She raises the bar
Teacher preps Rikers inmates for the outside
NOMINATE AN EDUCATOR FOR A HOMETOWN HERO AWARD
FOR 25 YEARS, Mindy Morales has taught at the little-known East River Academy on Rikers Island, giving her all to prepare incarcerated students for life after jail.
That alone makes Morales one of the longest-serving educators in one of the most difficult posts in the city schools. But what’s really exceptional are the results she has achieved.
In the current school year ending Thursday, Morales has managed a 98% high school diploma equivalency exam pass rate among students who took the test and has rolled out her school’s first-ever SAT prep courses.
For her longstanding dedication and for bringing hope into the lives of some of the city’s toughest students, Morales is nominated for a Hometown Heroes in Education award.
Morales, 49, said her motivation comes from a deep desire to help the city’s neediest students.
“No matter where a kid is, they deserve the best education they can possibly get,” Morales said. “I know that I can do that for these kids.
Morales spent five years teaching at the High School of Graphic Communication Arts in Manhattan before moving to Rikers. She’s a licensed shop teacher with a specialty in graphic arts, but she has taught a variety of classes.
At the East River Academy, she focuses on preparing students for the high school diploma equivalency exam called the Test Assessing Secondary Completion — or TASC.
Inmates who pass the TASC stand a better chance of getting a job or pursuing college after they’re released. Morales preps her 16- and 17-year-old students for the exams in four-week classes of up to 20 inmates. Nearly all of her kids who take the TASC pass it, she said.
Seventeen students took the SAT, and three got into college. “This is our first year where kids are actually going to college from here — from jail,” Morales said. “My kids have exceeded my expectations.”