by Laura Dragonetti, Thomas Gill, Angel Melendez, Christopher DeRose, Alexander Sachs, Drenica Camaj, Mercedes Aquino, and Samantha Zimmer
Dr. Mark Naison’s Senior Values Seminar: Affirmative Action and the American Dream
Fordham University
In times of economic uncertainty where the majority of wealth is concentrated in a small portion of the population, we as students at a Jesuit institution[i] asked ourselves what small changes we could make in our own community that could possibly contribute to a larger societal change in the distribution of wealth. One aspect of society that we focused on in our class was educational access and attainment; we discussed many policies for admission into universities and grad programs, and learned about the advantages and disadvantages that often determine which people have the chance to attend a university, as well as the disadvantages that keep many people from applying in the first place. Many capable young people do not have the chance to attend a four-year university for financial reasons, and many others do not even graduate high school because they attend under funded public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus is located in a low-income neighborhood, we believe that it is university’s responsibility to see that the students living there have the same opportunities that other students have. In order to do this, we are proposing that Fordham University adopts the schools within the Roosevelt Educational Campus. Our intention is also for Fordham to admit students from Roosevelt into their freshman class each year, as well as provide support to the schools in terms of resources and mentorship.
This idea arose from our realization that even with the existence of affirmative action, students from lower-income neighborhoods have much less of a chance of making it into a selective university. Cedric Jennings, a student who worked his way from the inner city in Washington D.C. to Brown University, whose story is told in Ron Suskind’s A Hope in the Unseen[ii] is quite an extraordinary case, that has not been replicated on many occasions. We as a class have learned that in addition to being controversial, that race-based affirmative action often benefits minorities or are already members of the middle or upper classes. Socio-economic-based affirmative action programs, which are inherently less controversial than race-based programs, also tend to increase diversity at schools that implement them. While increasing diversity at Fordham or making up for past disadvantages that specific groups of people have encountered is not what our proposed program is seeking to accomplish, they may end up being consequences of Fordham adopting Roosevelt. Our program’s true aim, however, is improving educational access for individual students and enhancing the relationship between Fordham and its surrounding community. Fordham would certainly not be the first university to adopt a neighboring high school. While other colleges, such as Remington College[iii], The College of New Jersey[iv], and Dade Medical College[v] have had similar programs, we intend for Fordham to institute a program of which the extent of involvement is yet unmatched.
Though Fordham already has a presence in its surrounding community, there is always room for improvement. Many students and faculty at Fordham may not realize the extent to which Theodore Roosevelt High School could have used Fordham’s assistance in the past. The two schools were incomparable, one being a selective university, the other, a high school struggling to stay afloat. Theodore Roosevelt High School, which was first opened in 1919, had the lowest graduation rate in New York City in 2005 of only 3%, and was closed the following year. The building now houses six autonomous schools: Belmont Preparatory High School[vi], West Bronx Academy for the Future[vii], Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology[viii], Fordham High School for the Arts[ix], KAPPA International High School[x], and the Bronx High School for Law and Community Service[xi], in what is called the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus. These schools are not in the same shape as Theodore Roosevelt High School was before it was closed; they have much higher graduation rates and have some advanced placement classes. This does not mean, however, that they have anywhere near the same number of resources as many other public schools. For example, these schools do not have the resources needed to expand arts or sports programs. For security reasons, these schools also have SSA officers and metal detectors[xii] present in the schools, which, though arguably necessary, add an aspect of distrust that likely does not encourage students to feel more enthusiastic about learning. We are not proposing that these should be taken away, but it is our hope that our program will foster a more amiable learning environment for the high school students.
Before making a proposal about what we think Fordham should do for the schools within the Roosevelt Educational Campus, it is important that we acknowledge what the university already does for schools within low-income communities. Fordham’s Graduate School of Education already has a partnership with 31 schools in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, through which they provide a range of technical assistance and support tailored to the needs of each school. These services include consultant coaching support, developing a customized action plan for each school, fundraising and grant writing, college tours, and much more[xiii]. Fordham’s community service office, the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice, also has opportunities for students to volunteer at the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus, however there has not been consistent student involvement there. In summation, while there are some affiliations between Fordham and the high schools in the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus, they seem to be minimal, and not something highly prioritized by the administration, the community service center, or the student body.
