Developer makes a difference in lives of Harlem children.

Real estate developer Daniel Rose is making a difference in the lives of hundreds of Harlem youngsters through a unique series of programs aimed at providing instruction, guidance and self-esteem building exercises to disadvantaged students.

The Harlem Educational Activities Fund, Inc. (HEAF), of which Rose is president, was established in 1988 as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt "public charity" whose goal is to help Central Harlem children from disadvantaged backgrounds develop the values, attitudes and skills enabling them to enter mainstream American life.

What started as an outgrowth of Rose's 30-year affiliation with the Police Athletic League (PAL) providing tutoring for disadvantaged youth, has blossomed into HEAF, a series of programs designed to take a cost-effective business-like approach to educating poor children.

Activities focus primarily on five separate program areas: Readers Theater, a reading instruction program for kindergarten through second grade; the HSEP test preparation and tutoring program, which helps promising Central Harlem youngsters compete successfully for admission to Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Tech and Stuyvesant High Schools; Support Net, a one-on-one mentoring program that provides material and psychological help for students who enter these intense, highly competitive schools; the nationally-noted Harlem chess programs; and a Support System for students who enter college.

Primarily funded through the private contributions of the Rose family and others in the real estate industry, HEAF recently received a "general charity" status, and now can accept donations from the general public.

As more resources become available, they hope to expand and to enrich their services to promising young people who, with appropriate support and encouragement, are capable of making constructive contributions to society.

Now in its sixth year, having touched the lives of well over 1,000 children, HEAF has a record of solid accomplishment that augurs well for the future.

Readers Theater

Asa Philip Randolph School of the Humanities (P.S. 76), at 220 West 121st Street, had, at the time of HEAF's initial involvement, the lowest reading scores of any public elementary school in the five boroughs of New York City. Only 9 percent of its students were reading at or above grade level. Today, the most recent in-house tests indicate that 66 percent of second graders are reading at grade level.

The school operates under very challenging conditions, with 85 percent of its students living in families with either one or no parent at home (25 percent with an adult other than a parent); the poverty index is well over 90 percent (compared to a District-wide index of approximately 75 percent); and over 75 percent of the student body qualifies for remedial services. It has been estimated that approximately 50 percent of the parents have drug problems and that about 40 percent of parents are functionally illiterate.

The school was desperately in need of help; and its single positive factor was a new principal with vision, energy and a desire to work with HEAF.

HEAF's relationship with P.S. 76 began by attacking the physical and material needs of the building. The library, in particular, was in terrible condition, with some 80 percent of its books published before 1070 and judged to be ineffective learning tools based on their content or condition. HEAF retained a library scientist from Teachers College, Columbia University to redesign the library, completely restocking its shelves with current books, reference materials, periodicals and newspapers. The P.S. 76 library, which now includes extensive sections on Chess, Poetry and Art to supplement HEAF classes in these areas, has become an important focal point for school activity.

Workbooks, texts and other class materials have been provided liberally, along with computers, desk copiers and creative materials such as "alphabet T-shirts" for students and teachers. School uniforms have been supplied to all students whose parents or guardians could not or did not provide them.

At various times, educational enrichment programs involving poetry, chess and music instruction have been provided to the school, to the extent funding has been available; and the school's principal has enthusiastically attested to the remarkable impact such services had on the children, teachers and parents. HEAF's chief program at P.S. 76 has been the Readers Theater, a program for kindergarten through second grade which teaches phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, pronunciation and oral reading skills. Over 120 students attend two-hour sessions, three times a week, that are designed to teach reading skills and to create an aura of excitement about reading - to show children first-hand the magic and world-expanding properties of words, books and ideas.

Complementary stimuli are consistently used to capture the imagination and attention of the students, who attend the program voluntarily. Real life clowns and puppeteers, prizes, snacks and the most up-to-date and appropriate books and teaching materials are among the tools HEAF uses.

Whether acting out scenes from stories they have read or applauding each other as they take turns reading aloud, the children are immersed in a safe, supportive, happy setting.

The high point of the school year is a trip either to the Big Apple Circus or to the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, which is announced at the beginning of the school year as a reward for all children whose reading skills improve. This serves as a real inducement for active participation in Readers Theater, and needless to say, by "circus time," all the children are invited to go.

