SUNNYSIDE — The city added 64 schools to a program that lets them buck standard Department of Education and union rules to create their own alternative programs.
The Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence (PROSE) program — which launched in 62 schools last year — lets teachers collaborate to break city-mandated curriculum and rules to create their own, with the approval of the DOE and the union.
"This is one of the most exciting developments in education in New York City," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
"The PROSE concept will rewrite our approach to education from the ground up."
The program has allowed educators to mandate longer school days by staggering teachers work schedules, increase weekend programs, combine subjects in hybrid courses or create seminar-style classes with students from different grades, like in Michael J. Petrides School in Staten Island.
"This is about what teachers want, what they need to discuss with each other," said Schools Commissioner Carmen Farina.
"This is about staff going through many months of discussion and about bringing everybody to the table and not just talking about what you want to do but why you want to do it."
Teachers in the school participate in the process of creating the new curriculum and the majority of them must vote in order to approve joining PROSE.
"You come in from above and say I have a better idea and therefore you're going to do this, that's not going to work," said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers.
"You're not going to make substantial change unless you engage in the power of people who have chosen to be in that classroom."
In addition to Petrides, Concord High School will be the other Staten Island school added to PROSE in the fall.
Other schools that will join include M.S. 390 in the Bronx, Riverdale Avenue Community School in Brooklyn, Forest Elementary School in Queens and Tompkins Square Middle School in Manhattan.
The city will monitor the progress of the program in the schools using several measures — including grades and feedback from parents and teachers.