Keeping in mind that our own initial ideas for Roosevelt may differ from those of their administration and teachers, we began correspondence with some of the professionals from the individual schools. Some of our representatives were able to meet with the Assistant Principal at the West Bronx Academy for the Future, Elizabeth Wasson, and discussed what she thought of her school and what could possibly be improved. The extent of her knowledge of Fordham and the West Bronx Academy’s partnership was through a program called RISE[xiv] that provides the Academy with something called the PLATO grant, which gives students from the school an opportunity to make up courses they have failed at the computer labs at Fordham. Students in Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business’ honors program mentor these students as part of their community service requirement. However, this seems to be the greatest extent to which Fordham students work with students from the West Bronx Academy for the Future. Though it is a good start, we believe that the Fordham community should have a greater involvement in the West Bronx Academy, and the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus as a whole.
When asked what she would hope for from a partnership with Fordham University, Wasson listed several aspects of her school that she believes need improvement many of them incorporating active involvement on the part of Fordham University students, others involve Fordham’s sharing of resources with Roosevelt. Wasson advocated a shadowing program through which students from Roosevelt could attend classes and club events with a student from Fordham for a day, and building relationships between kids, counselors, teachers, and administrators, at both schools in general. Her ideas emphasized the importance of involvement on both Fordham’s campus and on the Roosevelt campus. She advocated both bringing Roosevelt students on Fordham’s campus for classes and bringing Fordham clubs to the Roosevelt campus to attend and participate in programs and events. Other needs that she expressed for the West Bronx Academy for the Future, and for the Roosevelt Educational Campus in general, are health classes (in order to change attitudes about consequences of sex and having children), green space for sports activities, and space for general after school activities.
Our proposal for Fordham involves combining what the assistant principal Roosevelt stated are their needs, as well as a program that would ensure that students from Roosevelt would be admitted to Fordham every year. Not only do we want to improve the educational experience of students at the high school level, but we also want to guarantee educational access at the college level to individual students who are part of a larger system that often does not see the admittance of people from low-income neighborhoods to selective or Ivy League schools. (This program is not about race. We are referring more generally to socioeconomic disadvantage that leaves many public schools under-funded and many students without the opportunities that their counterparts at well-funded schools have. As a class studying affirmative action and its effects, we understand the implications of instituting any sort of policy that provides advantages to some races over others, even when it is meant to make up for past disadvantages. Instead, we are looking to work specifically with the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus because it is both part of a low-income neighborhood and part of our surrounding neighborhood. What better place to start being “men and women for others” than across the street from our campus?) The program we hope for Fordham to establish concerns several different aspects of education and progress through the educational system.
We are proposing that Fordham develop a program through which its students will become tutors and mentors to students at the schools in the Roosevelt Educational Campus. This could be done through a club or society, not run or directed by students, but by faculty members, in order to ensure its continued quality and commitment. The Fordham students in this club or society would also be involved in a shadowing program with the students they mentor. Not only would they help their students with their schoolwork and the college application process, they would also take them to classes on campus in order to introduce them to college-level courses. Not all students from Fordham involved in the partnership with the Roosevelt schools would be a mentor or tutor; they could also assist in running after-school programs or coaching sports teams.
Ideally, Fordham’s adoption of the Roosevelt schools would not end there. It would also entail sharing its sports fields and courts with the Roosevelt schools and Fordham’s financial support to Roosevelt. Financial support could involve help with purchasing school supplies or maintaining facilities. One of the most important aspects of Fordham’s adoption of Roosevelt would be the system through which a number of students from Roosevelt would be guaranteed admission to Fordham each year. This number should be set each year, and should increase from one year to the next, reaching a cap at 50 (however, there should never be a cap on how many students from Roosevelt could be admitted to Fordham, just how many are required). Through these combined efforts, Fordham could change the face of high school education in the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus, bringing the students new resources, increasing their self-confidence as scholars, and subsequently, providing them with new expectations about their own futures. Today, most of these students do not expect to attend selective universities. Together, Fordham University and the Roosevelt Educational Campus can change that.
