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City Platform Section II, Step 14:
"Support the development of alternative high schools and other options for struggling students that emphasize rigor, relevance, and relationships while responding to their diverse needs."
Only 70 percent of Americans earn a high school diploma, and in many urban centers, high school graduation rates are as low as 50 percent. Given the potential implications for cities, mayors and city councilmembers have compelling reasons to care about the quality of schools in their communities and to work to ensure that all students - particularly students most at risk of not completing high school - have access to educational opportunities that prepare them for college, work, and citizenship.
City Examples
San Jose, Calif.
The City of San Jose's thorough analysis and plan of action, San Jose High Schools Achieve!, sets out highly specific goals such as reducing the number of dropouts by 50% by 2010, and contains objectives and action steps geared toward achieving these goals.
The city and its partners are pursuing a strategy that blends creating more alternative education opportunities, improving communication with and involvement of parents, reducing truancy, and achieving a better understanding of the movement of students between and among districts over the course of high school. Specific activities include a Parent Summit and publication of a comprehensive listing of community resources to assist parents and students.
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Corpus Christi, Texas
After a former Corpus Christi mayor put the dropout issue on the table as an impediment to economic development, a collaboration was forged among the city - including Mayor Henry Garrett, the city manager, key municipal staff, the local school districts, and a local Public Education Network affiliate.
A series of community forums on the issue led to the development of 15 strategies to reduce the dropout rate, including a more relevant curriculum and smaller learning communities. Using technical assistance from NLC's YEF Institute, Corpus Christi sought to use a local high school that was already in transition to offer new "alternative education" options, including five specialized academies.
The redesign of a 20-year old alternative high school program is also in the works. In addition, the city is working to develop a full-service community school in one high school, and the city has received a sizeable planning grant to establish an "early college" program. Monthly meetings between the mayor and school officials will help sustain the momentum and focus on these issues over time.
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Resources
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