District 79

More on the great stuff Klein and Cami Anderson are doing to fix the former cesspool that was District 79:

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced several initiatives designed to improve results for students enrolled in District 79 (D79), Alternative Schools and Programs.  The Department of Education (DOE) is launching an easy-to-navigate referral system for students who have fallen behind in traditional high schools.  It is also closing failing GED programs and one-year transitional programs, including “Program for Pregnant Students” and “New Beginnings,” which have produced poor outcomes for students.  In their place, the DOE is creating a portfolio of programs and services that have proven capable of helping New York City students accumulate credits and successfully graduate from high school or receive a GED.

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CHANCEllor Klein announces reforms to better serve New YORK cITY’S OVER-AGED AND UNDER-CREDITED STUDENTS 

City to Eliminate Failing Programs and Establish a Portfolio of Innovative, Effective Programs to Meet Diverse Needs of District 79 Students 

Department to Launch Easy-to-Navigate Referral System for High-Needs High School Students

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced several initiatives designed to improve results for students enrolled in District 79 (D79), Alternative Schools and Programs.  The Department of Education (DOE) is launching an easy-to-navigate referral system for students who have fallen behind in traditional high schools.  It is also closing failing GED programs and one-year transitional programs, including “Program for Pregnant Students” and “New Beginnings,” which have produced poor outcomes for students.  In their place, the DOE is creating a portfolio of programs and services that have proven capable of helping New York City students accumulate credits and successfully graduate from high school or receive a GED. Part of this portfolio will be “GED Plus” programs tailored to meet students’ individual needs.  These changes to D79 build on progress the Department has made in recent years.  Today, the City’s four-year high school graduation rate has reached 60%, the highest level since the City began calculating the rate in 1986 and an 18% increase since the Mayor assumed control of the public schools in 2002.  These gains are due, in part, to successful initiatives—such as Young Adult Borough Centers, Transfer Schools, and Learning to Work programs—which help overage and under-credited students who are struggling in traditional high schools to succeed.

“We have made great strides in meeting the needs of students at-risk of dropping out, but we cannot afford to rest on that progress when 138,000 children between the ages of 16 and 21 have either dropped out or are in danger of doing so,” Chancellor Klein said.  “These reforms eliminate programs that are failing students and replace them with options proven to help students to succeed in school and beyond.”

During the past year, District 79 Superintendent Cami Anderson collaborated with the D79 leadership team, community groups, advocates, and educators to examine existing programs and determine how the Department could better serve D79 students.  They also conducted focus groups, visited sites around the City, and studied attendance and credit accumulation data to learn which programs are serving students well and which are not.  The reforms the Chancellor announced today are based on this extensive process of feedback and analysis.

Over the next year, the Department will close failing GED and one-year transitional programs.  Today, students in “Program for Pregnant Students” and “New Beginnings” typically acquire between two and five credits a year, falling further behind rather than making up ground. At the so-called P-Schools, attendance is at only 48% and less than 10% of students pass Regents exams.  At New Beginnings programs, attendance is at 67% and less than 1% of students pass Regents exams.  These one-year transitional programs will close at the end of the 2006-07 school year.  Each student currently attending a one-year transitional program will receive a personalized plan to enroll in a diploma-granting school or other program.  (While the DOE is closing P-Schools, it will continue to operate and improve more than 40 LYFE Childcare centers.  These centers will continue serving school-aged parents, so they are able to stay on track in school.)  The DOE will phase out failing GED programs over the next year.  Currently, only 12% of students who start at these programs successfully obtain a GED.  Average attendance at these programs is at about 50%, more than 30 points less than citywide high school attendance.

            The Department will expand its existing portfolio to include more robust programs and services geared to the specific needs of individual students.  These expansions include new user-friendly Referral Service Centers to help place students in appropriate settings and GED Plus programs, which are expansions of current GED models that work.

Referral Service Centers

These are one-stop centers in each borough, at which advocates and counselors will help students understand and access educational options.  The centers’ staff will take students’ individual needs into consideration as they make referrals.  Factors they take into account will include student age, credits accumulated, home location, literacy level, and life goals.

GED Plus

GED Plus will expand GED models that are currently helping students succeed.  GED Plus will assess the needs of students by testing their skill levels and academic needs. All students who enroll in these programs will have individualized learning plans.  The programs will also help students make connections with local college and career support services.  The City will offer both part- and full-time GED options.  Starting in fall 2007, students younger than 18 and older students with significant credit accumulation will be encouraged to enroll in high-quality, diploma granting programs—including transfer schools, small high schools, and Young Adult Borough Centers—rather than GED programs.  New accountability measures and data collection systems will help educators assess student progress and ensure that all GED programs are meeting student needs.

“There are pockets of innovation in District 79.  There are also many dedicated teachers, administrators, and community leaders who are working to reverse student's previous patterns of failure,” Cami Anderson said.  “As a system of services, we can do more.  These reforms will expand on those successes to ensure that each and every one of our students benefits from a program that meets all of their academic and developmental needs.”

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Contact:  David Cantor / Debra Wexler (212) 374-5141