[i] In its online mission statement, Fordham University, as a Jesuit institution vows that it is “committed to research and education that assist in the alleviation of poverty, the promotion of justice, the protection of human rights and respect for the environment.” The university also acknowledges its debt to the city of New York, and recognizes its responsibility to share its resources in order to enrich the city, the nation, and the world as a whole. Our program would help Fordham fulfill these intentions, both as a program that promotes justice, and as a program that directly benefits the city that the University calls home.
Appendix B
[ii] A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey From the Inner City to the Ivy League is a biographic novel by Ron Suskind, published in 1998, which tells the story of Cedric Jennings, as he transitions from Ballou high school, an inner city school in Washington D.C., to Brown University. The book highlights the challenges that students from low-income areas face. These challenges manifest themselves at all stages in their education: passing classing, graduating from high school, getting into universities, and the struggles they will face once they have been admitted to a university. In high school, Cedric excelled academically, but faced challenges in terms of feeling ostracized from his fellow classmates, and was even bullied by other kids for being such a dedicated student. Once Cedric reached Brown University, he felt more accepted by other students because they too were passionate about learning. However, he had to face cultural differences that arose from the amount of privilege that other students had in terms of financial security. He also had to work harder than many other students because his high school education did not prepare him to the same extent that theirs did. Though it is a daunting task, we hope to make it more common for students from inner-city high schools to make it to selective universities, and to better prepare them for attending these universities than they historically have been, by beginning with the schools in the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus.
Appendix C
[iii] Remington College, a group of privately owned non-profit post-secondary educational institutions, operating in twenty campuses across the United States, has established a program called “Adopt Our School” in addition to several other community involvement programs. Through this program, Remington College “adopted” Humble High School, Walanae High School, and Bossier High School, donating $2,000 worth of school supplies to each.
Appendix D
[iv] The College of New Jersey, a public university located in Ewing Township, New Jersey adopted the library at Trenton Central High School in 2011, through a project called “Adopt-A-Classroom.” The “Adopt-A-Classroom” project itself allows educators to register their classrooms that need help allowing benefactors to support their needs. Like our program between Fordham and Roosevelt, the students at the College of New Jersey who implemented the adoption of Trenton Central High School’s library did so because they wanted to support a school in their college’s neighboring community. Through this adoption, TCNJ improved this actual library space by purchasing items, such as new curtains, and increased the number of books available to students by running a book drive.
< http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/04/tcnj_education_majors_adopt_tr.html>;
Appendix E
[v] Dade Medical College, located in Hialeah, FL, has implemented an “Adopt-a-School” program, through which they adopted Hialeah Senior High School in 2009. This adoption involved Dade’s donation of $5,000 to the local high school, in order to benefit the school’s band program and the Academy of Medicine and Health. Dade’s representatives committed to helping the schools in their community during times of economic hardship.
Appendix F
[vi] Belmont Preparatory High School’s 2010-2011 overall progress report grade was actually an A (70.9 out of a possible 100 points). Its student progress was scored as a 41 of 60 points and their performance was scored as an 18.1 out of a total of 25 possible points, however their school environment was rated with 7.8 points out of a possible 15, and a 4.0 out of 14 possible points for closing the achievement gap. The School Environment grade is based on student attendance, as well as the school’s NYC School Survey, completed by parents, teachers, and students, through which they rate the school’s expectations, safety and respect, communication, and engagement. Points for the ‘Closing the Achievement Gap’ are given to schools with exceptional graduation results among students with disabilities and English Language Learners, and for exceptional graduation and/or Regents results among students with the lowest proficiency citywide. Belmont Preparatory High School was among the 33% of schools that received A’s during the 2010-2011 progress report period.