HEAF is especially proud that parents, too, have been drawn to Readers Theater. Articles are sent home regularly discussing the importance of reading in the family. Parents are enthusiastically welcomed (door prizes, refreshments, etc.) at Parent Workshops which inform them about standardized reading tests and how to help their children. Many parents attend the Workshops and the regular Readers Theater sessions to observe their children reading and reciting.

Readers Theater is in addition to, not instead of, the school's regular reading activities. Children attend voluntarily, as do HEAF instructors, who are specially selected teachers from the school.

HEAF teachers receive extra compensation directly from HEAF for the additional hours they serve; and they are encouraged (at HEAF expense) to take further professional training sponsored by the Reading Reform Foundation and attend professional conferences, etc.

In the future, as funds become available, HEAF hope to institute a program aimed at improving the literacy of P.S. 76 parents, some 40 percent of whom are believed to be functionally illiterate, so that they can learn themselves while helping their children.

HEAF is currently exploring ways in which they can conduct this proposed activity in conjunction with the New York Public Library's CLASP (Connecting Libraries and Schools Project), which they hope will strengthen and enrich the relationship between P.S. 76 and the Public Library's Harlem branch at 124th Street.

High School Entrance Placement Program (HSEP)

Admission to New York City's finest academic high schools is highly competitive and is determined by high scores on the standardized HSEP examination given annually by the New York City Board of Education.

Few children from Central Harlem are admitted to these schools because they are not properly prepared for the examinations. HEAF has made it a major goal to increase substantially the number of Harlem children able to benefit from the advantages offered by these superior schools.

Working closely with the Stanley H. Kaplan Organization, one of the nation's leading test preparation groups, HEAF sponsors programs designed to help youngsters prepare for and pass the rigorous entrance examinations for the Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School and Brooklyn Technical High School.

These classroom programs are offered at no financial charge whatsoever to the participating students. Students receive all necessary study materials and, in addition, are invited to participate in various cultural events and excursions. Participants in the HEAF/Kaplan tutorials come from the Mott Hall School in District 6 and from several junior high schools in District 5. Students are nominated by guidance counselors and teachers on the basis of grades, school attendance, city-wide math/reading test scores and personal recommendations.

Since the inception of the HSEP program in 1988, several hundred students have been tutored and over two hundred students have received competitive examination scores high enough to permit them to enter the select high schools. Most of them entered those schools; some accepted places in various private schools; some left the city, and some chose to attend other schools.

In the Fall of 1994, over 116 students enrolled in the HEAF/Kaplan tutorial. These students voluntarily participate in nine Saturday morning sessions in the Fall led by trained professionals from the Stanley Kaplan Test Preparation organization and by HEAF staff. In keeping with their commitment to enrichment and leadership, the program includes sessions covering such topics as goal-setting, time management, and decision-making, as well as fun activities and educational field trip outings. Once the testing has been completed, counseling and information services are available to assist students and their families in making the important choice about which school to attend, and students who pass the exam may enroll in the Support Net program for further HEAF assistance.

Once a student has been admitted to a select high school, HEAF endeavors to keep in touch, monitoring academic and extra-curricular performance and serving in various ways as a continuing support system. In addition to the Mentoring Program, this support may include a cash grant toward the purchase of clothing and supplies, gift memberships in major metropolitan cultural institutions and, based on need, additional financial aid. Music lessons, books, special tutoring, travel funds, subscriptions to appropriate magazines and outings to various cultural events were among services provided this past year. HEAF has also created for these youngsters a lending library of appropriate scientific, educational and cultural video cassettes, ranging from National Geographic tapes and the speeches of Martin Luther King to filmed versions of "Ivanhoe" and "Pride and Prejudice."

Support Net

Students who have participated in the HEAF/Kaplan tutoring, and who have been accepted into specialized high schools, are eligible to become a part of the Support Net youth development program.

At the core of this program is HEAF's effort to match each student with a well-trained mentor who provides economic guidance, career/college counseling and consistent support of each student's personal and social development. The individual interaction between the mentors and students is supplemented by group events, leadership opportunities, enrichment activities and individualized support on a ease-bay-case basis (e.g. tutoring, books, debate team dues, music lessons, medical/counseling referrals, etc.)

