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Award Recipients

Alan D. Cohen
P.S. 69X | 560 Thieriot Avenue | Bronx

When Alan Cohen became Principal in 2003, P.S. 69 had been designated a School in Need of Improvement by the State of New York and was in jeopardy of being taken over for poor grades. He set about building a community – "a climate of open communication, sharing, collaboration, and respect."

"There's no magic formula, but what I did give people were options and opportunities where they'd never had them before," says Principal Cohen. He began reform at P.S. 69 with the implementation of conflict resolution platforms for teachers, students, and parents. In fact, a couple of years ago on a visit to City Hall, a few of P.S. 69's fourth graders told Mayor Bloomberg that they would personally help him resolve conflict at the office, because thanks to their school's peer mediation program, they had 'negotiation skills.'

Principal Cohen introduced a writing process across the grades that connected students' writing to reading through their favorite authors; implemented enrichment clusters in architecture, gardening, photography, and journalism; and put into effect an extended instructional platform, with school beginning at 7:00 am and ending at 5:00 pm. They also offered Saturday School, Spring and Winter Holiday Learning Institutes, and a Summer Enrichment Institute.

The school's most recent score on the New York City Department of Education Progress Report was 98.7%. In mathematics, student proficiency has increased more than 40% in four years, and when compared to their peers at similar schools, the students at P.S. 69 performed 121.5% better. In reading, scores on standardized tests have improved by more than 30% in four years. When compared to their peers at similar schools, the students at P.S. 69 performed 99% better.

Principal Cohen grew up in Brooklyn and attended New York City public schools. He is a graduate of Brooklyn College, holds an M.S. in Special Education from NYU, and has trained at the NYC Leadership Academy.

Alice Hom
Yung Wing Elementary P.S. 124 | 40 Division Street | Manhattan

Alice Hom has served as principal of P.S. 124 since 2002. In that time, she has boosted test scores in reading and math, emphasized professional development for teachers, and created a collaborative learning environment with the active involvement of parents and community resources. With family involvement being essential to P.S. 124's success, she has engaged parents in school committees focused on school safety, crisis management and grant writing. She has also created annual Career and Field Days and established ongoing partnerships with New York Cares and Urban Farming.

Principal Hom initiated a five-year plan in 2005 to develop a school-wide Enrichment Model. Collaborations with arts programs such as Studio in a School, the National Dance Institute, and cultural institutions such as the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Natural History provide students with hands-on learning experiences that foster their social and academic growth. Staged performances and the annual Literacy Fair allow students to showcase their talents and skills as performing artists, visual artists, dancers, writers, and budding scientists. The school's musical concerts and, in particular, its annual Chinese New Year Gala, are well attended by families and community partners.

The achievements of P.S. 124's students are reflected in standardized tests, which show that almost 87% of students are reading at or above grade level and nearly 93% are performing at or above grade level in mathematics.

Principal Hom was born and raised in the Bronx and attended New York City public schools. She holds degrees from Barnard College (B.A., Psychology), Teachers College at Columbia University (M.A., Special Education), and Pace University (M.S., Supervising and Administration).

Dr. Sandye Poitier-Johnson
Thurgood Marshall Academy of Learning and Social Justice
200-214 West 135 Street | Manhattan

Dr. Sandye Poitier-Johnson has been the principal of Thurgood Marshall Academy of Learning and Social Justice (TMA) for 11 years. The school was among the first New Visions Schools (small learning communities), but it did not initially flourish as anticipated. With a staff consisting primarily of new teachers and no permanent site, the school suffered from poor academic performance, many behavioral incidents, and no effective professional development. In 1996, scheduled to close after three changes of leadership, Sandye Poitier-Johnson, a special education teacher in Brooklyn, replaced its third principal.

Today, the school boasts a graduation rate consistently 20 to 30% higher than the city-wide average. In 2000, only 9% of students passed the Math A Regents. This year, 82% of the students taking the Math A Regents scored at or above grade level; 89% of the students who took the English Regents this year passed, with 65% of them passing at the higher levels. The school has consistently met its targets for the State Department of Education and is a school in good standing.

