Hempstead kindergarten center at Prospect School achieves international fame

A Hempstead kindergarten center is the first on Long Island to win International Baccalaureate status for instruction that encourages primary-age youngsters to raise questions, then post them on classroom walls for discussion.

The Baccalaureate organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland, recently authorized Prospect School in Hempstead to offer IB's Primary Years Program to its more than 500 prekindergartners and kindergartners. The announcement followed three years of teacher training and other preparation.

"It's exciting times … a globally focused program," said Regina Armstrong, the district's newly promoted permanent superintendent.

Experts hailed the May 26 announcement as a bench mark for Hempstead's 7,000-student district, which is hoping to gradually transform itself through a phase-in of IB's curriculum. Hempstead is Nassau County's largest K-12 district and in recent years has seen thousands of students transfer to local charter schools.

David Weiss, who heads IB's public school program in the United States, noted that five other Hempstead schools also have applied for recognition, and that one of them, David Paterson School, is in the final stage of authorization.

"I am thrilled for them," said Weiss, a former Long Island superintendent. "The schools did the heavy lifting to make that happen, with excellent support from the district office."

The international curriculum is decidedly progressive, and structured around themes such as "How the World Works" and "Sharing the Planet." Within those themes, teachers have the leeway to explore topics based on children's interests.

"We're looking forward for the next few years to see where the students take us," said Alyssa Tortora, a kindergarten teacher. She spent the past year working with 25 students who pursued lessons remotely at home, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tortora, who has worked at Prospect since 2015, said the introduction of IB lessons has brought quantum change from the uniform cookie-cutter-style scripted lessons used in the past.

International Baccalaureate, founded in 1968, is best known for college-level courses taught in high schools, with requirements that include 4,000-word research papers. In addition, the organization sponsors programs for middle schools and primary centers featuring somewhat controversial characteristics of their own.

As of May, more than 7,400 programs were offered in public and private schools worldwide, including 16 public and private schools on Long Island. Prospect is the only public non-charter school offering IB primary instruction in the state, but several private academies do so, including the 150-year-old Dwight School in Manhattan.

IB's primary program builds on the belief that children are naturally curious, as exemplified by a physical feature known as the "Wonder Wall." At Prospect School, as in other primary centers, all 24 classrooms have such spaces where children's questions are posted on a regular basis for consideration by their entire class.

A Newsday team visiting the imposing red brick center spotted several examples: "How does chocolate get to the store from … trees?" and "Where does electricity come from?"

Not every Wonder Wall question is generated in classrooms. Carole Eason, the school's principal and an educator of 24 years, said questions could just as easily pop up during recess.

Say, for example, that a 4-year-old gazes up and wonders why a leaf just fell from a tree. That might prompt a teacher to help the child write "Why do seasons change?" on a bulletin board, which in turn could lead to reading a book about climate, and to watching on computer screens as weather patterns change, not only across the United States, but worldwide.

"Wonder Wall is not a specific part of the day — it's embedded throughout the day," Eason said. "So the Wonder Wall is open to all students and all classrooms, and it does start in pre-K."

On the Island and elsewhere, some conservative critics complain that such instruction lacks an American perspective. Supporters respond that a global outlook is one of IB's greatest strengths, and that this is a particular plus in diverse communities such as Hempstead.

At Prospect School, parents fill out survey forms at the beginning of each academic year, listing among other things their country of origin and some of that country's traditions. Teachers then draw on responses to teach children about commonalities as well as differences.

A typical lesson might compare different forms of bread: Jamaican fried dumplings, Italian pizza, the papusa of El Salvador and Honduras.

"Kids get so excited about that," said Rhonda Chung, an IB instructional coach at Prospect School. "Everybody wants to be accepted. That's our job here."

Sameita Jennings, the mother of a 4-year-old, said she visited five or six private schools before selecting Prospect and has been particularly impressed by what her daughter learned about the world.

"I didn't know about Tanzania when I was 4," the mother said.

By John Hildebrand

john.hildebrand@newsday.com@johnhnewsday

John Hildebrand is Newsday's senior education writer and has covered school news and policy issues affecting Long Island for more than 40 years.