Randi on REACH, and our response

Our phones are still ringing off the hook about REACH from parents, students and schools that want to be part of the program.  Exciting stuff...
 
1) We were pleased to see this press release from Randi today:

UFT President Randi Weingarten on student  cash awards for AP scores

October 16,  2007

The city launched on Oct. 15 a privately  funded Rewarding Achievement Program that will offer cash awards to 25 public high schools and their students for doing well on Advanced Placement tests ($1,000 to students for an AP score of 5, $750 for a 4 and $500 for a 3, and  up to $100,000 for participating schools).

UFT President  Randi Weingarten statement:

"While  this privately-funded program will provide assistance to students in 25 schools, the city needs to increase its commitment to Advanced Placement and other college-prep coursework in all of the City's middle and high schools.  
 
AP classes provide high school students with important opportunities to pursue rigorous courses of study that can result in college credits at a minimal cost. Unfortunately, there are far too few AP courses in New York City public high schools, and those that do exist are concentrated within a much-too-small number of high schools.  
 
We need to expand AP opportunities for our high school students, especially in schools serving high needs communities. We need to provide schools, teachers and students with the needed support to start and expand these programs -- the funds to schedule the extra AP classes, to purchase expensive college textbooks and to pay the exam fees for low income students, and the professional development for teachers to design and execute college courses."

Here is our response:

We agree wholeheartedly with the UFT president's sentiments and join her in calling for Advanced Placement rigor in all high schools, especially those REACH is focused on, that serve low-income communities and, in particular, African American and Latino students, who are often left off the rigorous academic track that leads students to college success.

If the REACH  program is successful, we plan to expand it to many more schools that seek to build Advanced Placement programs.   As a first step toward this goal, REACH will provide grants of $2,000  to an additional 50 New York  City schools that serve low-income students, so they can invest in their AP programs and potentially become part of the full REACH  program in future years.  REACH is also working to expand professional development opportunities for teachers at  80 low-income schools in New York  City.