience as a classroom teacher and literacy coach, when she developed an approach called Collaborative Reading, a blend of choral reading and close reading.

In the model, students read portions of new, challenging grade-level and above-grade-level texts aloud together every day to improve vocabulary and boost reading proficiency. Then, they answer questions in small groups following the MACAS method (main idea, annotation, comprehension, 补耻迟丑辞谤鈥檚 purpose, and summary) to demystify the often-opaque process of analysis in a shared, safe space before trying it on their own.

The school also emphasizes that literacy skills should be taught in all disciplines. Every class, from art to math, focuses on close reading and reflective writing to build students鈥� critical thinking about texts.

鈥淚 was prepared because the teachers taught me well,鈥� says Kianna Beato, a CVES graduate and current seventh-grade student, who cites techniques such as annotation and rereading in both math and English as boosting her confidence and ability. 鈥淚 knew there was nothing to be afraid of in a different school.鈥�

In Yasmin Al-Hanfoosh鈥檚 class, Mozart is playing as third graders work in groups of six on close reading of scientific text. Al-Hanfoosh directs students to look at words that are in the prompt鈥斺�淲hat are magnets used for?鈥濃�攖hat聽are also in the text to find the main idea in the passage. When they finish, they go to a station and practice finding the main idea on their own in a new article.

In math classes, all students follow a set of five standard steps when they solve math word problems: annotate the problem; think of a plan to solve it; use a strategy to solve it; describe how it was solved using labels and math language; and finally, make connections by identifying patterns and rules.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important because their reading skills are going to improve,鈥� explains Blair Pacheco, a math and science teacher. 鈥淭hey are honing in on specific words, so it鈥檚 going to help them get the gist and really understand the content of what they are reading.鈥�

A Culture of High Expectations

The focus on literacy has even extended to developing a deeper understanding and appreciation for art.

In Courtney Watson鈥檚 second-grade art class, students discussed sophisticated concepts like how color conveys mood in artist Romare Bearden鈥檚 The Block and Edward Hopper鈥檚 Railroad Embankment, and how mood connects to understanding features of rural, urban, and suburban communities. Afterward, they applied the themes to their own pieces of artwork.

鈥淎 text can sometimes be very intimidating, especially for a struggling reader or an English language learner,鈥� said Watson, referencing the student demographics. 鈥淎rt is a universal language鈥攅very child can read a piece of art.鈥�

This interdisciplinary approach has pushed many Concourse Village students above grade level in reading and math proficiency, including students who started at the school knowing little to no English. Notably, English language learners and students with disabilities, who number roughly a quarter of the student population, than general education students on math and English language arts state tests.

鈥淲e are a community鈥攖hat鈥檚 a true statement,鈥� says second-grade teacher Richard Lozada, who grew up near the school. 鈥淚 have support; I can go to anyone. It鈥檚 making people feel very comfortable to ask what is needed and learn from each other.鈥澛