Saved Schools

DREAM Charter School

DREAM Charter School, nominated by Transcend, is an elementary/middle/high school in New York, New York, that describes itself as a public charter school serving learners from a primarily urban area.

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Location New York, New York

Governance Public Charter School

Grades Pre-Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, High

Students 2400

Locale Urban

Senior Director of Compliance and Operational Strategy Tiffani Alexander

Demographics

Percentage of students*

8%

English Learners

91%

Free/Reduced Lunch

23%

Students with Disabilities

African American or Black 42%

American Indian/Alaska Native 1%

Asian 1%

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander —

Hispanic or Latino 54%

White 1%

2+ Races —

Why DREAM Charter School was nominated

DREAM Charter High School's mission is to create powerfully literate young people who are self-determined to leverage their achievements to empower others in their communities. Located in East Harlem, this charter school serves and was created to serve its immediate community. DREAM HS also offers flexible learning environments with dedicated rigorous curriculum aimed to empower its young people through social consciousness and action in community.

Student experience design

DREAM Charter Schools implements a “Grow the Whole Child” model that promotes rigorous academics; athletics, health, and wellness; social emotional learning; and, family and community engagement. The four pillars of the model reinforce one another and the DREAM Schools curriculum supports students in fostering positive identities and developing the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in social action. DREAM’s key design elements are: - An innovative curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking and questioning - A co-teaching model that reduces the teacher-to-student ratio and integrates special needs students into the general school population - A robust data cycle that uses data to inform all aspects of teaching and learning - A whole child approach to teaching and learning that deeply integrates social emotional learning, health, wellness, music and the arts into the overall school program - An extended day and an extended year model that maximizes learning hours - An active family engagement program that fosters parent/guardian participation, leadership and advocacy - A focus on teacher motivation, development, and retention - A universal Pre-kindergarten program that ignites learning in children

Core Practices

Core Practices Length of Use

Family And Community Support Services
5+ years

Extended Learning Time
5+ years

All Courses Designed For Inclusion
5+ years

High Quality Instructional Materials
3-4 years

SEL Integration School-wide
5+ years

All Practices

Student Advisories

AI Literacy

AI For Learning Materials

AI For Teacher Productivity

AI-assisted Tutoring

Anti-racist Practices

Assessments For Agency And Self-directed Learning

Assessments For Deeper Learning

Assessments For Social-emotional Skills

Career Advising & Support

Career Exploration

College Advising & Support

Community And Workforce Partnerships

Culturally Responsive Practices

Disaggregated Data On Student Participation

Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles

Grading Policies Focus On Mastery

Interoperable Data From Multiple Technologies

Mental Health Services

1:1 Mentoring

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics

No Tracked Classes

Project-based Learning

Performance Based Assessment

Reallocation Of Resources For Students Most In Need

Restorative Practices

SEL Curriculum

Students Access Their Own Data

Trauma-informed Practices

Tutoring

Universal Design For Learning

Youth Employment Programs

key reasons for innovating

Address systemic inequities

Better support a specific population of students

Better support economically disadvantaged students

Better support students classified as English learners

Better support students experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness

Better support students of color

Better support students with disabilities

Demonstrate what’s possible for other schools

Date Updated: 4/1/2026

*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.