Community School District 1
80 Montgomery Street
New York, NY 10002

Contact: Dr. Paul A. Loughran, Deputy Superintendent
Telephone: 212.602.9771
Fax: 212.602.9714

**Program Description**

Manhattan's Lower East Side is a community characterized by high rates of poverty, homelessness and crime. Safe, clean parks are scarce. Once-abandoned buildings are now renovated for new community members. However, drugs and violence still surround our schools. In fact, they knock at the doorsteps. New neighbors of artists and professional families add to the diversity of our neighborhood. What was once a community exploding with immigrants, our district now has seen a serious decline in student population. With declining enrollments, new alternative schools and Special Education schools began to share school buildings. The Lower East Side Violence Prevention Project targets five shared school buildings: Public School 196*, Public School 61, Public School 63, Public School 64 and Public School 15. The goals of the project are as follows:

1. To create a safe school environment for children to learn and grow
2. To maximize the learning potential of all students by supporting basic skills instruction
   as week as identifying and nurturing students' talents
3. To provide children, parents and staff with effective strategies for developing social responsibility and resolving conflicts creatively and nonviolently.
   
   

Program activities include refining and implementing a safe school plan in each building, and continuation of an inter-school steering committee and community workshops. An extended day program (three days per week) will offer both academic support and talent development for teachers will be an ongoing part of the project. Teachers will develop interdisciplinary curriculum incorporating the Violence Prevention strategies. Expert consultants from Bank Street College of Education and Center of Talent Development (College of Computer/Literacy Center (funded by Consortium for Worker Education) will continue to serve as centers for parent workshops and activities. Loisaida Family Services, a neighborhood organization, will provide support for workshops and parenting skills. Partnership with Children will provide training in "Creating Peaceful Communities" for parents and "Resolving Conflicts Creatively" for teachers. A cohort of Peer Mediators (General and Special Education students). Additionally, workshops for parents and computer literacy classes for staff and families.

*Public School 196 building will serve as the model site

. **Program Sites**
Public School 196
Principal:

Public School 61
Principal:

Public School 63
Principal:

Public School 64
Principal:

Public School 15
Principal:
Funded Organizations:
Community School District One