Strengthening Teacher Practice = Student Achievement

Aracelis Castellano-Folkes • Cahn Fellow 2022

At PS 165, we believe that strengthening teacher practice directly impacts student achievement. We emphasize a growth mindset in both our students and staff and wholeheartedly believe that all kids can. PS 165 is a true community school with a variety of programs to meet the needs of our learners and a community that is truly reflective of the surrounding New York City demographics.

With a diverse range of learning needs in the student population, it’s imperative that our teachers are well versed in differentiating instruction based on students’ needs. This has led to our focus of strengthening their teacher practice in teaching small group instruction with an emphasis on knowing “What” to teach and “How” to teach it in the most effective and efficient way. By capitalizing on the culture of lifelong learning that we have built within our staff and providing leadership opportunities for teachers, we were able to provide opportunities for professional development, peer intervisitation, and data analysis in order to have a positive impact on the reading proficiency of the students at PS 165.