DREAM Charter School will open in September 2008 with fifty Kindergarteners and fifty First Graders. The school will grow one grade (fifty students) each year until we serve grades K-8 and a total of four hundred and fifty students.
Our target student population is the traditionally under-served children of East Harlem. To meet the various needs of our students DCS will partner each general education teacher with a teacher certified in either Special Education or English as a Second Language. This will provide two co-teaching teams on each grade level.
Our school is founded on the belief that student success is based on the instructional effectiveness of the classroom teachers, and that schools that are experiential, collaborative and inclusive will best engage and inspire children to learn. The DCS leadership team will create and maintain an educational climate in which teachers consistently develop learning environments where all students: (1) achieve success, (2) understand their strengths and weaknesses, and (3) develop the self discipline and confidence required to excel in any environment.
At DCS, Health and Wellness Education will be a fundamental component of the overall curriculum and the overarching importance of maintaining a healthy mind and body will be woven deeply into the school's culture and educational philosophy.
