The students at Bronx Better Learning continue to widen the achievement gap between themselves and all other school groups. That includes children in our school district, in NYC charter schools overall and in NY State.
We are especially proud of our students' performance in light of the following facts:
We are not test-prep driven; our instructional approach is constructivist: we know children "construct" their knowledge, understanding and skills, so our teaching is guided by their learning and does not dominate it.
We do not have extended school days.
We do not have an extended school year.
Our student retention rate exceeds 95%; with rare exception, children leave our school only when their families relocate.
How much have we widened the gap this year compared to last year?
Clearly, in terms of state test scores, we've gone from doing very well to doing extremely well. There is still a more important prize for us, as our principal, Mr. Jacobs so aptly expressed in our Tenth Anniversary Video. He said then, regarding our strong academic achievement:
"That is not our greatest accomplishment. Our greatest accomplishment is that we have made these children's spirits live. They look forward to coming to school. They look forward to being in the classrooms, being with their teachers, and having a great time. The end result is that they are doing well academically."
