media mentions
Clara Hemphill Praises SLJ
[ article taken from insideschools.org ]
September, 2007
Admissions: unscreened
Grade levels: 9–12 Graduation rate: new school
Enrollment: 400 (projected) College admissions: new school
Class size: 25 Ethnicity: 5%W 58%B 36%H 1%A
Average SATs: new school Free lunch: 69%
From their very first days of school, kids at The Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice are engaged in legal analysis and debate. As the school year begins, they are presented with a hypothetical case of a pit bull named Fluffy who bites a child on the roof of a housing project. The students are divided into two teams, one representing the injured child who sues for damages, the other representing the owner of the pit bull. They conduct a "trial" in the mock courtroom of the law fi rm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in Manhattan.
As the year goes on, the theme of law is woven into the curriculum. In 9th-grade English, they read books with a law theme such as Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men, Walter Dean Myers's Monster, and Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. In social studies, they study Constitutional law, debating, for example, whether an amendment to ban the burning of the fl ag violates the principle of Freedom of Speech. In science, they may study forensics and the use of DNA sampling in criminal trials. During the summer, they may have internships at Cravath, at the U.S. attorney's office, or at the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice. Students from Brooklyn Law School serve as mentors, meeting with students twice a month.
One of the most imaginative of the 200 new high schools opened in the city in recent years, Law and Justice has a theme that is more than a gimmick. School administrators have given careful thought to how to use the theme of law and justice to support a well-rounded and thoughtful curriculum. Not every course is based on the theme—math and chemistry, for example, are taught in the way they would be at any good high school. But throughout the school, students are encouraged to speak up in class and to support their arguments with evidence—as lawyers do.
"We don't necessarily want to create career lawyers, we want to promote a love of analytical thinking," said Principal Elana Karopkin, a Bryn Mawr graduate who has assembled a competent staff of teachers who are experienced enough to be effective, yet are young enough to be full of energy and optimism.
The school opened in 2004 in temporary quarters while renovations were being made on the school's permanent home in the old Family Court building at 283 Adams Street in downtown Brooklyn, scheduled for completion in 2008. In its first year, the school had just 100 9th graders in a few classrooms in an elementary school, PS 287, in a neighborhood surrounded by housing projects next to the old Navy yards.
Students wear a uniform of light blue button-down collared shirts and dark blue pants. Some students come from well-regarded middle schools such as Philippa Schyler in Bushwick and MS 51 in Park Slope and are well-prepared for high school work. Others are struggling. "We have students who were valedictorians of their 8th-grade class, and kids who barely made it out of 8th grade," said Karopkin. Teachers offer open-ended assignments designed to engage and challenge kids of different abilities. For example, if a teacher asks students to write a newspaper editorial, one student may construct a subtle, well-researched essay while another would craft a more basic argument and concentrate on grammar and spelling. About 10% of the students receive special education services. They are integrated with general education pupils in Collaborative Team Teaching classes (CTT). These classes have two teachers, one of whom is certified in special education.
The school has a full-time college counselor—unusual for a school as small as this. Visiting admissions officers from Amherst, University of Maine, Bates College, Bryn Mawr, Union College, and Wesleyan offer 10th graders essay writing tips, organize simulated interviews, and arrange college visits.
Priority in admissions is given to students who attend an information session offered in the fall. Check the school's website for dates and times.
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