Patrick Henry Preparatory, also known as PS/IS 171 is a combined elementary and middle school known for its nurturing, supportive, caring, loving, and orderly environment. Located on East 103rd Street in East Harlem, the school is part of New York City’s Department of Education, District 4. Patrick Henry serves approximately 800 students. Nearly 60% of students identify as Latino/a or Hispanic. Just over 27% are Black or African American. 70% of Patrick Henry’s students qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. Patrick Henry is ranked among the best schools in the state although it does not utilize selective admission criteria. This East Harlem School has become one of the state’s highest-performing schools. Quantitative academic data reveal a sustained momentum of growth at Patrick Henry, resulting in the success of Black and Brown students in ways that will alter their opportunities for decades to come. 

In this chapter, you will hear from Principal Dimetres Patentelidis and Instructional Coach, Dr. Mallory Locke speak about the “ 3 Rs to Student Achievement ” based on the Bill Dagget Rigor/Relevance Framework. Rigor focuses on the degree of acquisition, assimilation, application, and adaptation. Relevance promotes connections, purposefulness, and cultural diversity. Relationships reflect student achievements and social and emotional intelligence in areas like expressing, regulating, understanding, trust, and more. We lifted key ideas from chapter one and aligned them with sh0rt clips that illustrate the key points. We then provided resources either directly from Patrick Henry or adapted versions to accompany the video clip and key ideas of the chapter.