Brooklyn Borough President

BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARTY MARKOWITZ CONGRATULATES THE FACULTY AND STUDENTS OF P.S. 245 ON THEIR “MOST IMPROVED” STATUS

Photographs by Kathryn Kirk

Borough President Marty Markowitz and P.S. 245 officials are joined in celebration of the school’s magnificent improvement by the “We Love You Nelson Mandela” Dancers. Pictured from left to right are: former Principal Paulette Knox-Williams; Principal Joan Ramsey; District 22 Community School Board member Al O’Hagen; Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; and District 22 Community School Board President Saul Needle.

On Wednesday, March 24th, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined the members of District 22’s Community School Board in applauding Principal Joan Ramsey, former Principal Paulette Knox-Williams, the faculty and students of Public School 245 in Flatbush on their designation as one of the most improved school’s in New York State.

The honorable designation was granted to schools whose scores on reading and math tests, given to 4th and 8th graders, have improved throughout the last 5 years. More than 1,000 schools across New York State received this honor. At P.S. 245, students experienced a dramatic rise in math proficiency, with 91 percent of students now meeting the standards, versus 30 percent in 1999. Borough President Markowitz presented a proclamation to the school and a citation to former Principal Paulette Knox-Williams in honor of the occasion.

“We should celebrate this distinction, but the true reward is that the environment for learning is improving for Brooklyn’s students,” Borough President Markowitz said. “We all know that if our children are given an atmosphere they can thrive in, they will excel beyond any of our expectations.”