HEAF is also aware of the critical need to provide substantial support to the mentors as they undertake this challenging and demanding responsibility. HEAF offers ongoing training by experts in adolescent care and education, small group meetings with Program Directors, frequent newsletters and direct access to a host of professionals with whom HEAF has established relations.

In addition, HEAF has assisted many students individually through the provision of tutors, the sponsorship of dance and music classes, the purchase of school clothes and school supplies and the payment of debate team dues.

In the 1994-95 school year, HEAF will have 74 teens paired with as many young New York City professionals. Although providing these students with positive role models is a very important aspect of the program, HEAF views the mentor-student pairing as only the first step in supporting these young teens. The HEAF staff remains involved in and committed to each student's academic and personal development throughout his/her high school career, making them partners in the mentoring process rather than simply facilitators of it. They also recognize that there are many others who must be included in this effort. HEAF maintains direct communication with students, mentors, parents and school administrators not only to ensure the success of the mentor-student relationship, but also to foster a sense of teamwork among all those who have a stake in the successful education of these youth. By making this collaboration one of their primary goals, HEAF is building a community of people who encourage and inspire each other to achieve their highest aspirations.

Since a successful college career is the next goal for each of the Support Net students, HEAF is actively involved in helping them prepare for college entrance examinations through Princeton Review Courses, and they advise and assist students in preparing their college admission applications.

HEAF also advises students on the choice of college, and on occasion arranges visits and tours to college campuses.

Chess

Although value can be found in the mastery of any pastime, chess in particular is more than merely a "time-killing" activity for young people. Many educators see a clear correlation between a child's involvement with chess and a simultaneous improvement in the child's self esteem and academic performance.

The ability to understand complex strategies and the need to "plan ahead" are inherent in chess; and HEAF takes an active part in promoting involvement with chess in Central Harlem.

HEAF's chess activity currently consists of four programs taking place in schools and community centers in Harlem. At Mott Hall, the junior high school in West Harlem for gifted and talented students, HEAF sponsors chess teams whose members meet twice weekly to strategize and practice under the tutelage of Maurice Ashley, an international chess master and the world's highest ranking African-American tournament player, and Jerald Times, chess master and former PBS chess commentator. By holding bi-monthly school tournament competitions, the students at Mott Hall are developing national championship talent.

In May, 1994, the Mott Hall chess team, the Dark Knights, won first place in the national chess championships in Rye, New York in the Intermediate School Junior Varsity level; and in January 1995, the Middle School Varsity won first place in the New York City inter-school championships.

The next national school championship will be held in May in Dearborn, Michigan, and the Dark Knights hope to repeat their stunning performance of last year.

At the Police Athletic League/Phipps Center, the HEAF chess club was an instant success, attracting boys and girls of all ages and skill levels. HEAF-sponsored tournaments have become major events where students compete for prizes and trophies, each child leaving the center at the end of the day with a T-shirt memento and a greater sense of accomplishment and self worth.

At HEAF, chess is considered a metaphor for life, with group encouragement and support leading to outstanding individual accomplishment, and with rewards, recognition and the joy of achievement resulting from disciplined hard work and appropriate long-term strategies.

College Support System

Helping youngsters prepare for college logically leads to HEAF helping them select colleges they may wish to attend, and then helping them with the college application process.

Now that their 'end products' are actually entering college, HEAF tries to maintain close contact, providing both material and psychological support. This may take the form of financial help with clothing, books, personal computers, etc. or with extra academic tutoring should the need arise.

When possible, HEAF endeavors to find local mentors who can continue a one-on-one support relationship.

