PS 253, The Magnet School of Multicultural Humanities - Brooklyn, NY

P.S. 253 is located in the Brighton Beach community of Brooklyn, New York. We have the privilege of serving 1000 students, grades Pre-k through 5, who bring with them the richness of their diverse cultures. They keep us grounded in the work we do as a school - to provide an education and support system for our students and their families built on a relationship of mutual trust and high expectations. These relationships have supported us in providing students with the confidence, knowledge and open-mindedness to contribute and thrive in a global world.

As Principal Speroni often says, "The success of our school lives in the shared belief that we are all lifelong learners." We believe that we learn best from the teaching and learning we do with one another, sharing a mind-set that every child will succeed. This philosophy has enabled us to create pathways of multiple entries, which offer curriculum access to all our students, resulting in their meeting or exceeding grade level performance targets. We are noted as a Chancellor's Showcase School for practices grounded in meta-cognition and student-centered learning models. These approaches have resulted in students being at the center of the work, and teacher's facilitators of their learning. Through these pedagogical models, students "do the heavy lifting" by taking an active role in reflecting upon their learning and the steps they need to take towards success. This has fostered a sense of personal ownership, the fortitude to persevere, and the willingness to take risks which students will utilize as they pursue their dreams for tomorrow.