More Resources Photos

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today visited the Cincinnati Zoo Academy at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's Harold C. Schott Education Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Joined by Congressman Steve Chabot and Superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools Rosa Blackwell, Secretary Spellings visited with students and teachers and discussed No Child Left Behind and the need for rigorous college-preparatory coursework and challenging math and science courses to prepare students to succeed in the 21st century global economy.

"Math, science and rigorous coursework are the keys to maintaining America's legacy of innovation and preparing our students for successful lives," said Secretary Spellings. "By combining classroom learning and on-the-job training, the Zoo Academy serves as a lighthouse for others to follow. With 90 percent of jobs requiring some postsecondary education, we must work together as a nation to ensure that our students graduate with the mathematics, science and technical skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century global economy."

The Cincinnati Zoo Academy is a fully accredited Cincinnati public school located at the Cincinnati Zoo in the new Harold C. Schott Education Center. Founded in 1976 as a vocational school for students interested in zoo careers, it changed into a college-prep program in 1995. The Zoo Academy is one of six college prep magnet schools that comprise Hughes Center High School. Students take classes at the Hughes Center campus as freshmen and sophomores before moving to their academy of choice to complete their high school careers. The program has a dual nature with an integrated career technology and vocational path in exotic animal care and conservation while at the same time administering rigorous college preparatory academics. The Academy meets in ground-floor classrooms and labs built around a rain forest exhibit in a greenhouse. Upon graduation, students will have completed four years of math and eight years of science.

The No Child Left Behind Act is the bipartisan landmark education reform law designed to change the culture of America's schools by closing the achievement gap, offering more flexibility to states, giving parents more options and teaching students based on what works. President Bush and Secretary Spellings are committed to providing a quality education for every child and ensuring that all children have the opportunity to learn.

For more information on the No Child Left Behind Act, visit http://www.ed.gov/nclb/.

###

Top

Back to October 2006