Our Michigan Future Schools program, proudly announced yesterday grants of $2.8 million to open four innovative new high schools that will challenge and support Detroit students as they prepare them for college and careers. The schools will open to incoming freshmen in Fall 2011 and add a grade per year. Pretty exciting!
The new schools are:
Dr. Benjamin Carson School of Science & Medicine: Part of the Detroit Public School (DPS) system, will prepare students for health-care careers through a rigorous high school curriculum, supplemented by college courses and internships
Cornerstone Health High School: A public charter school, in partnership with the Detroit Medical Center, will use small group instruction and high-tech teaching to guide students toward health industry careers
Diplomas Now Detroit High School: A DPS school will keep students on track for college through a rigorous curriculum, mentoring and family support by a team of nationally proven organizations: Talent Development, City Year, and Communities In Schools
Jalen Rose Leadership Academy: This public charter school will use experience-based learning and a collaboration with the University of Detroit Mercy to prepare students for careers in leadership, sports management, and entertainment; the school will also offer community resources such as a clinic and a credit union.
The schools were selected based on quality, not governance. The four winners were chosen from 22 applicants through a competitive process open to traditional public, public charter, and private schools.
Our philosophy is to let the schools design their own black box, but we do require them to (1) be open to all Detroit students, (2) enroll no more than 500 students, (3) commit to high student outcomes: 85% of seniors graduate, 85% of high school graduates go on to college, and 85% of college students earn degrees (4) hire college transition and college success counselors to help students go to and stay in college and (5) where applicable, haave union agreements that allow for open hiring, no “bumping,” and no work rules that interfere with innovative teaching and learning.
The four new campuses join Michigan Future Schools’ original school, the Detroit Edison Public School Academy Early College, that admitted its first class of 9th-graders earlier this month. These and future new high schools are made possible by the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the McGregor Fund, and the Skillman Foundation, which have contributed an initial $13 million.