"Our students must develop the level of stamina needed to do more rigorous academic courses in the upper grades so they can be prepared to compete successfully in a global workforce and marketplace," says Principal Poitier-Johnson. With this in mind, TMA applied to become an International Baccalaureate school to implement the Middle Years Program, which focuses primarily on critical thinking skills, study skills, and proficiency in a second language. TMA will be the first New York City Title 1 public school to offer this program.

In 11 years, Principal Poitier-Johnson has transformed TMA from a school that was almost shuttered to a safe haven for learning from which more than 85% of graduating students are accepted to college.

Principal Poitier-Johnson was born and raised in central Harlem and attended public New York City junior high and high schools. She holds degrees from Morgan State University (B.S., Psychology), Bank Street College of Education (M.S., Special Education), and Teachers College at Columbia University (Ed.D., Learning Disabilities).

Ruth N. Quiles
P.S. 131 | 4305 Fort Hamilton Parkway | Brooklyn

When Ruth Quiles arrived at P.S. 131, School of Performing Arts, in 1999, the school had been identified as a School in Need of Improvement by New York State.

Among the first things Principal Quiles noted was that the school's English Language Arts (ELA) scores were deficient. Committed to discovering and combating the reason for this, she found that the writing portion of the ELA was lowering the students' overall scores. She arranged professional development for teachers through the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project and implemented a Writers Workshop across the entire school. This focus on writing began to show immediate results.

Later, she discovered that the school's English Language Learners were not performing as well as monolingual students. Today, 40% of the student body consists of English Language Learners. To focus attention on this need, Principal Quiles engaged the entire staff in a study of English Language Learners to reinforce the notion that English Language Learners were not the sole responsibility of bilingual and English as a Second Language teachers. In so doing, she further solidified the school community and the notion of everyone learning and growing as one.

Principal Quiles also successfully pursued a Magnet Grant in Performing and Visual Arts. "When a student leaves our school he or she will have had the opportunity to explore a variety of mediums that they may use to express themselves and to be successful in addition to academics," says Principal Quiles. P.S. 131 now has partnerships with Studio in a School, Leap, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Ballroom Dancing, and Lincoln Center, broadening the students' exposure to the arts. During the past year, Principal Quiles has also initiated a system for providing intervention and enrichment based on the individual needs of students. One component of this program provides small group instruction to at-risk students at the end of each school day.

A native of Brooklyn, Principal Quiles attended New York City Public Schools. She earned her degrees from St. Joseph's College (B.A., Education – Dual Certification) and Brooklyn College (M.S., Education; Advanced Certificate, Administration and Supervision).

Rima Ritholtz
P.S. 176X | 850 Baychester Avenue | Bronx

With nearly 500 students with autism spectrum disorder, P.S. 176X is the largest New York City school serving students with autism, ages 2.9 through 21. The school's 76 classes are located in four general education schools: P.S. 178X, P.S. 153X, I.S. 181X, and Truman High School.

During the 11 years that Rima Ritholtz has been principal of P.S. 176X, data has shown students progressing well, moving into larger groups, and scoring levels 3 and 4 on the New York State Alternate Assessment (equivalent to standardized testing for severely challenged students).

P.S. 176X has been recognized by the New York State Department of Education as one of five schools in New York State with an effective program for students with autism. The school was selected as a Collaborative Community of Practice the first year the program was instituted in New York City and serves as a mentor school.

The school offers rich, creative, instructional programs with students participating in a chorus, drum line, rock band, flute-a-phone ensemble, prom, and family camping trip.

Community programs include the "Best Buddy Program," a national program that facilitates connections between general education students and students with disabilities. Parents are offered monthly activities that engage them as partners in their children's education. These include workshops, advocacy information, in-classroom activities, networking, and recreational opportunities. "These parents want for their children the same thing I want for my children," says Principal Ritholtz. "That's the mission of our school," she says, "to give them a quality of education better than any student anywhere regardless of their challenges."

Principal Ritholtz was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Roslyn, New York. She holds degrees from SUNY Stony Brook (B.S., Elementary Education), Long Island University (M.S., Special Education), and Pace University (M.S., School Administration).