Belmont Preparatory NYC School Survey 2010-2011 Report:
Though Belmont Preparatory High School was generally rated as satisfactory in its progress report, it’s Annual Arts in Schools Report for the 2010-2011 academic year showed that there is minimal involvement in the arts among its students.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/10/X434/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>;
Appendix G
[vii] The West Bronx Academy for the Future received a C as its overall grade for its 2010-2011 progress report. The school received 31.9 out of 60 points for student progress, 10 out of 25 points for student performance, 8.9 out of 15 points for its environment, and 3 points of 14 for closing the achievement gap. The low scores in student progress and student performance reflect students’ struggle to meet the state’s graduation requirements for passing State Regents exams, and poor graduation rates.
According to the school’s NYC School Survey Report for the 2010-2011 academic year, the school actually scored lower in certain areas than in the year before, specifically in communication and safety & respect. In taking the survey, parents also emphasized their desire for their children to be better prepared for standardized state tests, and for smaller class sizes.
Students at the West Bronx Academy for the Future were involved in more arts programs than those at Belmont Preparatory School in the during the 2010-2011 academic year, particularly in dance, music, and the visual arts.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/10/X243/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>;
Appendix H
[viii] The Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology received a D on its overall progress report for the 2010-2011 academic year, with a meager 40 out of 100 possible points. It received a D in student progress, F’s in student performance and school and environment, and only 1 point in closing the achievement gap. Only 12% of schools in NYC received a D or lower on their progress report. According to the report, a D or an F indicates that students at the school are demonstrating a slower pace of learning and progress than students at similar schools.
According to the NYC School Survey Report for 2010-201l, the Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology’s scores declined in all but one area (safety & respect), each score well below the city average.
Students from the Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology in the 2010-2011 year were also not involved with a lot of arts programs, but there was some extracurricular involvement in music and visual arts. (There was no involvement in dance, theater, or film). However, several students did attend classes in the visual arts.
Appendix I
[ix] Fordham High School for the Arts received an A in its overall progress report for the 2010-2011 academic year, with a B in student progress, an A in student performance, an A in school environment, and 4 points (of 14) for closing the achievement gap. Overall, the school received 77.6 points out of 100.
According to the school’s NYC School Survey Report for 2010-2011, Fordham High School for the Arts’ scores improved in every category from the previous year, aside from engagement, which remained the same. It was very rare that parents on this survey would report negatively about feeling informed or feeling that the school was concerned with their child’s progress.
As expected from the school’s name, the students from Fordham High School for the Arts were much more involved in arts than students from the other schools in the Roosevelt Educational Campus. Though no students were involved in film, there were students in every grade (9-12) involved in dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Students took between 8 and 10 credits in all forms of the arts aside from film (in which they took none).
< http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/10/X437/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>;
Appendix J
[x] The Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy International High School (KAPPA) received an A on its overall progress report for the 2010-2011 academic year with a total of 78.4 points out of a possible 100. KAPPA International received a B in student progress, an A in student performance (with a near perfect score of 22.7 out of 25), an A in school environment, and 4 out of 14 possible points for closing the achievement gap.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2010-11/Progress_Report_Overview_2011_HS_X374.pdf>;
Despite its high scoring progress report, KAPPA International actually declined in nearly every score on its NYC School Survey for 2010-2011. (However, each of its scores remained above average). Although its scores decreased in academic expectations, communication, and engagement, they all remained higher than those of the majority of schools in the area.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2010-11/Survey_2011_X374.pdf>;
KAPPA International’s students in the 2010-2011 academic year were highly involved in music, with some involvement in theater. There was no involvement in film visual arts, or dance. This is likely because of the possibility to earn class credit in these areas.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/ArtsReport/2010-11/ArtsReport_X374.pdf>;
< http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/10/X374/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>;
Appendix K
[xi] Despite receiving C’s in student progress, student performance, and school environment, the Bronx High School For Law and Community was able to achieve a B on its overall progress report for the 2010-2011 academic year, arguable a result of the 6 points that it received for closing the achievement gap. In fact, if it had received only one less point for closing the achievement gap, it would have fallen into the point range of a C.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2010-11/Progress_Report_Overview_2011_HS_X439.pdf>;
According to the school’s NYC School Survey Report for 2010-2011, Bronx High School For Law and Community improved in some areas, while declining or remaining the same in others. Its scores in academic expectations and safety & respect improved, while engagement declined, and communication remained constant.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2010-11/Survey_2011_X439.pdf>;
Aside from the visual arts, students at this school were not involved in the arts at all. However, involvement in the visual arts was higher than in the other schools in the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus, with 19% involvement among Freshmen, 81% involvement among sophomores and seniors, and 100% involvement among juniors. Half of all students graduated with at least 3 credits in the arts.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/ArtsReport/2010-11/ArtsReport_X439.pdf>;
Appendix L
[xii]While it may seem necessary for security purposes, the presence of SSA officers and metal detectors in high schools is creating a hostile environment that likely does not make students feel welcome to learn.
