PS 172 Principal Jack Spatola has made his Brooklyn elementary school one of the city’s best – and he says one big reason is because he abolished the bilingual-education program.
About 75 percent of the 550 students at the Sunset Park school are Hispanic, and many are immigrants. A whopping 95 percent are poor enough to be eligible for free meals.
Spatola said he discovered that students were mastering English faster in English-as-a-Second Language immersion programs rather than bilingual-education classes.
“About 80 percent of our students are eligible to receive bilingual education,” Spatola said.
“But we found that children were learning English more rapidly [without bilingual education]. We evolved into using what was more effective.”
He said that by the end of kindergarten, 80 percent of students who were English-language learners are transferred to regular classes.
That’s part of the reason 68 percent of students passed standardized English exams and 75 percent are proficient in math.
“The parents didn’t want the bilingual-education program when it was available. They wanted their kids mainstreamed,” said ESL teacher Hazel Fershleiser.
Fershleiser, who is a teachers-union representative, also praised Spatola for running a tight ship.
“The principal is very strict with the students. He has overriding presence,” she said.
Because of the orderly environment, teachers back him to the hilt.
In visiting PS 172, Klein said, “The results are terrific.”
Klein was so impressed that he actually adopted the math and reading programs in Spatola’s school to be used across the city.
“PS 172 has a strong principal, and staff developers do what they should do,” the chancellor said.