Cornerstone Academy for Social Action Middle School (CASA)

3441 Steenwick Avenue - Bronx NY - 10475
Type of autonomy arrangement: PROSE agreement
Basic Profile

Opened In

2008

Grades

6-8

Environment

Urban

Type

District
Autonomies

Program

Determine learning program
Set school-level policy
Determine professional development
Determine authorizer assessments
Determine state assessments

Personnel

Select colleagues
Evaluate colleagues
Transfer or terminate colleagues
Determine tenure policy
Select leaders

Administrative

Determine school budget
Set staff pattern
Determine compensation
Determine teacher workday
Set schedule
Teacher Authority Is...
De Jure and De Facto

CASA has de jure authority via their PROSE school agreement in the areas of learning program, professional development, determining teacher workday, and setting school schedule. The teacher team has de facto autonomy in the other autonomy areas indicated.

About the Learning Program

Our school provides a holistic learning environment dedicated to developing 21st Century skills. Our curriculum focuses on intellectual, social, and emotional development. We encourage students to work collaboratively, think critically, solve problems, analyze and synthesize information, practice adaptability, be curious, and build communication skills. Our teachers use Socratic seminars, performance tasks, project-based learning, technology, and traditional methods of teaching. Teachers check for understanding multiple times during instruction, as well as at the end of a lesson. Projects and performance tasks allow students to transfer their skills into a product. Academic intervention services are provided in core subjects. The level of rigor allows our students to have success in high school, college, and beyond. We implement the multiple intelligences at our school where students have music, dance, entrepreneurship, computer science, art, drama and music production courses along with traditional course work.