Vocational instructor Don Bartlow with students.

Rather than treat students as passive recipients of learning and discipline, the staff teaches all students to take responsibility for the school community by emphasizing group norms and designing hands-on lessons that require students to cooperate with one another.

Teachers have been selected on numerous occasions to present their innovative curricular advancements to other interested educators at seminars and conferences across the country.

The tone of the school is set by the Principal, Teri Lynch Delane. Teri entered Delancey Street in the early 70s as a teenage prostitute, drug addict and school drop-out. While at Delancey Street, Delane earned her Bachelors Degree, two Masters Degrees, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. More than her degrees, however, her commitment to adolescents and to the Delancey Street principles are felt daily by the students in her words and deeds. She serves as a role model for youth who believe they can change.