Get more from InsideSchools

A Message from InsideSchools: The data below is the most up-to-date data available from City and State systems. We are working hard to update the narratives for all schools. We welcome your insights in the Comments section. Questions? Ask us!

P.S. 376

Grades: K-5
Staff Pick
194 Harman Street
Brooklyn NY 11237
Phone: 718-573-0781

Our Insights

What’s Special

Kids program robots and grow vegetables indoors

The Downside

Small playground, no pre-kindergarten

Walk into just about any class at PS 376, and you'll see kids who are happily engaged in their work. Children studying Japan make pretend sushi from clay, and chopsticks from pipe-cleaners while their classmates program a doll-like "robot" to teach the alphabet to younger children.

Children grow hydroponic vegetables in an environmental lab, or discuss a book in a "Socratic seminar," in which they sit in a circle and answer open-ended questions from their teacher. In one class, children dance to the hokey pokey. In another, 5th-graders learn to fox trot.

Rarely do you see a teacher talking to the whole class here. Instead, children talk quietly among themselves as they work in groups or individually on their laptops. "My kids are very talkative," Principal Maria Vera-Drucker said proudly as she took us on a tour.

PS 376 uses technology to an unusual degree. Even small children write their essays on computers, and children use computers to learn to match letters and sounds. Some use earphones to listen to books read aloud.

The technology curriculum includes the NAO Humanoid Robot Coding Program and LEGO Robotics. In classes ranging from special education to G&T (gifted and talented), kids use laptops for math drills and coding. Kindergartners learn to type; by 5th grade, children are using Keynote (Apple's answer to PowerPoint) and iMovie.

PS 376 houses the only G&T program in District 32. It draws children not only from District 32 but also from other nearby districts that have no gifted programs. The gifted classes are demandingkids learned words like "meta-cognitive" in onebut there doesn't seem to be a division between G&T and other classrooms as there is in some schools. The quality of teaching in all classes seemed high.

Drucker, a graduate of New York Institute of Technology and who was assistant principal at PS 112 in Queens before becoming principal here in 2010, encourages collaboration among the staff. Decisions about curriculum are made jointly.

Parents are welcome, and the day of our visit one group of mothers was chatting in the parent room, while others learned how to use computers in the computer lab. Families hail from Central and South America and the Caribbean, with a handful of children from England and China.

Teachers shy away from the scripted reading programs used in many city schools, and children learn to read from fun-to-read picture books rather than textbooks as part of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. The school has embraced the progressive Investigations math program, which encourages children to learn different ways to solve problems. Assistant Principal Angel Ortiz says the program teaches mathnot merely arithmetic. "I teach you how to add, that's arithmetic. I teach you 'why,' that's mathematics," he says.

There are no blocks or dress up corners in kindergarten, but there is a kitchen where children may prepare real snacks like fruit salad or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There is no pre-kindergarten. The playground is small.

Students take field trips related to science. They visit a recycling plant, Green Meadow Farm, the Prospect Park Zoo and the New York City Watershed. Teaching artists from Studio in a School provide art instruction.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school offers ICT, or team-teaching, classes that include both children with special needs and general education students. It also offers self-contained classes.

ADMISSIONS: Neighborhood school. Admissions to the district-wide gifted and talented program based on NYC Department of Education standards. (Clara Hemphill, January 2016)

 

 

Read more

School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Is this school safe and well-run?

From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey

How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
44%
82% Citywide Average

From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card

How many students were suspended?
0%
1% Citywide Average

From this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Are teachers effective?

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
67%
84% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
2.2

How do students perform academically?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
69%
53% Citywide Average
How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
73%
50% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
496
Asian
3%
Black
9%
Hispanic
79%
White
7%
Other
1%
Free or reduced priced lunch
75%
Students with disabilities
14%
English language learners
27%

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
92%
90% Citywide Average
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
26%
40% Citywide Average

From the 2020 School Directories

This school offers Dual Language classes in Spanish.

How does this school serve special populations?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
31%
30% Citywide Average
How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
29%
23% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
41%
21% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
47%
12% Citywide Average


For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

Bushwick (District 32)
Trains: M Line to Knickerbocker Ave; L Line to DeKalb Ave
Buses: B13, B26, B38, B52, B54, B60

Contact

Principal
Natalie Perez
Parent Coordinator
Ivette Rivera

Other Details

Shared campus?
No
This school is in its own building.
Metal detectors?
No

Zone for the 2019-2020 school year. Call school to confirm.

Was this information helpful?

Get more from InsideSchools

You may also like …

P.S. 86 The Irvington

220 Irving Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11237

P.S. 116 Elizabeth L Farrell

515 Knickerbocker Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11237

Comments

  • Is this your school? Please post any news, updates, events, changes, or other information!
  • We welcome questions, open discussions, and disagreements but comments with personal attacks, rude language, or those with seemingly malicious intent will be deleted.
  • Very long comments, those that contain links, or repeat comments may be blocked by our spam filter.
  • Problems? email us at contact@insideschools.org.
  • Users must comply with our Terms of Use.

×