At Aviation High School, the school was forced to cancel all “zero-period” Advanced Placement classes because of “disruptions caused by the NYPD,” and attendance dropped from 94 percent to 70 percent because of the lines caused by the metal detectors (11). “Students and families who attempted to protest the NYPD police action at Aviation High School were threatened or silenced” (11). At the Community School for Social Justice and the Health Opportunities High School, female students were searched by male officers in what was a “clear violation of the Chancellor’s Regulations” (12). A teacher even protested in a note: “can we please no treat...teenagers who have gotten themselves to school like they’ve committed a crime?” (13). The principal of Curtis High School described the officers as abrasive and complained that they “treated students with disrespect” (14).
82% percent of students surveyed reported that they had been late to class because of the metal detectors. 53% of students surveyed reported that officers have spoken with them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. 27% of students surveyed reported that officers touched or treated them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. “The Bloomberg administration claims that increased policing in schools responsible for a significant decline in school crime, but the National Center for School and Communities at Fordham University shows that such claims are inflated” (19).
Criminalizing the Classroom: The Over-Policing of New York City Schools by Elora Mukherjee, Marvin M. Karpatkin Fellow (2006-2007)
Appendix M
[xiii] The Fordham Partnership Support Organization provides a range of technical assistance and support including:
Fordham Faculty and Consultant Coaching Support
Fundraising/Grant Writing
College Tours
Student Teachers
Leadership Development
Special Education Support
Professional Development
Study Groups
among other equally important services.
“Our goal has been to engage our partner schools, districts and governmental agencies in the process of helping teachers teach more effectively and have all students, regardless of background, learn at higher levels. We conduct our work by drawing on the best scholarship and applying that cutting edge knowledge to the challenges of the classroom. Simply stated, we are research-based and outcomes oriented. Since 2007, there has been a huge investment of time, skill, energy, and emotion supporting our PSO network schools. The Fordham PSO embraces the individuality of every school and works with each principal to strengthen school capacity, whether through workshops, curriculum support, or in the pursuit of additional funding for special projects.”
http://www.fordham.edu/academics/colleges__graduate_s/graduate__profession/educati on/centers/center_for_education/partnership_support_/
Appendix N
[xiv] “Dr. Steven D’Agustino, director of the RETC, brought the project participants together in response to the RETC’s mission of community involvement and closing the digital divide. Fordham High School for the Arts (FHSFTA) lacks the technology infrastructure to effectively implement the PLATO credit recovery software, so the RETC offered to allow students to use their facilities. FHSFTA teachers and students named the program Project R.I.S.E., or "Rediscovering Inspiration for Student Excellence."
But, more than just using the software, the students will be able to interact with Fordham University students. The Boyle Scholars, an honors society from the Gabelli School of Business, are required to fulfill a community service component and will serve as mentors. The high school students are encouraged to think about their own aspirations for college, while the Fordham students will have a positive impact on the local community outside the University gates. Project R.I.S.E. is considered a model program that serves as a basis for grant and funding proposals.”
