P186x Core Beliefs of How Students Learn

Core Beliefs 

Philosophy: At P186x, Walter J Damrosch School, all staff maintain a collaborative mindset that the students always come first. With this mindset imbedded in every adult that works at P186x, we can promote students to reach their fullest potential and to do work that goes above and beyond all expectations. We believe that all staff members must be captains for our students on their journey to success. Creating an environment of trust and respect amongst students and adults, will ultimately result in students exceeding their own expectations. 

Mission: We believe that students can become productive members of society through their educational experiences. We aim to accomplish this task through researched based educational practices, utilizing our Positive Behavioral Intervention Support (PBIS) system to acknowledge and reward positive behavior, incorporate our student’s cultural origins and imbed it in the curriculum, and for students to understand their emotions through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum. Using our acronym S.A.I.L. (Safety, Accepting of Self and Others, Independent, and Leadership) to guide our students, we build a culture of high expectations and collaboration amongst staff and students in order for every individual to reach their maximum potential and to be college and career ready. 

Theory of Action: P186x strives to improve students’ problem-solving skills and view themselves as readers as a result of participation in culturally responsive and authentic reading tasks. Through researched based educational practices, P186x brings an individual learning experience to every student. Classrooms and lessons are constructed with every student’s IEP goals in mind along with their cultural and emotional needs. Through professional development and professional learning communities, P186x creates a community of teachers that are continuously adapting to change in the 21st century and are cognizant of the best practices being introduced. 

Lesson Planning: 

Daily lesson plans reflect the beliefs of how students learn best by using data driven instructional decision making in their development. They incorporate individualized instruction through multiple access points, student interests, and real-world application, where applicable. Recommended lesson plan templates include Universal Design and Culturally Responsive Education model.