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New York City’s New Century High Schools initiative is working to create small, personalized high schools in communities formerly served by larger, low-performing high schools. The new schools involve community and cultural partners in improving the educational experiences of participating high school students. PSA conducted a four-year evaluation of the initiative, which is being implemented by New Visions for Public Schools.
PSA issued a final report and three interim reports on the evaluation. Information presented in the reports responds to five questions:
- Who participates in New Century High Schools?
- How are the schools implementing core educational-effectiveness principles?
- What changes are the schools experiencing over time?
- What are the performance patterns of participating students?
- What educational features are most closely linked to school effectiveness?
Key findings of this research are also presented in a chapter included in a new book, Saving America's High Schools (eds. Becky A. Smerdon & Kathryn M. Borman, Urban Institutes Press, 2009). The book describes mixed results in improving U.S. high schools. In Baltimore, despite some rises in student achievement, most students did not pass English and algebra assessment exams and did not graduate from high school. Academic performance did not improve in Chicago post-reform although graduation rates rose in some small schools. Foley and Reisner's study identified a bright spot in New York City's revamped schools: a 78 percent graduation rate for the class of 2006, compared with 61 percent in comparison-group schools. The increase in graduation rates in New York City small high schools was associated, however, with more students' obtaining the less demanding local diploma, as compared to the more rigorous state-endorsed, diploma.
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