Newport News, VA

College Readiness and What It Takes at An Achievable Dream High School /

n Achievable Dream High Principal: Marylin Sinclair-White School (AAD) opened its doors School schedule: 8:10am4:10pm in 1992 under the belief Additional time compared to that all children can learn surrounding district: 85 min/day and succeed regardless and 30 days/year of their socioeconomic backgrounds; and that Student Population education can break the Grades served: 912 cycle of poverty. The Number of students: 188 school uses an expanded Qualify for free/reduced lunch: 83% scheduleboth more time each day and more days Students Scoring At or Above Proficient in the school year than on the Virginia Standards of Learning surrounding schoolsto Test in 2010 deliver a rigorous college (difference compared to surrounding preparatory curriculum and expose students district) to career opportunities ELA: 93% (+2%) and workplace skills. Math: 92% (+6%) Expanded learning gives us the option to declare: NO Failure, says Lee Vreeland, the director of education and student services at An Achievable Dream. We are always open, so there is time to ensure that all succeed. Though An Achievable Dream is located in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Newport News, Virginia, inside the building, administrators and teachers hold students to the same expectations as those attending wealthier suburban schools: Students will be ready for college and the workplace upon graduation. We needed additional time to ensure that our kids could catch up, states Vreeland. In the earlier grades, the additional time spent on core academics not only helps students below

An Achievable Dream High School

grade level to catch up, it also prepares them for college-level classes in later grades, including AP Calculus, advanced online courses, and dual enrollment courses. In preparation for college entrance exams, tenth- and eleventh-grade students take SAT math and verbal classes each day, familiarizing themselves with test items as well as its format. The school is so focused on preparing students for post-secondary success that it created a unique curriculum called What it Takes to teach workplace skills. We sat down with corporations and asked them what it was that they wanted young people to come into work with, says Quentin Jackson, AADs assistant director of student services. They all came back to us and said it was the soft skillsthings like working with people and how to act in a professional manner. Throughout the school year, students take two to three What it Takes classes each week, alternating with non-core academic classes (e.g. drivers education and Spanish). These classes are taught by corporate partners, and the relationships built between them and AAD students often lead to internship and job shadowing opportunities for eleventhand twelfth-grade students; approximately 90 percent of juniors and seniors are involved in an internship or job shadowing experience at some point during the school year. Because many of the schools students will be the first in their family to attend college, AAD also supports families as they navigate the college application process. Once students identify potential schools, AAD staff members read through every application, including essays, before they are sent off. Upon acceptance, the school assists families in completing financial aid forms and finding sources of financial aid, including offering scholarships directly from An Achievable Dream. Through partnerships developed with three Virginia universities, AAD graduates accepted into Old Dominion, Norfolk State, or Virginia Tech receive a financial package that includes tuition, room, and board. We communicate to all our students that they can go to college, says Vreeland, Through our academics, SAT prep, the help we provide students during the application process, and the financial supports were able to offer, we try to help our students achieve that goal.

Our ultimate goal and the mission of An Achievable Dream is to use education to break the cycle of poverty. We are committed to doing whatever we can to close the achievement gap and ensure that our students contribute positively to society during their time here and afterward. Lee Vreeland, Director of Education and Student Services, An Achievable Dream High School
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