Press ReleaseINSTITUTE FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PARTNERS WITH UNION CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION TO CREATE EIGHT NEW SMALL LEARNING COMMUNITIES State Leaders in School Reform Set Example for New Jersey High Schools Seeking to Raise Student Achievement
LAKE SUCCESS, NY, January 10, 2006 – The Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) today announced its partnership with the Union City Board of Education to create eight new ISA Model Small Learning Communities (SLCs), slated to open for the 2006-07 school year. ISA, a leading school redesign partner that facilitates the transformation of large comprehensive high schools into high- performing small schools and SLCs that prepare students for college, will work hand-in-hand with the district to design and open the first ISA partner schools in the state. This educational alliance also represents the first non-mandated restructuring initiative in an Abbott district – the 15 neediest and most under-funded school districts in New Jersey.
By combining structural reform with a rigorous curriculum that incorporates inquiry instruction and real-world learning experiences, the new ISA partner schools will help to prepare students for success in college and beyond – and support the district in complying with legislative directives for improvement. As such, Union City’s small learning communities will implement a college preparatory instructional program that engages students in critical thinking and inquiry-based learning and emphasizes literacy and numeracy across all subject areas. Additionally, the schools will support greater student achievement through internship and mentoring opportunities; an extended school day and year that incorporate tutoring, test preparation, homework assistance and extracurricular activities; and college planning and advising.
Each with an inaugural class of 100 students, four of the eight new small learning communities will share the campus of Union Hill High School and four more will be located in Emerson High School. The campuses currently serve approximately 3,000 students, the majority of whom are Spanish language speakers who are academically underperforming. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Hispanic students notably lag behind their white counterparts in core academic skills. The Center also found that among students who graduate from high school on time, Hispanics are much less qualified for college.
“Union City is committed to becoming a district in which all students receive the maximum support and services necessary to prepare for success in college and beyond,” said Stanley Sanger, Union City School Superintendent. “We recognize that the district needs expert help to attain the high level of achievement that we want for our students – and to sustain it. We feel ISA is that partner.”
ISA and Union City are currently engaged in a year of planning in preparation for the launch of the small learning communities in the fall of 2006. The planning phase will be followed by four years of implementation, beginning with each school’s incoming ninth graders assigned to one of the four small learning communities. Each subsequent class of ninth graders will be assigned to a small learning community until in four years each small learning community reaches maximum capacity of 400 students, grades 9-12, and the large high schools are re-structured into four SLCs, each with 400 students. During the implementation phase, ISA will provide the growing schools with ongoing, hands-on support – including a dedicated ISA coach who will be onsite one day per week to support the principal and teachers in the design and development of their small learning communities, which will use ISA’s Seven Principles as the framework.
Adopted by all ISA partner schools, the Seven Principles include a college preparatory curriculum; Distributed Counseling; a dedicated team of teachers and counselors; continuous professional development; extended school day and year; parent involvement; and continuous organizational improvement. Building upon these Seven Principles, ISA works alongside partner schools to create comprehensive plans and implementation strategies for school redesign that are customized to meet their unique needs.
“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to expand our reach into New Jersey, and to partner with the first Abbott district to implement a non-mandated school reform initiative,” said Gerry House, ISA’s President and CEO. “ISA will work in partnership with Union City to establish the new small learning communities, which will enable students to graduate prepared for college or other postsecondary education, work and citizenship.”
ISA’s strength as a partner is bolstered by its engagement with the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, & Teaching (NCREST), Teachers College, Columbia University, in which NCREST provides all partner schools with student performance and program implementation data.
Access to this critical information will help to ensure that the new schools meet Union City’s short- and long-term goals for improving student achievement.
“Union City is a district on the rise,” said Arthur Greenberg, ISA’s vice president for strategic partnerships. “Union City is the kind of partner ISA seeks – motivated and willing to work hard to achieve the best for its students, despite the many challenges it may face.”
Approximately 8,000 public school students participate in 32 small schools and small learning communities in 11 ISA partner school districts, located in New York, Georgia and Virginia. ISA was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop 10 new, small public high schools in New York City. ISA also recently opened a new small learning community in Ossining, NY and has partnered with Atlanta Public Schools to design and open four small schools at the Carver Educational Complex, which opened in August 2005.
About the Institute for Student Achievement Focusing on improving academic achievement, the Institute for Student Achievement is a leading school redesign partner that facilitates the transformation of low-performing high schools into small learning communities and small schools designed to prepare all students for success in college. Founded in 1990, ISA partners with school administrators and teachers to create and sustain intellectually rigorous and caring, personalized learning environments. A set of Seven Principles defines and guides the ISA model. Building upon these Seven Principles, the Institute for Student Achievement collaborates with schools to create comprehensive plans and implementation strategies for school redesign that are customized to meet the unique needs of schools and districts. For more information contact us at (516) 812-6700 or visit www.studentachievement.org. |
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