Adult relationships support student learning. Each student has an advisor, who they meet with individually and an advisory group, that includes other students, where important personal and social issues are addressed. Teachers and students remain together as a group for two years. The school schedule more closely resembles the working world. It includes a complete record of each student's course of study, internship experiences, San Diego City Schools diploma, certificate of technical proficiency, evidence of other achievements, personal statements, and staff recommendations.
Teachers engage in intensive staff development and shared planning time every day.
Daily group planning time gives teachers both formal and informal opportunities to review, revise, propose and plan multidisciplinary curriculum activities. This New York City high school is comprised of 175 students, grades 9th-12th, and offers a personalized, college preparatory learning experience to a diverse student body. The school uses an interdisciplinary approach to teaching that stimulates intellectual inquiry through the Socratic method and highlights student-centered strategies, which include student portfolios as a major aspect of assessment. The school's social curriculum involves intensive student participation in the development of a democratic and just community. This school was founded in 1994 to serve the needs of limited English proficient students arriving in New York City.