Appendix A
[1] In its online mission statement, Fordham University, as a Jesuit institution vows that it is “committed to research and education that assist in the alleviation of poverty, the promotion of justice, the protection of human rights and respect for the environment.” The university also acknowledges its debt to the city of New York, and recognizes its responsibility to share its resources in order to enrich the city, the nation, and the world as a whole. Our program would help Fordham fulfill these intentions, both as a program that promotes justice, and as a program that directly benefits the city that the University calls home.
Appendix B
[1] A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey From the Inner City to the Ivy League is a biographic novel by Ron Suskind, published in 1998, which tells the story of Cedric Jennings, as he transitions from Ballou high school, an inner city school in Washington D.C., to Brown University. The book highlights the challenges that students from low-income areas face. These challenges manifest themselves at all stages in their education: passing classing, graduating from high school, getting into universities, and the struggles they will face once they have been admitted to a university. In high school, Cedric excelled academically, but faced challenges in terms of feeling ostracized from his fellow classmates, and was even bullied by other kids for being such a dedicated student. Once Cedric reached Brown University, he felt more accepted by other students because they too were passionate about learning. However, he had to face cultural differences that arose from the amount of privilege that other students had in terms of financial security. He also had to work harder than many other students because his high school education did not prepare him to the same extent that theirs did. Though it is a daunting task, we hope to make it more common for students from inner-city high schools to make it to selective universities, and to better prepare them for attending these universities than they historically have been, by beginning with the schools in the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus.
Appendix C
[1] Remington College, a group of privately owned non-profit post-secondary educational institutions, operating in twenty campuses across the United States, has established a program called “Adopt Our School” in addition to several other community involvement programs. Through this program, Remington College “adopted” Humble High School, Walanae High School, and Bossier High School, donating $2,000 worth of school supplies to each.
Appendix D
[1] The College of New Jersey, a public university located in Ewing Township, New Jersey adopted the library at Trenton Central High School in 2011, through a project called “Adopt-A-Classroom.” The “Adopt-A-Classroom” project itself allows educators to register their classrooms that need help allowing benefactors to support their needs. Like our program between Fordham and Roosevelt, the students at the College of New Jersey who implemented the adoption of Trenton Central High School’s library did so because they wanted to support a school in their college’s neighboring community. Through this adoption, TCNJ improved this actual library space by purchasing items, such as new curtains, and increased the number of books available to students by running a book drive.
< http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/04/tcnj_education_majors_adopt_tr.html>;
Appendix E
[1] Dade Medical College, located in Hialeah, FL, has implemented an “Adopt-a-School” program, through which they adopted Hialeah Senior High School in 2009. This adoption involved Dade’s donation of $5,000 to the local high school, in order to benefit the school’s band program and the Academy of Medicine and Health. Dade’s representatives committed to helping the schools in their community during times of economic hardship.
Appendix F
[1] Belmont Preparatory High School’s 2010-2011 overall progress report grade was actually an A (70.9 out of a possible 100 points). Its student progress was scored as a 41 of 60 points and their performance was scored as an 18.1 out of a total of 25 possible points, however their school environment was rated with 7.8 points out of a possible 15, and a 4.0 out of 14 possible points for closing the achievement gap. The School Environment grade is based on student attendance, as well as the school’s NYC School Survey, completed by parents, teachers, and students, through which they rate the school’s expectations, safety and respect, communication, and engagement. Points for the ‘Closing the Achievement Gap’ are given to schools with exceptional graduation results among students with disabilities and English Language Learners, and for exceptional graduation and/or Regents results among students with the lowest proficiency citywide. Belmont Preparatory High School was among the 33% of schools that received A’s during the 2010-2011 progress report period.
