Project Description
Andrew Brown, Fellow
The Judith S. Kaye School
Manhattan, NY
Andrew Brown began his teaching career as a special educator at Passages Academy in Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn. While working at Passages he served New York City's incarcerated and most vulnerable youth at the Crossroads, Bridges (formerly Spofford), and Horizon Juvenile Centers. Subsequently, he was director of special education services for District 79, NYC alternative schools and programs before becoming a founding assistant principal at East River Academy, which provided all educational services on Rikers Island. In 2012, he became principal of Brooklyn Democracy Academy, a transfer high school in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where he served for 5 school years. In 2016 he was asked to design the new, Judith S. Kaye High School, to continue the mission started by the late Chief Justice of the New York Court of Appeals, Judith Kaye, who strived to "keep kids in school and out of court". Judith S. Kaye High School allows students to earn the diploma most appropriate for them (High School or GED) while earning one or more trade certifications. Despite considerable pressure to make JSK a program, rather than a school, in order to avoid the risk of state closure due to poor performance, JSK opened its doors as a transfer high school in September 2017. In the last five years JSK has outperformed most transfer high schools and attained the highest 6-year graduation rate in the City of New York.
Sara Brown, Ally
Assistant Principal
The Judith S. Kaye School
Manhattan, NY
Sara Brown began her career in education on Rikers Island where she served as an English teacher for incarcerated youth. Here, Sara saw first hand the detrimental impact of the school to prison pipeline. She became determined to provide New York City's most vulnerable students with a comprehensive education that encouraged youth to become agents of change in their own lives and communities. Following teaching on Rikers Island Sara taught at a Career and Technical Education high school in the South Bronx where she fell in love with the possibilities that were afforded to students through CTE. In 2017, Sara joined the Judith S. Kaye High School as one of its founding teachers. JSK is a transfer high school in New York City where students can earn either a high school diploma or a GED and are enrolled in a trade. JSK was founded to further the mission of the late Justice Judith S. Kaye who spent her career fighting to keep students in schools and not courtrooms. Sara worked as a teacher, programmer and is now an Assistant Principal at Judith S. Kaye High School. JSK perfectly married her passion for working with at-risk youth and career and technical education.