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Listen to Press Conference FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2002
PR-280-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND CHANCELLOR JOEL I. KLEIN ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR TWEED ACADEMY


Academy Exemplifies NYC's Commitment to Excellence and Achievement in Public Education


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced plans for the new Tweed Academy at Department of Education Headquarters in the Tweed Courthouse. Tweed Academy will be a first-rate educational center that demonstrates the City's commitment to excellence and achievement in public education and aims to promote literacy among all students. During traditional school hours, elementary and middle school classes from all five boroughs will participate in alternating two-week intensive academic "residencies" at Tweed Academy. While the primary focus of Tweed Academy will be the education of young children and adolescents, educational opportunities will be available for people of all ages and backgrounds.

"Today, we demonstrate our strong commitment to ensuring that a first-rate education is available and accessible to all New Yorkers, regardless of age or circumstance," Mayor Bloomberg said. "Tweed Academy will offer outstanding interdisciplinary classroom instruction, rigorous teacher professional development, and effective literacy programs that will increase parental and community involvement in education. The Academy will provide our City with a prime educational center located in Department of Education Headquarters that is dedicated to learning, leadership, academic achievement and excellence and that reinforces the value of learning as a lifelong, family-oriented activity."

"The Department of Education must, above all, be an academic institution," Chancellor Klein said. "In bringing children of all ages to Tweed, the Mayor ensures that children are first in everything we do here. Tweed Academy will embody achievement and aspiration for all who enter and learn here. The Academy will make clear that educational opportunity is available and accessible to all who seek it."

Tweed Academy will open in the spring semester of 2003 with an elementary school program. Eventually, the Academy will serve approximately 200 elementary and middle school students each school day. In order to maximize the number of students and parents involved, the Academy will also conduct multiple programs beyond the regular school day. The roll-out of these programs will begin during the 2003-2004 academic year.

Instructional Programs

During traditional school hours, Tweed Academy will enroll elementary and middle school classes from all five boroughs to participate in alternating two-week intensive academic "residencies." Students will study the historical, cultural, scientific, and governmental aspects of New York City, and the instruction of literacy will be paramount across all disciplines. The elementary program will be designed for third graders, while the middle school program will cater to seventh graders. The middle school program will not be implemented until the first semester of the 2003-2004 school year. Tweed Academy will demonstrate the best practices of literacy instruction and provide students with an intensive academic study of New York City that is pedagogically sound, intellectually rich, and interdisciplinary.

During the afternoon, Tweed Academy will conduct educational programs for high school students and teachers. The high school program will consist of two components - the "Leadership Program" and the "Scholarship Program" - and will aim to promote academic excellence, leadership, and community involvement. The "Leadership Program" will offer students opportunities to develop leadership and communication skills and explore career paths through engagement with leaders and professionals from diverse fields and backgrounds. The "Scholarship Program" will offer selected students a rigorous college preparatory academic experience. Tweed Academy will also be a center of professional development for teachers to facilitate the transfer of best practices into all classrooms throughout the City.

In addition, Tweed Academy will serve as an educational center for families and the public at large. During the evening, the Academy will provide intensive intergenerational instruction, including adult literacy programs and English as a Second Language instruction for parents, and host student forums and public lectures.

The Department of Education will be responsible for developing the content for each of the programs. Collaboration with private and community-based organizations will play a key role in the development and implementation of the programs.

 

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Ed Skyler / Jerry Russo
(212) 788-2958
David Chai (DOE)
(212) 374-5176