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June 2009 Newsletter
New Visions Schools Post Significant Gains in English and Math
There’s no better way to inaugurate the first edition of a newsletter than with great news: Recent data show that New Visions schools are outperforming New York City public schools in both English language arts and mathematics.
Earlier this month, results of the New York state mathematics tests for grades three through eight showed substantial gains for New York City students, particularly for students attending New Visions schools.
Our elementary and middle schools improved 11 percentage points in the number of students scoring at or above grade level; overall, we outpaced citywide performance by 3.5 percentage points. Our eighth-grade class increased by 14 percentage points (compared to a citywide increase of 11.7), and our fifth and sixth graders exceeded the average citywide scores by more than 2 percentage points. We surpassed the city’s gains in progress in all but our fourth-grade scores.
In English language arts (ELA), every New Visions elementary school increased its percentage of students scoring at or above grade level. Overall, the percentage of students at or above grade level rose by 13.5 points, also beating citywide performance.
In a congratulatory email to New Visions principals, President Robert Hughes wrote: “Yesterday’s release of math scores, coupled with last month’s ELA results, shows that the very difficult work you take on each day is paying off. … Congratulations to you and your teachers and staff on these wonderful results. You have much to be proud of. I know you are taking this good news in stride, working just as hard today as you always do and moving us closer to the goal of college and career readiness for our students.”
CIMS Seniors Score 100 Percent with Colleges
At the Collegiate Institute for Math and Science (CIMS), a small school in the Bronx created by New Visions, this year’s graduation is especially momentous: 100 percent of CIMS graduates have been accepted to college. In addition, these students have been awarded more than $10 million in financial aid and scholarships. Colleges and universities are readily investing in CIMS students, who are enrolling in competitive universities across the country.
Kimberly Girdhar, a 2009 graduate and scholarship winner, credits CIMS for helping her realize her potential: “CIMS inspired me to become a leader and a success. My experiences at CIMS have led me to be a better person and to choose a college major—nursing—that will help other people as much as the CIMS faculty have helped me.” Kimberly will attend Hunter College this fall.
According to Principal Estelle Hans, CIMS students work hard to succeed.
In addition, students are supported by great teachers and a variety of schoolwide strategies, programs and curricula that share a singular focus—success in college and career.
Hans insists that her staff have frank conversations with students and show them how to take advantage of opportunities when they arise: “Students are encouraged to pick the path that best fits their interests, abilities and goals.”
To help each student find the right path and explore college options, CIMS has forged strong partnerships with colleges like Vassar and the University of Vermont. The school’s guidance counselor and its assistant college advisor—a CIMS alum—lead a dedicated college office that provides students with frequent advising, financial aid workshops and resources. College essay writing is a part of the curriculum, and a required one-semester workshop engages all students and their parents in important discussions about college, career and financial aid.
In the end, getting in to college is a process that requires students to take the right classes, complete multiple applications and determine how to pay for it all. To meet this challenge, CIMS staff, curricula and extracurricular activities align to keep students on track to success.
As a result, the students from the Collegiate Institute for Math and Science are graduating from high school and ready for college with scholarships in hand.
New Visions Names Winners of College Scholarship Programs
Dartmouth, Tufts and NYU are just some of the next stops for six top students from New Visions high schools. Five seniors and one junior have been awarded scholarships—exclusive to New Visions students—made possible by several generous donations. New Visions board member Ralph Schlosstein and wife Jane Hartley teamed up with the BlackRock Corporation to create the BlackRock-Schlosstein Scholarship Fund at New Visions, and the late philanthropist Leonore Annenberg endowed a fund in her name for students in select schools in the United States.
The New Visions scholarship recipients, each demonstrating academic excellence and unique interests, are taking full advantage of this opportunity to choose colleges and universities that might otherwise have been too far a reach because of the high cost of tuition and board. From business to medicine to social justice, these young scholars are sure to continue taking the lead in college.
Martenn Taylor, a senior from the Bronx Center for Science and Math, will attend Dartmouth College this fall, where he plans to pursue a career in medicine. He has spent the past three summers in Dartmouth’s summer enrichment program. Active in his school’s mentoring program, Martenn has a passion for music and plays the guitar.
Sabienne Brutus, a senior from the High School for Global Citizenship, will attend Tufts University. Coming to the United States from Haiti in the ninth grade, Sabienne mastered the English language and became an eloquent writer in less than four years. Through an organization called Global Kids, she is a passionate advocate for social justice in her school, her community and around the globe.
Deyanirse “DJ” Jourdain, a senior from the Bronx School for Law and Finance, will attend New York University’s Stern School of Business. DJ has shown a strong aptitude for business in her coursework, as well as through leading her school’s team to the semifinals at the Federal Reserve Challenge. Her leadership and commitment are also apparent outside of academics: DJ founded a dance team at her high school and is currently interning with the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
Tania Miah, a senior from Hillcrest High School, will attend the Sophie B. Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City College of New York. Tania prepared herself for this prestigious opportunity by dedicating 25 hours per week to the rigorous Bridges to Medicine program at York College, gaining hands-on experience in genetics as an intern at the American Museum of Natural History and volunteering at a nursing home to learn about patient care.
Amar Ramroop, also a senior at Hillcrest, will attend the University of Pennsylvania. Amar is a natural leader. He represents nearly 4,000 of his peers as student body president, helped found a youth empowerment program at his church and volunteers regularly with seniors at a local hospital. A budding scientist, Amar plans to pursue a major in nanotechnology at UPenn.
Camila Diaz, a junior from the Bronx Center for Science and Math, is this year’s recipient of the Leonore Annenberg Scholarship. Camila, originally from the Dominican Republic, has flourished despite a challenging physical disability. She attends the Scholars for Enhanced Opportunity Program at NYU, where she takes college-level courses. Camila will begin her college search in earnest this fall; her dream school is Stanford University.
New Visions at 20: A Celebration of Support
Last month, New Visions for Public Schools celebrated our 20th anniversary by thanking longtime donors for their continual and generous support.
Board member Ralph Schlosstein and his wife, Jane Hartley, opened their home for a cocktail reception for more than 60 New Visions supporters. Many of New Visions’ trustees were there to congratulate founder and board chair Richard Beattie. “It’s great to see all of you who have really been our heroes over the years—we couldn’t hope to move student achievement in New York City without you,” Beattie said.
Chancellor Joel Klein spoke to the crowd about the transformative power of education and how it changed him from “a kid from Brooklyn” into a successful corporate lawyer who became head of the nation’s largest school system. He praised New Visions as a partner that has helped the Department of Education make great strides in student achievement over the past 20 years.
Other supporters spoke of New Visions’ impact in creating more than 100 new, rigorous, small schools that consistently graduate students at rates higher than the citywide average and of our initiatives that have lead to systemic improvement within the entire public school system.
Thanks to our generous supporters, New Visions can boast two decades of education reforms in New York City. We look forward to another 20 years.