Dear Bronx Community:
As we begin a New Year, we are inspired by the all the ways in which our community has stepped up to the challenges of these difficult times. From our essential workers to our small businesses to local volunteers and community leaders, we thank you for fighting with and for us all. On these pages, we will continue to celebrate the acts of heroism we witness each day in our classrooms. Our school leaders, teachers, parents and school champions are making sure Bronx students are ready to thrive. Thanks to their hard work, we begin 2021 stronger, more capable and better prepared to provide students with a great education whether they are learning at home or in person.
In 2021, there are more lessons we can share together. We must remain vigilant in keeping our staff, students and families safe. As more schools prepare to bring students back in person, we want to continue learning with and from all of our school peers in the borough, whether they be traditional public, charter public, parochial or private. Working together we can deliver a quality education to all Bronx children.
Thank you.
SIGN YOUR NAME TO THANK BRONX TEACHERS
In This Together
Best Practices
For Remote Learning

Most schools – traditional public, charter public and private – have moved to some form of remote learning. There are many lessons and experiences that we, as Bronx charter public schools, have learned since March.
This document shares some of our best practices for all teachers and schools. We want to be part of the solution in this unprecedented moment, because we are all in this moment together on behalf of our communities.
Additional Resources for Teachers
As schools continue to teach remotely, here are several helpful resources for teachers to continue teaching students in the Bronx.
- Happy Teacher Revolution is a network of teachers helping to promote wellness with virtual trainings and support group meetings.
- NCTE Member Gathering, National Council of Teachers of English provides weekly gatherings for members to share ideas and offer support to peers.
- Educating Through Crisis, National Education Association lays out steps for ensuring physical and mental wellness with webinars and other online information.
- The Educator’s Room is a collection of articles and tips for improving education using the experience of teachers.
- Resilient Educator provides articles for educators on self-care, teaching tips, and professional development.
Press
WCBS 880: Bronx Kids Get Special Lesson From NY Philharmonic Violinist
Some aspiring young musicians got a special lesson from a maestro recently. New York Philharmonic violinist Kuan Cheng Lu taught a class via Zoom K-2nd grade students at the Zeta Charter School in the Bronx. One of Lu’s colleagues is married to the school’s director...
AM NY: Philharmonic Violinist Leads First-of-its-Kind Virtual Lesson for Bronx Charter School Students
Zeta Charter Schools released a video today of a first-of-its-kind virtual violin lesson for dozens of city students with New York Philharmonic violinist Kuan Cheng Lu. Lu, an award-winning, world-class musician, led Zeta’s Bronx and Inwood elementary school students...
NY1: Even Apart, Bronx Students Find Ways to Celebrate Their College Choices Together
"I’ll be choosing SUNY Buffalo and I’ll be majoring in speech pathology." Normally, students at the International Leadership Charter High School in the Bronx would make these kinds of announcements to one another in person. But not much is normal now.
Bronx Times: Harlem Globetrotter Player Speaks to Bronx Charter School Students During COVID-19
Bronx students recently had the pleasure of virtually meeting a Harlem Globetrotter. Classical Charter Schools, which has four locations in the south Bronx, hosted Harlem Globetrotter and Amazing Race contestant Herbert “Flight Time” Lang last week as part of a remote...
Bronx Times: Six Bronx Charter Public Schools Named Recognition Schools by State Education Department
Six high-performing Bronx charter public schools were recently named 2019-20 Recognition Schools by the State Education Department. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the state identifies “Recognition Schools” that have both high academic achievement and...
Bronx Times: Bronx High School Recognized as One of the Best in the Country
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, a recent report named a Bronx high school as one of the best in the nation. International Leadership Charter High School at 3030 Riverdale Ave. in Kingsbridge, was a recipient of the 2020 Best of The Bronx Award in the...
NY Daily News: Bronx Charter School Educator Explains How Social Distancing Improves Teaching Craft
At our network — Classical Charter Schools — we’ve designed our schedule to allow one rotating lead teacher to deliver direct instruction to an entire grade of students, while all other teachers address issues with individual students as they arise. These...
Chalkbeat: Bronx Educator on the Two Traits That Will Make You a Better At-Home Teacher
The Friday before New York City schools closed for at least a month — and possibly for the rest of the academic year — Michael Urda spent the day holding parent-teacher conferences. Those meetings took place not face-to-face in Urda’s Bronx classroom, but over the...
Bronx Times: Charter Schools Leaders on the Launch of Virtual Learning During COVID-19
With preparations made weeks in advance, charter schools in the Bronx charters began virtual learning two weeks ago. Miriam Raccah, executive director of Bronx Charter School for the Arts, 950 Longfellow Ave. and Lester Long, executive director of South Bronx...
BronxNet: Public Prep CEO on the Benefits of Remote Learning
OPEN Host Daren Jaime sits with the CEO of Public Prep Charter Schools, Ian Rowe to talk about how the schools are transitioning to remote learning.