 |
|
 |
New: A message from Superintendent Eva
Joseph
April 20, 2007
At the Board of Education meeting last night, the Board
decided not to submit a federal magnet grant application as
part of the proposal to re-structure the School District's
middle and high school programs. Since the proposal was
first introduced, feedback from stakeholders within the
community indicated that a deeper dialogue on a number of
elements compelling the proposal is needed. (MORE) The Magnet
application deadline did not allow for this necessary dialogue. As a
community, we agree that the status quo is unacceptable and
student achievement must improve. At its core, the proposal
is about research-based, culturally-responsive learning that
allows students to build skills and confidence through
enriched, exciting instruction. It is about fundamental
change. I look forward to working with the Board of
Education in continuing to collaborate with our community
constituencies and parents to develop recommendations and
plans to dramatically improve our middle and high school
programs.
In
February 2007, the district announced a proposal to "holistically
re-engineer" secondary programs to improve student achievement and
opportunity, eliminate the achievement gap, and increase the 4-year
graduation rate. Please see the links to the right for more specific
information related to the proposal, or see below for a summary.
***
A summary of the proposal:
The Board of Education
is considering a bold and innovative proposal to “holistically”
re-engineer the City School District of Albany’s middle and high school
programs. The proposal represents broad measures to confront a variety
of district challenges head-on and develop students whose
critical-thinking and problem-solving skills will prepare them for
success in the 21st century.
The proposal’s
goals are:
|
1.
To improve student achievement and opportunity for
students in Albany public high school and middle schools.
2.
To reach the district-wide goal of 100 percent student
graduation rate.
3.
To eliminate the student achievement gap.
4.
To prepare students for a future where the competition is
global, high tech is a premier industry and specialized skills
are rewarded. |
Under the proposal:
-
High
school:
Albany High School would be restructured into academies to
engage students in fields in which they are interested and
to prepare them for success in the 21st Century
with real-world experience and critical-thinking and
problem-solving skills. Philip Livingston Magnet Academy,
currently a middle school, would be the home of Albany High
School’s academy for nanoscale science, engineering and
environmental science.
-
Middle
schools:
Students in the district would have the choice of attending
one of two specialized magnet middle schools in either the
arts and humanities or research science and technology.
|
Factors driving the
proposal:
1. Middle
school achievement:
Philip Livingston and William S. Hackett are in jeopardy of intense and
dramatic state action (closing and restructuring) under the
accountability guidelines of both the New York State Education
Department and federal No Child Left Behind legislation.
2. Declining
middle school enrollment:
Enrollment in grades 6-8 will not support three middle school programs
plus the 6-8 program at North Albany Academy beginning in 2008-09.
3. High
school graduation rate:
The district must improve its high school graduation rate. Gains in
recent years can only be significantly improved to 100 percent through
dramatic restructuring of the high school program.
Specific elements of the
proposal:
-
For
middle school students:
There would be two magnet middle schools, giving students
the choice of arts and humanities or research science
and technology. It would provide an interdisciplinary
approach to classroom instruction, would tie the curriculum
to real-world applications, would enhance the quality of
learning and ensure academic rigor and high expectations.
-
For high
school students:
The high
school program would be restructured into academies, an
innovative approach that allows students to engage in
smaller learning communities proven to increase student
achievement and to provide a safer and more orderly school
atmosphere, an increased sense of belonging and a more
personalized educational experience. The academies would be
based on student interest and would build upon the high
school’s currently successful career explorations offerings
in areas such as criminal justice/law, engineering, finance,
communication and the arts, education and health sciences.
Also Philip Livingston Magnet Academy would become Albany
High School’s academy of nanoscale science, engineering and
environmental science, building on the district’s recently
announced “NanoHigh” partnership with the UAlbany College of
Nanoscale Science and Engineering. It would also leverage
Philip Livingston’s location near the Tivoli Nature Preserve
to create innovative coursework in the environmental
sciences. This program would be recognized as a national
model for 9-16 education in emerging technologies.
|
Attributes of the
proposal’s theme-based programs and academies:
1. Builds
a base of real-world experiences for students
2. Meets
students where they are interested
3. Helps
build links to the community and important 21st century
collaborations with business, higher education, health care, media and
government
4. Allows
students to play a role in regional initiatives such as high-tech
industries
5. Supports
greater collaboration among instructional staff through an
interdisciplinary approach
6. Develops
community partnerships in fields such as higher education, health care,
business, media and government
7.
Strengthens public
education in Albany, and thus strengthens the city itself, by providing
more and richer options for students
|
|
|
