By Kate McNeil

When the Bronx New School, PS 51, first opened its doors in September 1988, it was immediately called "progressive."

Started by a group of parent leaders who wanted an alternative to public schools they viewed as stodgy, PS 51 promised a unique classroom setting where students learned at their own pace, alongside classmates of different ages and multicultural backgrounds. Teachers and principals were known as "Beverly" or "Esther," and rooms were colorful and cluttered with art projects.

In recent years, as the city tightened its clamp on the Department of Education and standardized test scores became the measure of success, PS 51 lost its identity, parents complained.

Improving scores

Over parents' objections, in 2004 the school abandoned its long-standing policy of bringing students of various ages together in one class. A more traditional organization, principal Paul Smith said, would improve failing test scores by allowing teachers to focus on one grade level at a time.

At the time, parents pointed out, the shift proved that even the once-autonomous progressive school would not be able to escape the increasing demands of the testhungry city.

But hope may be on the horizon for parents who seek a more progressive approach.

Four former PS 51 teachers have blazed their own trail and won a license to begin a new charter school this fall.

Set to open in September at a location still to be determined, Bronx Community Charter School will preserve some tenets of PS 51 and offer what the teachers call a hands-on, holistic education with minimal standardized testing.

Starting small

The Board of Regents approved the group's five-year charter on Jan. 15. Plans call for the school to start with 100 kindergarten and first-grade students, and eventually expand to the eighth grade.

Leading the founders is Sascha Wilson, a PS 51 teacher for nine years, who said the Bronx New School, "where families and kids have had a large voice" shaped him as a teacher. Mr. Wilson's codirector will be Martha Andrews, and joining them will be Kendra Sibley and Ilia Edwards.