Our History

Founded in the South Bronx in the mid-1990s, The Urban Assembly soon identified strong secondary schools as a powerful pathway to economic opportunity. In 1997, with support from the Annenberg Foundation, UA opened its first school, the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice. UA went on to design and launch 27 small, theme-based public schools, including 17 through New York City’s New Century High Schools initiative. Built around academic rigor, personalized learning, and community partnerships, these schools primarily served students from low-income communities and formed a collaborative network focused on continuous improvement. From 2011 to 2013, UA also helped establish several pioneering career and technical education schools, including New York City’s first CTE charter school.

In 2015, New York City Public Schools restructured how schools were managed and supported, reducing the role of external networks and shifting greater responsibility to superintendents and borough-based support centers. In response, The Urban Assembly transitioned from broad school management to a program-based partnership model focused on instructional improvement. UA began delivering targeted support through professional development, coaching, and programs in areas such as school leadership, data use, algebra instruction, and social-emotional learning. Services ranged from network-wide learning opportunities to school-based workshops and individualized coaching. Following another district restructuring in 2020, UA continued to support its schools through this flexible, tiered model.

In its current era, The Urban Assembly is focused on scaling the programs and innovations developed through decades of direct work with schools. Our innovation model begins with challenges identified by educators and students, then combines co-design, research, piloting, and continuous improvement to create solutions that can succeed across diverse school communities. This approach has produced tools such as Project CAFE, which expands access to high-quality teacher feedback and coaching, and CounselorGPT, which strengthens postsecondary advising. By pairing technology with proven implementation support, UA is extending the reach of its work beyond its New York City network to schools and educators nationwide.