A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

                                      Contact: Ivette Rodriguez    March 10, 1997                        (202) 401-1576 

The U.S. Department of Education has identified five urban high schools as on the cutting edge of education reform.

The schools were selected under an Office of Vocational and Adult Education project called Changing the Subject: The New Urban High School.

The schools selected are:

President Clinton has issued a "Call to Action" to ensure that all students are prepared for college; that schools adopt challenging standards; that students have access to the Internet; that every classroom has a qualified teacher; and that schools are safe and drugfree.

"It can be done," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said during today's visit to Central Park East Secondary School. "When teachers, students, parents, the community and business join forces, the result is state of the art education, with young people preparing themselves to continue their education beyond high school."

Central Park East graduates 97.3 percent of its students and 90 percent of them go on to college. Riley said the selected schools approach reform from a perspective grounded in their communities' needs, while stressing:

• high academic standards and career skills;
  • a curriculum that emphasizes high level
• academics linked with career experiences;
  • career exploration, internships and work based
• experiences linked to classroom teaching;
  • strong partnerships between the high school
• and postsecondary institutions;
  • adult mentors to assist students with classroom and on the job learning experiences; and
  • a safe, supportive learning environment within the school.

"These new American high schools have restructured what and how they teach so that learning is relevant and all students are prepared for college and career opportunities," Patricia W. McNeil, assistant secretary for vocational and adult education, said. "They enable students to have a broader range of choices, equipping them with the advanced knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century."

The schools were identified as part of a contract, funded by the School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994, with The Big Picture Company, a Providence, R.I., non profit education research and advocacy group. The high schools will receive assistance from The Big Picture Company in expanding and promoting their initiatives, with the intent that they will serve as models for other schools. Each school will also benefit from working with a renowned educator as mentor. These nationally recognized experts include Howard Fuller, Norton Grubb, Deborah Meier, Seymour Sarason, Theodore Sizer, and Judith Warren Little.

# # #

NOTE TO EDITORS:

High school descriptions are attached.

Serving 1,800 students, Hoover has organized its curriculum around three broad career pathways. Students develop individualized learning plans, incorporating learning objectives, and document their work in computer based portfolios that serve as electronic transcripts for students' college and career explorations.

William Turner High School, Miami, Fla.
Contact: Enid Weisman, principal, (305) 691 8324

In a new building set in an economically depressed area of Miami, Turner offers seven broad career pathways to 2,147 students. A model school for Dade County, Turner is proud of its ground breaking work in integrating vocational and academic curriculum in an atmosphere of high expectations for all students. Turner is a dual certification school, offering students occupational certification along with their high school diploma.

Chicago Vocational Essential High School, Chicago, Ill.
Contact: Betty Despenza Green, principal, (773) 535 6099

Serving 2,700 students in a huge physical plant covering 750,000 square feet, Chicago Vocational has transformed itself over the past five years into eight "schools within a school," organized by broad career clusters. Within each school, vocational and academic teachers meet together regularly to plan integrated units of study. Chicago Vocational has been recognized locally and nationally for its exemplary leadership and unique achievements in personalizing education in a large urban site.

St. Louis Career Academy, St. Louis, Mo.
Contact: Vonelle Middleton, principal, (314) 772 8200

The St. Louis Career Academy offers a unique mix of computer assisted instruction and project based learning in a redesigned high school setting, featuring individual work stations and emphasizing small group work rather than conventional classrooms. Each career academy student works on academic skills at a personal computer for up to three hours each morning, and participates in group projects in the afternoon. Juniors and seniors engage in workplace internships in the life sciences, and feature their work in portfolios and exhibitions. Currently serving 240 students, the academy is a pilot program for the new St. Louis Career Education District, which will operate four such academies, each serving 450 students from the city and the surrounding county.

Central Park East Secondary School, New York, N.Y.
Contact: Paul Schwarz and David Smith, co directors, (212) 427 6230

Central Park East is a small neighborhood school in Harlem, serving 460 students in grades 7 through 12. Known for its district and national leadership in the movement toward smaller schools characterized by intellectual rigor and a sense of community, Central Park East is also a leader in providing work based learning for all students. Each student in grades eighth through tenth performs structured, supported community service. In addition, as a requirement for graduation, every student completes a minimum one semester, 100 hour internship accompanied by a portfolio of work. Community service and student internships are mediated through the school's advisory program, an exemplary support system for student learning and career exploration.

-###-