Ronald Edmonds Learning Center is part of Instructional Region 8 and is located in the Clinton Hill/Fort Greene Section of Brooklyn. We are pioneers of the Effective Schools Movement, with the philosophy that “Every Child Can Learn”. We utilize the Comer School Development process, as designed by Dr. James P. Comer, which includes effective leadership, community/ corporate partnerships, productive collaboration with all stakeholders (administrators, teachers, students, parents, and staff) and a shared vision with a clear mission in the community.
Professional development is provided on the basis of collaborative instructional planning. Team planning time during school hours, on and off-site seminars, professional book clubs, colleague coaching and other peer support systems have enabled us to refine the pedagogical expertise of its faculty and staff. We continue to strengthen teacher’s ability to use data to support the instructional needs of our students.
Mission Statement
To motivate our urban children and develop tomorrow’s leaders through an accelerated curriculum of fine and performing arts, science, and technology.
School Philosophy
“We lift as we climb and leave no one behind”, is more than our motto, it is the philosophy we live by. We believe every child can become proficient learners when creative, committed and competent educators are given the opportunity to teach in a safe, nurturing and orderly environment. We believe that all of our children have the potential to achieve at high academic levels and our educational community is responsible for helping our students reach their potential. We intend to counter the tracking of urban children of color, which limits their options by creating an academically rigorous system and nurturing and developing students’ talents.
We will give our students the best opportunity to gain admission to the top New York City high schools and eventually to colleges of their choosing; thereby, vastly expanding their future opportunities and possibilities.
A Talented Community
A selective school with an active arts program, MS 113 is a popular choice for talented Brooklyn kids. The large school is divided into three distinct programs performing arts, visual arts, and science/math each occupying a floor of the building and overseen by an assistant principal. In 2004, the longtime principal Katherine Corbett was replaced by Khalek Kirkland, a Brooklyn native and former teacher and assistant principal at the school. He is well acquainted with MS 113's culture and serves as a role model to the students.
The school attracts far more applicants than can be admitted. Competition for the arts programs is particularly keen; applicants must audition for them as well as take an exam. The Academy of Performing Arts offers instruction in dance, drama, chorus, and music, while the Fine Arts and Design program teaches painting and drawing as well as how to develop a portfolio of work. The Academy of Communication Arts and Technology Sciences sub-school centers on advanced science and math courses.
The four-story sprawling brick building is in the heart of gentrifying Fort Greene. The building interior needs some sprucing up though many rooms are bright, cheerful, and well stocked with books and supplies. With a large proportion of African American students and teachers, the school decorates many classrooms with kente cloth and an African flair.
We have a dance studio, with hardwood floors and mirrored walls. It also has an auditorium for the various productions it runs throughout the year.
Students are neatly clad according to the dress code of black pants (no blue jeans) and white shirts. Those who don't arrive to school in uniform are sent to the office or back home to get one. On balance, this is not a school with many behavior problems.
Our staff believes in incentives such as awards ranging from stars on charts tracking grades and attendance, to bicycles or iPods for students with the highest grades.
In spring, the top prizes go to students who have shown the most improvement.
We also help prepare kids for selective public and private high schools. Looking beyond high school, the school also takes students on trips to colleges, both historically black institutions and Ivy League schools. The principal uses spring break as a time to take selective students on this annual trip, always including his alma mater, Morehead State University.
Popular public high school choices for MS 113 graduates are nearby Benjamin Banneker, Bedford Academy, and the Brooklyn High School of the Arts. Smaller numbers of students go to specialized high schools, particularly Brooklyn Tech and LaGuardia.
Recognition
RELC is included in New York City's Best Public Middle Schools. (Pamela Wheaton, November 2006)
“Attending this school was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life," writes a 1999 graduate.
"For me as a pre-teen, middle school was a transition period in which the teachers, advisors and staff at the school support the students. I was en