Belmont Preparatory NYC School Survey 2010-2011 Report:
Though Belmont Preparatory High School was generally rated as satisfactory in its progress report, it’s Annual Arts in Schools Report for the 2010-2011 academic year showed that there is minimal involvement in the arts among its students.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/10/X434/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>;
Appendix G
[1] The West Bronx Academy for the Future received a C as its overall grade for its 2010-2011 progress report. The school received 31.9 out of 60 points for student progress, 10 out of 25 points for student performance, 8.9 out of 15 points for its environment, and 3 points of 14 for closing the achievement gap. The low scores in student progress and student performance reflect students’ struggle to meet the state’s graduation requirements for passing State Regents exams, and poor graduation rates.
According to the school’s NYC School Survey Report for the 2010-2011 academic year, the school actually scored lower in certain areas than in the year before, specifically in communication and safety & respect. In taking the survey, parents also emphasized their desire for their children to be better prepared for standardized state tests, and for smaller class sizes.
Students at the West Bronx Academy for the Future were involved in more arts programs than those at Belmont Preparatory School in the during the 2010-2011 academic year, particularly in dance, music, and the visual arts.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/10/X243/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>;
Appendix H
[1] The Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology received a D on its overall progress report for the 2010-2011 academic year, with a meager 40 out of 100 possible points. It received a D in student progress, F’s in student performance and school and environment, and only 1 point in closing the achievement gap. Only 12% of schools in NYC received a D or lower on their progress report. According to the report, a D or an F indicates that students at the school are demonstrating a slower pace of learning and progress than students at similar schools.
According to the NYC School Survey Report for 2010-201l, the Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology’s scores declined in all but one area (safety & respect), each score well below the city average.
Students from the Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology in the 2010-2011 year were also not involved with a lot of arts programs, but there was some extracurricular involvement in music and visual arts. (There was no involvement in dance, theater, or film). However, several students did attend classes in the visual arts.
Appendix I
[1] Fordham High School for the Arts received an A in its overall progress report for the 2010-2011 academic year, with a B in student progress, an A in student performance, an A in school environment, and 4 points (of 14) for closing the achievement gap. Overall, the school received 77.6 points out of 100.
According to the school’s NYC School Survey Report for 2010-2011, Fordham High School for the Arts’ scores improved in every category from the previous year, aside from engagement, which remained the same. It was very rare that parents on this survey would report negatively about feeling informed or feeling that the school was concerned with their child’s progress.
As expected from the school’s name, the students from Fordham High School for the Arts were much more involved in arts than students from the other schools in the Roosevelt Educational Campus. Though no students were involved in film, there were students in every grade (9-12) involved in dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Students took between 8 and 10 credits in all forms of the arts aside from film (in which they took none).
< http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/10/X437/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>;
Appendix J
[1] The Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy International High School (KAPPA) received an A on its overall progress report for the 2010-2011 academic year with a total of 78.4 points out of a possible 100. KAPPA International received a B in student progress, an A in student performance (with a near perfect score of 22.7 out of 25), an A in school environment, and 4 out of 14 possible points for closing the achievement gap.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2010-11/Progress_Report_Overview_2011_HS_X374.pdf>;
Despite its high scoring progress report, KAPPA International actually declined in nearly every score on its NYC School Survey for 2010-2011. (However, each of its scores remained above average). Although its scores decreased in academic expectations, communication, and engagement, they all remained higher than those of the majority of schools in the area.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2010-11/Survey_2011_X374.pdf>;
KAPPA International’s students in the 2010-2011 academic year were highly involved in music, with some involvement in theater. There was no involvement in film visual arts, or dance. This is likely because of the possibility to earn class credit in these areas.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/ArtsReport/2010-11/ArtsReport_X374.pdf>;
< http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/10/X374/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>;
Appendix K
[1] Despite receiving C’s in student progress, student performance, and school environment, the Bronx High School For Law and Community was able to achieve a B on its overall progress report for the 2010-2011 academic year, arguable a result of the 6 points that it received for closing the achievement gap. In fact, if it had received only one less point for closing the achievement gap, it would have fallen into the point range of a C.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2010-11/Progress_Report_Overview_2011_HS_X439.pdf>;
According to the school’s NYC School Survey Report for 2010-2011, Bronx High School For Law and Community improved in some areas, while declining or remaining the same in others. Its scores in academic expectations and safety & respect improved, while engagement declined, and communication remained constant.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2010-11/Survey_2011_X439.pdf>;
Aside from the visual arts, students at this school were not involved in the arts at all. However, involvement in the visual arts was higher than in the other schools in the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus, with 19% involvement among Freshmen, 81% involvement among sophomores and seniors, and 100% involvement among juniors. Half of all students graduated with at least 3 credits in the arts.
