One Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, NY, October 10, 2018: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza joined school principals, superintendents, teachers, students, and parents in unveiling plans for the Brooklyn STEAM Center, a first-of-its-kind facility in New York City that will support students with real-world work experience in emerging professions based at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This state-of-the-art educational hub sited on the third floor of Building 77 will serve hundreds of juniors and seniors from eight of the borough’s public high schools as part of their pursuit of high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs, providing them upon graduation with a portfolio of work that meets industry expectations, a network of professional contacts, proficiency across a set of technical and professional competencies, as well as a clear next step to college and/or career advancement. Borough President Adams and Chancellor Carranza highlighted the transformational role that the Brooklyn STEAM Center will play as a public school program co-located within a business environment, enhancing the academic development of local high school students competing for the high-quality STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics)-based jobs in the borough and beyond, as well as furthering the nonprofit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC)’s mission to provide access to high-quality, sustainable manufacturing and technology jobs.
“The vision we shared for pipeline education back at the start of our journey at Brooklyn Borough Hall has now truly come to life,” said Borough President Adams. “The Brooklyn STEAM Center will be a marquee educational institution that exemplifies the best of our borough’s academic and economic potential. This STEAM-powered hub, along with the Brooklyn Pipeline at Medgar Evers College and the many branches of the One Brooklyn Engineering Pipeline, are shattering the traditional education paradigm that was stuck in 20th century thinking. My administration is investing in connecting school experiences and curriculum from elementary to college and breaking students out of siloed classroom realities. I’m excited to work with Chancellor Carranza, the incredible educators at the Brooklyn STEAM Center, and the unparalled talent across the Brooklyn Navy Yard as we tap into the limitless possibilities of our students.”
“High-quality Career and Technical Education is a critical part of our Equity & Excellence for All agenda to put every student on the path to college and careers,” said Schools Chancellor Carranza. “The new, first-of-its-kind Brooklyn STEAM Center is an invaluable investment and will give Brooklyn students a new access point for active, real-world learning experiences. I thank Borough President Adams and our partners for supporting this model program, and I look forward to the work ahead.”
The Brooklyn STEAM Center is a partnership between the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) and BNYDC, with instruction that focuses on five career pathways, selected for their presence within the Brooklyn Navy Yard and for their job potential in the larger labor market; the pathways are computer science, construction technology, culinary arts and business, design and engineering, and film and media. The center supports students from Bedford Academy High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant; Boys and Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant; Benjamin Banneker Academy in Clinton Hill; High School for Global Citizenship in Crown Heights; Medgar Evers College Preparatory High School in Crown Heights; George Westinghouse Jr. High School of Career and Technical Education in Downtown Brooklyn; Science Skills Center High School for Science, Technology and the Arts in Downtown Brooklyn, and Science, Technology and Research (STAR) Early College School at Erasmus in Flatbush. A dedicated advisory council of professionals from more than 50 businesses and higher education institutions in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and around the borough help guide the curriculum with the teachers and provide work-based learning opportunities.
“The STEAM Center at Building 77 will provide local high schoolers the hands-on training they need to succeed in the next generation of manufacturing and tech jobs, including at the Navy Yard,” said David Ehrenberg, President and CEO of BNYDC. “Connecting students from our neighboring communities and across the borough to precisely those types of good-paying, sustainable opportunities is a core part of our mission. Thanks to Borough President Adams for his leadership on this issue and his support for this essential component of the Navy Yard.”
Students enrolled in the Brooklyn STEAM Center are introduced to the program as freshmen and sophomores, getting familiarized with Brooklyn Navy Yard, CTE foundational skills, and program options as well as completing work for core requirements. Juniors and seniors engage in a shared instruction, half-day model, split between work at their academic high schools and CTE study at the center. The Brooklyn STEAM Center is temporarily located in two swing spaces at Boys and Girls High School and the George Wingate Education Complex in East Flatbush. The first cohort of students for the Brooklyn STEAM Center was selected in the 2015-16 school year as freshmen. Currently, approximately 150 students enroll each year, for a total of 300 juniors and seniors; at capacity, the Brooklyn STEAM Center will serve 350-400 students each year.
Borough President Adams’ $5 million allocation to the Brooklyn STEAM Center is the highlight of more than $25 million in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) funds from Brooklyn Borough Hall to advance STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education across more than 175 schools in the borough. The Brooklyn Navy Yard is overseeing design and construction of the center, with support from NYCDOE and the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA). The Brooklyn STEAM Center’s selected architect is Perkins Eastman and the selected construction manager is Turner Construction; mock-ups of the project can be accessed here
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