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 News from Alliance College-Ready Public SchoolsEvery student has the ability. We give them the opportunity.April 2010
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Alliance High Schools Receive National Awards
for Dramatic Student Achievement Gains
 Three Alliance high schools have received national recognition for their record student achievement from a national consortium dedicated to transforming urban public education.
College-Ready Academy High School #4 near downtown Los Angeles received an EPIC Gold-Gain Award. Gertz-Ressler High School in the Pico-Union area and William and Carol Ouchi High School in the Crenshaw District received EPIC Silver-Gain Awards. The awards were given by New Leaders for New Schools and are based on student gains made from eighth grade to the state high school exam. EPIC identifies and awards $1.8 million in grants to charter schools based on performance and achievement.
"The Alliance has been making huge gains in student achievement, and these awards
validate our strategic approach to offering a rigorous curriculum and preparing our
students for college," says President and CEO Judy Burton.
CRAHS#4 and Gertz-Ressler also received 2009 Silver-Gain Awards. All three alliance schools received 2009 California Distinguished School Awards and rank in the top 13 public high schools in LAUSD.
"These charter schools are fantastic examples of strong direction and sound strategies
leading to the implementation of innovative and effective practices that positively impact student achievement," said Jon Shnur, co-founder and chief executive officer of New Leaders for New Schools. "The student gains realized in these schools prove that effective institutions can and do have a dramatic impact on student achievement
no matter their students' backgrounds or prior schooling."
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California Recognizes Two Alliance High Schools
Two Alliance high schools will receive 2009-10 Title 1 Academic Achievement Awards from the state of California to reward schools for making significant progress toward student proficiency on state standards in communities at or near the poverty level.
Gertz-Ressler High School and College-Ready Academy High School #4 were two of 238 schools statewide who passed the rigorous qualifications. To receive a Title 1 award, schools not only have to increase student proficiency but also must double the achievement targets set for them for two consecutive years.
"These award recipients prove that with hard work and high
expectations, students can overcome challenges and achieve academic
success," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, who called each principal to extend his personal congratulations. "By working together, administrators,
teachers, staff, students, and parents have raised student achievement
and narrowed the achievement gap."
Principals James Waller at Gertz-Ressler and Jeanette Rodriguez at CRAHS#4 will be honored along with other awardees at a reception and banquet at the
Disneyland Hotel on April 21, 2010.
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Keep Those College Acceptance Letters Coming!
 This is the time of year when bulletin boards throughout the Alliance blossom with the good news of college acceptances.
And this year Alliance celebrates some pretty big firsts: the first acceptance letters from Yale and Harvard universities for two students and a first acceptance for a student with a four-year scholarship to Bucknell University as part of the Posse Foundation.
As of the first of the month, more than 75% of graduating seniors at six high schools have been admitted to a four-year school--and many more are still waiting to hear.
"This is the most exciting time of the year but also the busiest for our high school counselors," said Nicole Mariella, Director of College Counseling. "Students need so much help prioritizing their choices and assessing their financial packages. I'm proud of all the extra work the college counseling team is doing right now."
In June, a record six Alliance high schools will hold graduations: College-Ready Academy High School #4, William and Carol Ouchi High School, Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School, Heritage College-Ready Academy High School, Huntington Park College-Ready Academy High School and Gertz-Ressler High School.
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Scholarships Make the Difference
How much does it cost to
go to college these days? According to the College Board, tuition and fees plus room and board this
year cost on average $19,500 per year for public colleges and $39,000 for
private colleges. Some Alliance parents barely make that much in a year to
support their entire family.
Across the board,
Alliance students face profound financial challenges in paying for college. At our 16
middle schools and high schools in urban Los Angeles, 93% of students qualify
for free or reduced meals at school -- a key federal indicator of poverty in a community.
Scholarships make the difference between a student going or not going to college. Already Alliance seniors have accrued more than $2 million in scholarships, and new grantors are stepping up to make new awards to hard-working seniors. This year the John W. Carson Foundation, founded by the famed TV late-night talk show host, will award $100,000 over four years to worthy students. And the new Cochenour Memorial Scholarship Award, open to all seniors at William and Carol Ouchi High School, will award two $2,000 scholarships.
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Alliance students run the L.A. Marathon
 If you were on the start line of the L.A. Marathon at Dodger Stadium on March 21, you couldn't have missed the sea of lime-green T-shirts worn by Students Run L.A. participants--and Alliance students were among the proud runners.
The pack of runners who trained as part of the SRLA program for the 26.2-mile course included:
15 students from Richard Merkin Middle School
25 from Huntington Park College-Ready Academy High School
8 from Environmental Science and Technology High School
College-Ready Academy High School #4
Gertz-Ressler High School
Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School
For the first time, the marathon route went from Dodger Stadium and downtown Los Angeles to the ocean in Santa Monica. Two principals--Janette Rodriguez from CRAHS#4 and Joy May-Harris from Jack Skirball Middle School--also completed the course.
 Students Run L.A. works with students in underserved areas to train and reach their goal of completing the L.A. Marathon with the added benefits of character development, adult mentoring and improved health.
To prepare for the marathon, Alliance students trained by completing runs at their schools and participating in weekend races.
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Please note our new address! 1940 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007(213) 943-4930 www.laalliance.org
"Where kids from L.A.'s lowest performing communities achieve
at the highest levels and go on to success in college" |
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