NYC Inclusive Schools
Involving the Community in Public Education
Role: Team Member
Team Members: Paige Dawkins, Gabrielle Zabierek
Subjects:
Two by Two is a daycare facility in Manhattan, known for its longer business hours and staff experience.
P.S. 56 is a public elementary school located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn.
P.S. 142 is a public elementary school located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
P.S. 169 is a public elementary school located in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn.
United Nations International School is a private K-12 school located in the west side of Manhattan founded by parent employees of the UN in New York.
NYC Inclusive Schools is a design research project that offers a conceptual solution to the current problems with the NYC public elementary school system. In the final proposal our group aimed to create a school schedule and curriculum which incorporates the needs of parents in the workforce, zoning laws, limited space and resources, community engagement, and the new requirements of education to provide children with the skills and mindset to be competitive in an integrated global environment.
Secondary Research
Secondary research was first used to explore the subject of NYC public elementary schools and zoning laws. This method was used consistently throughout the design research process, and later was conducted on the areas of school ethics and values, funding, required classes, field trips, after school classes, and existing school schedules to use as reference to create our redesign.
Primary Research
Primary research was conducted through the use of expert and subject interviews, school visits, local community observation, and user testing. Data was compiled and presented in a visually understandable manner using maps, graphs, and photos taken at the sites.
Expert Interviews
Taped and written interviews were conducted with the directors, principals, and parent coordinators of the schools and the founder of the Two by Two daycare facility.
Subject Interviews
Since the focus of the project was elementary schools, our group interviewed parents of students, small business owners within the communities, and subjects outside of the focus neighborhood.
Insight Analysis
Starting with the subject of zoning laws, through gathered insights the project moved on to focus on neighborhood gentrification, school overcrowding, and legal immigration. A two-minute video was created to provide a narrative to our project.
Concept Prototype
Our final concept was influenced by our primary and secondary research, as well as the insights gained from both methods. The final product involved the redesign of the school's daily, weekly, and yearly schedule to incorporate ethics courses as well as classes taught by local businesses to incorporate after-school programs into the regular school schedule.
User Testing
Our final prototype was shown to small business owners to get opinions and insights. Our finding was that due to lack of physical space in small businesses, those business owners who had tried to speak to schools with their offers found it difficult to follow through. Our team took this into consideration and proposed venues like the YMCA to hold classes.
Expert Panel Presentation
Our concept and process were critiqued by education experts such as the Dean of Parsons The New School, a Parsons professor whose research focuses on organizational behavior and communication technology, a Parsons design research professor, and a product designer.