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HISD opening new high school with college perks

Students will be one step closer to experiencing college life at HISD’s new high school if the school board approves the campus location Thursday.

Starting in August, HISD’s Empowerment College Preparatory High School will offer students the opportunity to graduate from high school with up to a year’s worth of college credits. Students could earn up to 18 hours of credit transferable to most major universities. Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra will ask the HISD School Board Thursday to approve the location at 3730 South Acres for the new school to open in August.

“This school will allow students to earn credit for tough courses in high school and in college simultaneously, creating a critical bridge between the two.” said Dr. Saavedra. “Our graduates will have the advantage of a college experience and up to 18 credit hours by the time they graduate.”

Empowerment College Preparatory will provide a college preparatory learning program, allowing students to combine high school and college-level classes tuition-free.

“Small class sizes, faculty advisors and pre-Advanced Placement courses will prepare students for the college-level coursework they will begin taking their junior year, “said Misha Lesley, veteran educator and principal of Empowerment College Preparatory. “Students will be offered internship opportunities with community-based organizations through a partnership with Houston City Council Member Ada Edwards.”

Empowerment College Preparatory is a collaboration between Houston ISD, Houston A+ Challenge and the Coalition of Essential Schools. Houston A+ Challenge is donating $471,000 over four years through Houston Schools for a New Society (HSNS). Coalition of Essential Schools is donating $210,000 over four years through grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Planning for ECH began in the summer of 2004.

“ Taking Advanced Placement courses will prepare our students to succeed in college and earning college credits will enable them to shorten their time in college ,” said Harry Reasoner, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Houston A+ Challenge and senior partner at Vinson&Elkins, LLP. “ Both the students and our system of higher education will benefit, if they graduate from college on time.”

The new school will enroll ninth-grade students from any HISD area. Students interested in enrolling at the new school can contact Principal Lesley at 713-434-4700.

About the Coalition of Essential Schools

The Coalition of Essential Schools, founded in 1984 by Theodore Sizer, is an education reform organization dedicated to transforming American public education so that every child in every neighborhood, regardless of race or class, attends a small intellectually challenging, personalized school. The CES national office is in Oakland , CA , and there are currently 17 CES regional centers across the country. On the web at www.essentialschools.org.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is building upon the unprecedented opportunities of the 21st century to improve global health and learning. Led by Bill Gates’ father, William H. Gates Sr., and Patty Stonesifer, the Seattle-based foundation has an endowment of approximately $24 billion. On the web at www.gatesfoundation.org.

About Houston A+ Challenge

Houston A+ Challenge is an independent, public-private education organization working to create lasting improvements in classroom instruction and student achievement. On the web at www.houstonaplus.org.