Financial Projections

HEAF's expenditures from January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1994 were $550,000. They note with appreciation the following foundations who have, over the years, provided them with financial assistance:

Annenberg Foundation, Bernstein Education Through the Arts Fund, Blinken Foundation, Boardroom Reports, Inc., Chase Manhattan Bank, Coles Family Foundation, Consolidated Edison, Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Foundation, Elizabeth L. and Michael P. Danziger Fund, Aaron Diamond Foundation, Dreyfus Worldwide Dollar Fund, Cantor Fitzgerald Foundation, Bernard F. and Alva B. Gimbel Foundation, Glickenhaus Foundation, Edwin Gould Foundation for Children, Jerome L. Greene Foundation, Agnes Gund Foundation, Heckscher Foundation for Children, Johnson & Johnson, Donald Jonas Revocable Trust, Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Center, Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstien Fund, Lauder Foundation, John A. Levin & Co., Morris L. Levinson Foundation, Longhill Charitable Foundation, Malkin Fund, Virginia and Leonard Marx Foundation, Nacore International, Roy R. and Marie S. Neuberger Foundation, New York Times Company Foundation, Pels Foundation, Robert L. Pelz Foundation, Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Fund, Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation, Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Foundation, Jill and Marshall Rose Foundation, Nancy and David L. Schwartz Charitable Foundation, Theodore H. Silbert Foundation, Bernard and Anne Spitzer Foundation, Stein Family Foundation, Stephen C. and Nan G. Swid Foundation, Taubman Foundation, Tiger Foundation, Volvo North America Corporation, Whitehead Foundation and Lawrence A. Wien Foundation.

And HEAF expresses its profound gratitude to those individuals whose encouragement and support have meant so much to us: Stephen L. Adler, Norman E. Alexander, Anna Lou Aldrich, Lawrence and Natalie Appel, Anthony L. Arico, Laurence Bacow, Shepard W. Baker, Edward Banfield, Jacques Barzun, John C. Bierwith, Allan S. Bisk, Peter J. and Lorraine F. Bogan, Armand Borel, Heywood Hale Broun, Lawrence B. and Ann Buttenwieser, John F. Cogan, Jr., Theodore Cohn, Giles Constable, Wilbur A. Cowett, William E. Crosby, Marilyn Ann Daniti, David Rockefeller, Pierre R. Deligne, James F. Doran, Margaret H. Douglas-Hamilton, Anthony Downs, William Doyle, Freeman J. Dyson, Arthur A. Feder, Thomas K. Garesche, Clifford Geertz, Nathan Glazer, Adam Porker Glick, Mary K. Gould, Joanne Greenberg, Ralph E. and Doris Hansmann, Arthur Hertzberg, Albert O. Hirschman, Jill and Martin Indyk, Beverly Jablons, Steven M. Jacobson, Robert P. Langlands, Hillel Levine, John F. Loehr, John E. Maloney, Morris and Erica Mansfield, Harold A. May, Marie M. Merzon, John E. Mroz, Harold J. Newman, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Michael Osheowitz, Cynthia Ozick, Peter Paret, Jack Parker, David B. Pearce, Edward R. Peckerman, Jr., Bruce C. Ratner, Dana M. Raymond, Madie J. Ross, Melissa Salten Rothman, Richard Rothman, Andrew Sabin, Donald M. Scott, C. Sidamon-Eristoff, Larry A. Silverstein, Merrie Spaeth, Thomas C. Spencer, Bernard Stein, George Steiner, Percy E. Sutton, Harold and Estelle Tanner, Thomas Block, Donald G. Tober, A. Richard Turner, James L. Weinberg, Laurence F. Whittemore, Harry Woolf, Caroline M. and Michael A. Zaleski, and Richard S. Zeisler.

Looking Ahead

HEAF tries to implement an essentially spiritual mission with hard-nosed practicality; and its goal is to "change lives for the better" in imaginative and cost-effective ways.

To the extent feasible in dealing with such intangibles, HEAF tries to quantify its results; and hopes that the lessons they are learning and the successes being achieved are capable of replication by others.

The outstanding quality of the professional staff has always been HEAF's greatest asset, and the Board tries to raise funds to enable these remarkable young people to "work their magic" through imaginative programs of demonstrated success for a target population desperately in need of them.

To the extent feasible, they try to have their results quantifiable, cost-effective and capable of replication; and they believe they have succeeded.

Daniel Rose believes in the importance of public schools, and feels that the private sector has a crucial role to play in making up for dwindling tax dollars. He also feels that the private sector should lead the way in ensuring that school funds are spent more efficiently.

"The gross expenditures in the New York City public school system are very high, but it doesn't show up in the classroom," Rose says. "Given the horrendous number of students graduating as functional illiterates, obviously something isn't working. The resources we have must be re-directed."