< http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/ArtsReport/2010-11/ArtsReport_X439.pdf>;
Appendix L
[1]While it may seem necessary for security purposes, the presence of SSA officers and metal detectors in high schools is creating a hostile environment that likely does not make students feel welcome to learn.
At Aviation High School, the school was forced to cancel all “zero-period” Advanced Placement classes because of “disruptions caused by the NYPD,” and attendance dropped from 94 percent to 70 percent because of the lines caused by the metal detectors (11). “Students and families who attempted to protest the NYPD police action at Aviation High School were threatened or silenced” (11). At the Community School for Social Justice and the Health Opportunities High School, female students were searched by male officers in what was a “clear violation of the Chancellor’s Regulations” (12). A teacher even protested in a note: “can we please no treat...teenagers who have gotten themselves to school like they’ve committed a crime?” (13). The principal of Curtis High School described the officers as abrasive and complained that they “treated students with disrespect” (14).
82% percent of students surveyed reported that they had been late to class because of the metal detectors. 53% of students surveyed reported that officers have spoken with them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. 27% of students surveyed reported that officers touched or treated them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. “The Bloomberg administration claims that increased policing in schools responsible for a significant decline in school crime, but the National Center for School and Communities at Fordham University shows that such claims are inflated” (19).
Criminalizing the Classroom: The Over-Policing of New York City Schools by Elora Mukherjee, Marvin M. Karpatkin Fellow (2006-2007)
Appendix M
[1] The Fordham Partnership Support Organization provides a range of technical assistance and support including:
Fordham Faculty and Consultant Coaching Support
Fundraising/Grant Writing
College Tours
Student Teachers
Leadership Development
Special Education Support
Professional Development
Study Groups
among other equally important services.
“Our goal has been to engage our partner schools, districts and governmental agencies in the process of helping teachers teach more effectively and have all students, regardless of background, learn at higher levels. We conduct our work by drawing on the best scholarship and applying that cutting edge knowledge to the challenges of the classroom. Simply stated, we are research-based and outcomes oriented. Since 2007, there has been a huge investment of time, skill, energy, and emotion supporting our PSO network schools. The Fordham PSO embraces the individuality of every school and works with each principal to strengthen school capacity, whether through workshops, curriculum support, or in the pursuit of additional funding for special projects.”
http://www.fordham.edu/academics/colleges__graduate_s/graduate__profession/educati on/centers/center_for_education/partnership_support_/
Appendix N
[1] “Dr. Steven D’Agustino, director of the RETC, brought the project participants together in response to the RETC’s mission of community involvement and closing the digital divide. Fordham High School for the Arts (FHSFTA) lacks the technology infrastructure to effectively implement the PLATO credit recovery software, so the RETC offered to allow students to use their facilities. FHSFTA teachers and students named the program Project R.I.S.E., or "Rediscovering Inspiration for Student Excellence."
But, more than just using the software, the students will be able to interact with Fordham University students. The Boyle Scholars, an honors society from the Gabelli School of Business, are required to fulfill a community service component and will serve as mentors. The high school students are encouraged to think about their own aspirations for college, while the Fordham students will have a positive impact on the local community outside the University gates. Project R.I.S.E. is considered a model program that serves as a basis for grant and funding proposals.”
Education in the state school is much worse. Children do not perceive the material so much that they cannot make a house on their own and buy it from special services 🖌.
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