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Press Release
Media Contacts: Erika Freed, ISA 212-699-3696
Annie Morrison, ADVANCE BATON ROUGE 225-389-7243
Institute for Student Achievement and ADVANCE BATON ROUGE Celebrate High School Reform Efforts on October 23rd
School Tour and Community Luncheon To Highlight Steps Towards Graduating Students Prepared for Success In College
LAKE SUCCESS, NY and Baton Rouge, LA, October 22, 2007 – The Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) and ADVANCE BATON ROUGE will hold a community-wide celebration for the East Baton Rouge (EBR) Parish Laboratory Academy, the first small autonomous ISA partner school in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System as well as in the state, on October 23, 2007. A school tour and luncheon will highlight the community’s progress in selecting and implementing the ISA Model to create an academically rigorous and personalized small school designed to improve student achievement and graduate students who are prepared for success in college and beyond. The EBR Lab Academy officially opened on August 10, 2007.
The October 23rd event will enable community members, school and civic leaders, elected officials and school donors to experience the reform initiative that is currently underway; meet the school’s principal, teachers, staff and students; and engage in a dialogue to advance the exploration and creation of additional college preparatory small schools like the EBR Lab Academy.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School System worked in partnership with ISA, ADVANCE BATON ROUGE and F-E-G-S Health and Human Services System to create the EBR Lab Academy. ISA, a leading school redesign partner that facilitates the transformation of low-performing high schools into academically rigorous and personalized small learning communities and small schools that graduate all students prepared for success in college, is serving as the lead funder. The organization allocated a portion of a $7.9 million dollar investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to plan and develop the EBR Lab Academy. The school also received $100,000 in startup money from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, part of a $3 million education grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation distributed to the City after Hurricane Katrina.
“ISA is committed to providing all of the students we serve with an education that will prepare them for success in college and in life, and we are proud to extend our reach into Baton Rouge by collaborating with like-minded partners that are also focused on improving academic achievement,” said Gerry House, CEO and President of ISA. “By implementing the ISA Model, the EBR Lab Academy combines academic rigor and high expectations within a community that emphasizes social and emotional support – creating a learning environment that enables each student to reach his or her goals. We invite the community and local leaders to experience, and to embrace, the positive impact that the school is already having on its students.”
“We are thrilled to host this event to recognize the significant work that our partners have contributed to the development and ongoing support of EBR Lab Academy,” said Kristy Hebert, Executive Director of ADVANCE BATON ROUGE. “There is a pressing need to improve the quality of public education for students in the region and we are dedicated to making a difference through the opening of rigorous, college preparatory small schools like this one.”
The day will begin at 11:00 AM at the EBR Lab Academy which is housed on the Istrouma High School campus. The school is located at 3730 Winborne Avenue. Guests will tour this small, college preparatory school that is based on the nationally-recognized ISA Model. The day’s events will continue at the Capitol Hilton in downtown Baton Rouge at 1:00 PM where a Community Luncheon, sponsored by the Center for Development and Learning, will be held. The Luncheon will feature remarks from distinguished guests who will address the changes underway in the district and how the community can build on the energy that has begun due to a public/private partnership model.
Like all ISA partner schools, the East Baton Rouge Parish Laboratory Academy is designed and implemented based on The ISA Model, which is framed by Seven Principles: a college preparatory instructional program; Distributed CounselingTM; a dedicated team of teachers and counselors; continuous professional development; extended school day and year; parent involvement; and continuous organizational improvement.
ISA serves approximately 15,000 public school students and has 57 partner schools, located in New York City, Westchester, Buffalo and Long Island, New York; Union City, New Jersey; Atlanta, Georgia; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
About the Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) Focusing on improving academic achievement, the Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) 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 and beyond. 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.
About ADVANCE BATON ROUGE ADVANCE BATON ROUGE was established in 2005 by three prominent, local organizations: the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, 100 Black Men and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. These organizations came together to create ADVANCE BATON ROUGE as a non-profit focused on correcting educational inequities and improving student outcomes in the area. Believing in the value of public education, ABR aims to bring systemic change to schools, thus, affecting all stakeholders and increasing the quality of life for all individuals in our community, by supporting as well as launching initiatives that provide urgent reform through partnerships among K-16 educational organizations. For more information, contact us at (225)389-7243 or visit our website at www.advancebr.org.
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