The Anderson School - History

History

Early gifted education and gifted education research in New York City
The Speyer School, PS 500, opened in 1936 at 514 W 126th Street for exceptionally intellectually gifted students, ages 7 to 9. While not the first, it was the City's only existing public program for intellectually gifted students and was operated collaboratively between Teachers College and the Board of Education. Speyer was the brainchild of Leta Stetter Hollingworth, PhD, (1886–1939) a clinical and research psychologist, educator, and professor at Teachers College. She served as Speyer's executive director.

The pedagogical objectives for Speyer were a culmination of research from a groundbreaking "Special Opportunity Class" for gifted students that opened in the early 1920s at PS 165. The original Speyer School was established in 1902 by Teachers College through a gift from James Speyer (1861–1941), a New York banker and trustee of Teachers College.

Expanding on the work of Lulu May Stedman (1876–1960) and other pioneers in gifted education, Dr. Hollingworth spearheaded the project at PS 165, which yielded over 40 papers and a textbook. Before PS 165, the BOE had introduced gifted classes at PS 15 and PS 64. However, these were small-scale and had scant documentation.

The Speyer project yielded valuable data. In its first year, Professor Hollingworth reported that, because bright children progress quickly, they need only a half day to master a full day's work. And, unless their courses were revised at an early age, they would learn to be masterful time-wasters. Professor Hollingworth posited that students who progress quickly on the wrong channel can be caustic.

Her untimely death, November 27, 1939, ended the Speyer project — Speyer eventually closed its doors January 31, 1941. But, to commemorate the legacy to Professor Hollingworth, the Board of Ed. launched classes for bright students in twelve public schools.

Hunter College Elementary School
Before Speyer closed, Hunter College saw a public need and an opportunity. In the fall of 1940, Hunter College Model School, an elementary school in existence since 1870, added a pre-K and transferred its 7th and 8th grades to Hunter College High School and began operating as an experimental and demonstration center for intellectually gifted children. In September 1940, the administration changed the name to Hunter College Elementary School (HCES). Even then, HCES, the only elementary school in the city operated by the Board of Higher Education, had a waiting list and required an IQ test.

Beginning fall 2003, HCES discontinued pre-K. Until then, nearly half of the forty-eight kindergartners admitted to its kindergarten were matriculating from its pre-K, which made admissions seem impossible. For decades before Anderson, HCES had been turning away kindergarten applicants who met criteria as intellectually gifted. In the mid 80s, HCES used a computer random selection system for admitting students meeting its criteria, which frustrated parents all the more.

The K-5 Anderson program at PS 9
In 1986, frustrated over enrollment limits for applicants meeting criteria for admissions to Hunter College Elementary School, parents other like-minded parents from several Community School Districts. Ms. Susan Natale, a founding parent who had expertise in primary education, enlisted the assistance of Associate Dean of HCES, Evelyn Jones Rich, Ph.D., to help reach the parents of children who had met criteria as intellectually gifted. Ms. Dee Estelle Alpert, another parent, succeeded in having a resolution placed before the Community School Board in her District (Dist. 3) to create a program for such children.

The resolution passed. Ms. Bernadette O'Brien, then Principal of PS 9, welcomed The Anderson Program into her school. At the time, PS 9 had only 197 students. The building, though structurally sound, was poorly maintained and underfurnished. There was no playground equipment — only a yard.

Anderson began with two kindergartens and two 1st grades in September 1987, comprising eighty students. The founding teachers were Ms. Alicia Ruddy (kindergarten), Ms. Gail Goldweber (kindergarten), Mr. Robert (Bob) Moy (1st grade), and Ms. Beatrice (Bea) Asnes (1st grade). Mr. Moy, a decorated educator, is still at Anderson. As the inaugural classes advanced, adding two classes per year, Anderson grew into a full K-5 Program by fall 1991.

Sometime around 1989, Ms. Natale chaired a committee to (i) secure a Program Director and (ii) persuade the District to fund a Program evaluation. Then District 3 Community Superintendent Anton J. Klein (1929- ) approved the evaluation and, together, with the committee selected Lisa Wright, Ed.D., of Teachers College, Columbia University, to perform the evaluation. Dr. Wright delivered a comprehensive and seminal report that served as an operational and educational framework going forward. In that report, she recommended, among other things, that (i) Anderson appoint a Program Coordinator, which Supt. Klein approved and (ii) Anderson establish a Parent Advisory Board (PAB), which the Anderson community enacted.

Under sponsorship of the Friends of Anderson, the prime independent parent support group for two decades (until the Summer of 2009), Parents Advisory Board chairs, teachers, and administrators have attended annual national gifted education conferences. They have participated in workshops — learning and sharing to help others. During the 1992-03 year, the National Association for Gifted Children recognized The Anderson Program as a national model for parent-initiated gifted programs.

Grades 6-8 added
The DOE has long operated many well-run and popular middle school programs for honor students (particularly the Delta Honors Program), but none specifically for continuing gifted students and none that were mapped well with Anderson. While still a part of PS 9, Anderson added a two section 6th grade in the fall of 2003, admitting about sixty 6th grade students. Anderson extended the 6th to 7th in the fall of 2004, and 7th to 8th in the fall of 2005, graduating its first class of 8th graders in the same year that Anderson became a stand-alone school (2005–2006).

The Middle School "feel" extends to 5th grade. That is, fifth graders have departmentalized classes (they switch classes each period); and, like the middle schoolers, they have lockers. Grades 5 through 8 occupy the basement floor.

The Anderson School PS 334
Managing a K-8 program within the PS 9 K–5 structure was one of many factors that influenced the DOE’s decision to organize Anderson as its own school. Managing a small citywide program bearing a large outreach mandate while managing a school bearing a catchment priority was another factor. Partly in recognition of the achievements of The Anderson Program and partly as a heightened boost to gifted education and partly as an extension of the Chancellor's smaller school initiative, the DOE upgraded The Anderson Program as its own school in July 2005. Anderson became a school on the 40th Anniversary of the school building and in the year of the inaugural graduation of an AMS class.

The DOE promoted Anderson's Program Coordinator, Rachel Schnur, EdD, to Anderson's first Principal Interim Acting, then to full Principal. She served in those two capacities for the inaugural year. As its own school, Anderson formed a New York State mandated School Leadership Team (SLT). Because of some redundancies between the Parent Advisory and SLT, and at the suggestion of Dr. Schnur, the PTA provisionally suspended the Parent Advisory Board in the spring of 2006. In the summer of 2006, Dr. Schnur resigned for personal reasons.

In the Summer of 2006, the DOE appointed Brian Culot as Principal Interim Acting, promoting him to full Principal in April 2007. Mr. Culot inherited an administration that includes Aimee Terosky, EdD, Assistant Principal.

During the 2007-08 year, The Anderson School celebrated its Vicennial.