I.S. 49 in Staten Island was once frowned upon by many Chinese parents. Frequently reported incidents of campus violence prompted many Chinese parents to remove their children from the school. To rectify the situation, the school is establishing special programs that cater to the high academic demands of Chinese parents and students. The programs, including a scholars program for gifted students established three years ago, an ESL class and citizenship workshops for immigrants, have worked well to woo the community back.

Mark Scher, the veteran principal of I.S. 49 told Sing Tao yesterday that the school, also named “Bertha Dreyfus,” was a “problem” school before. But with the joint effort of administration and faculty in recent years, there have been significant improvements. Security is better as well as the students’ academic performance. In fact, among all middle schools in Staten Island, I.S. 49 is the only school that made progress in this year’s the statewide English and Math regents.

Scher said that the scholars program in engineering currently has 180 students. All of the students had to pass a strict qualifying exam to gain admission and that Chinese students make up half of the program. Scher said he believes that the progress the school has made in academic performance, especially in the regent tests, is a selling point for Chinese parents. He disclosed that the school is also trying to attract primary school graduates from other districts. Free school bus transportation funded by the Department of Education is provided.

Although I.S. 49 is located in Stapleton, a fairly safe neighborhood, the adjacent Parkhill area is a bit rough. When the school was ridden with violence some years ago, many Chinese families in Stapleton sent their children to Brooklyn schools or to private schools.

George Li, president of Mosel Association, an advocacy organization in the Staten Island Chinese community, has dealt with many violent incidents targeted at Chinese people. Li said that sending kids to schools in Brooklyn or to private schools were a last resort for Chinese parents, because Brooklyn was a far and private schools easily cost $3,000 per semester. But the parents had no choice. He said that there are two private schools around the Mosel Avenue area in Stapleton, a neighborhood where there are about 400 Chinese residents.

Li also cited the academic programs I.S. 49 has established to bring Chinese students back. He believes it is hard for parents who have already settled their kids in private schools or Brooklyn schools to transfer their kids again, but with the improvements in campus safety and academics, the school will be a top consideration for Chinese parents whose kids are graduating from primary schools.