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2009: Rising Star Public Elementary School

Head-Turning Education
Hugo Newman earns praise at home and around the country

This area of Harlem, not far from the Columbia campus, hasn’t always been a place where parents have vied to send their elementary aged kids. But PS/IS 180 - Hugo Newman College Preparatory School has started to change that reputation.

“I think it’s getting a lot of attention recently the last couple of years,” said parent Molley Mills. “It’s getting a lot of new faces and everyone wants to be there.”

Mills’ daughter Hannah, 9, started at Hugo Newman in 2006 after the family moved from Australia to Harlem. Mills said she feels lucky to have just fallen into a school that works so closely with both parents and children.

“It’s been the best move because it’s been wonderful,” she said. “The teachers care, and they aren’t just there to get a paycheck; they are there to educate the children.”

Teacher Carolyn Campis credits the entire school community, from parents to students to administrators, with pitching in to make Hugo Newman a successful institution.

“Everyone is involved,” she said. “The school isn’t separate from the community—it’s a part of it.”

Hugo Newman uses the Joseph Renzulli School Wide Enrichment Model of Education, which focuses on identifying and strengthening students’ interests and talents, kind of like a gifted and talented program. Through a partnership with the Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation, activities like rugby, soccer, fencing and a musical instruction program are available. On Saturdays, the school hosts a farmers’ market.

“One of our philosophies is that we are taking a public school and making it like a private one,” said Dr. Peter McFarlane, principal for the past 12 years. “What a kid would get in a private school they are getting in our school.”

Test scores have proven that students are succeeding in this environment. In the Department of Education’s 2008-2009 Progress Report, Hugo Newman scored in the 99th percentile of all K-8 schools citywide. That year, 78 percent of students scored at or above grade level on the English Language Arts exam, and 93 percent of students scored at or above grade level on the math exam.

“You have your challenges each day, but the bottom line is, you want to make kids’ dreams come true,” McFarlane said. “If we can do that, we are beginning to do a good job.”

Hugo Newman’s progress has captured the attention of national education organizations. Last year, the school won the Panasonic National School Change Award, which honors six schools each year for undergoing significant improvement. This fall, McFarlane said that Hugo Newman would be the first New York City school to be visited by Schools to Watch, an initiative by the National Forum that looks at institutions deemed to be “academically excellent,” “developmentally responsive” and “socially equitable.”

Hugo Newman also brings in services from various medical colleges. Eye care comes from the SUNY State College of Optometry, dental care from Columbia University and a general clinic is run by Touro College.

“We think kids need to come to school and they need to be healthy,” McFarlane said. “They don’t do well if they can’t see or they can’t hear.”

It all adds up to a community that extends far beyond the classroom. As parent Mills put it, “It’s like one big family.”

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PS/IS 180 - Hugo Newman College Preparatory School
Peter McFarlane, Principal
370 W. 120th St.
New York, N.Y. 10027
212-678-2849
www.hugonewmanprep.org
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— Linnea Covington