Rigorous High School Gives Underprivileged Students Hope for Future
College is the future dream for many high school students, but that dream is more likely to become a reality for some students than others. Now, high school students in Newark have an option that can help them beat the odds and make that college dream a reality. Bard College has brought its proven track record of success to a Newark high school, offering students the chance to experience the rigors of college academics firsthand within the secure confines of a high school environment.
Bard High School Early College Newark
Bard High School Early College Newark (BHSEC Newark) is the latest in a series of college-based high schools created through Bard College. According to the , this school opened in 2011 as a partnership between the college and Newark Public Schools. BHSEC Newark offers a rigorous, college-level curriculum and traditional high school academics that prepare students for life after high school.
What makes the Newark school unique is its commitment to enrolling students from a diverse range of backgrounds, giving students the chance to excel academically who might not have the opportunity otherwise. Students come from all Newark neighborhoods, including disadvantaged areas like Newark鈥檚 West Ward, where drugs and shootings are almost a way of life for the young residents of the community. The reports that BHSEC Newark is positioned across the street from a tire shop and bail bond business, seemingly to breathe fresh life into a troubled neighborhood.
This video shows how Bard High School Early College in NYC inspires students.
About BHSEC
BHSEC Newark is the third Bard high school to open. The other two are in New York City, with locations in Manhattan and Queens. Both are considered part of the New York City Public Schools system and welcome students from all five of the boroughs in New York City. The schools are characteristically small, with a ratio of around 20 students to every teacher in the classroom.
Students admitted into the Bard schools will typically complete their high school requirements within their first two years. If they successfully maintain a grade point average of 2.0 during those years, they are eligible for entry into the dual-credit college program during their junior and senior years. This early college program allows eligible students to earn their high school diploma, 60 credits of college coursework, and an associate degree from Bard College before graduation.
Challenges Await
The admission process for BHSEC is the first hurdle students must overcome to succeed. BHSEC Newark requires students to have a grade point average of 85 percent or above and a score of 鈥減roficient鈥 or 鈥渁dvanced proficient鈥 on all state examinations. Attendance also counts 鈥 students cannot have more than ten unexcused absences or tardies during the previous school year to be considered. Students who meet these criteria must apply and undergo an interview and writing assessment to complete the application process.
Once a student is admitted to BHSEC Newark, the challenges only get more intense. Most of the teachers at the school hold doctorates, and the coursework often comes straight from a college curriculum. Instead of spending an entire year on a particular subject, as students do in other public schools throughout Newark, the material is crammed into a single semester. The pace, rigor, and difficulty level are more than enough challenges for even the brightest students in the area.
Students from Newark鈥檚 disadvantaged neighborhoods may find the work even more overwhelming. Some of these students are the first in their families to study advanced subjects, which leaves them with little or no academic assistance at home. In addition, a culture of violence, drugs, and poverty creates numerous distractions for even the most serious students trying to get ahead.
This video describes Bard High School as a free publicly screened high school where accepted students can take advanced classes for transferable college credit starting in grade 11.
Students Persevere Despite Obstacles
Despite the obstacles some students face at BHSEC Newark, the dropout rate is relatively low. The New York Times reports that the school has lost only seven of the 36 students enrolled in 2011 in the first-year college program. In addition, 20 of the 87 students who entered the school as freshmen have left the program. Those figures were much lower than some of the faculty and staff at BHSEC Newark expected.
鈥淢y prediction after the first year was that a lot more kids would drop out and go somewhere where they had less stress,鈥 Dr. Ray Peterson, the school鈥檚 first principal, told the New York Times. 鈥淏ut most came back. They really appreciated the faculty holding onto its standards.鈥
Dr. Lori Ween, dean of studies and faculty in English at the school, told the Times that students deal with much more outside of school than the average student their age. She cited one student whose father was recently murdered and another who spent a weekend at the hospital after her boyfriend was shot. Another student is responsible for his younger brother, who is the primary caretaker by preparing his meals and getting him to school daily.
This video is a promo for Bard Early College.
鈥淲hen you hear these stories, it鈥檚 easy to say, 鈥楾ake a break,鈥 Dr. Ween told the Times. However, Dr. Ween recognized that while these students may need support, they cannot be let off the hook regarding their schoolwork. Not if they are genuinely interested in succeeding.
reports that BHSEC Newark was started because of a large grant from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg recently donated $100 million to Newark schools for the express purpose of launching innovative high schools; in addition to BHSEC, Zuckerberg鈥檚 donation funded three other schools in the area, although one of those schools is no longer in operation.
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