A School with a Promise

"...indivisible 

with Liberty 

and Justice

for all."

Each word rang clear through the PA. Each phrase, a stanza. Each pause, a silent declaration that everything we say and do here at University Park Campus School, we do for a reason. 

From the outside, UPCS seems the norm for a poor neighborhood in Worcester, Massachusetts; a 20-room schoolhouse built in 1885. Of the 231 students who enter, 61% are minorities, 67% speak English as a second language, and 73% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch (an accepted gauge of children in poverty).

Yet every student who enters graduates. The dropout rate at UPCS since it opened in 1997 is zero. 0.0%

The number of students who have failed the state's high school exit exam in English: zero. Science? Zero. Math? One... who passed the second time. And that's not last year's stats... that's since the test was required for graduation in 2002.

How do some of Worcester's poorest pull this off? How do 95% of them go onto college (many becoming the first in their family to do so)? Those are some of the first answers I read upon entering JFF in September. Document after document reinforces ideas like constant group work, teachers as facilitators, writing across content areas, peer reading.

It's one thing to read about UPCS. But Monday and Tuesday, I finally went there. And it's downright magical to see these proven practices in action. In my 12 hours at the school, I don't think I heard a teacher utter a single answer or even say "that's correct." They simply moved to the next step in the problem, or the next paragraph in the reading so seamlessly, I felt like it was solely the students moving the class along. And more importantly, the students sense that as well. I jumped into their groups and every student, loud or shy, was happy to explain to me how to figure out this math problem, or what that author is trying to tell us. Except for initial instruction, I only remember teachers asking questions:

"Miss Bird, I'm stuck on this."

"Class, can anyone help Chris?"

"Mr. Glick, I think maybe the old man was trying to embarrass the thief."

"Hmm... anyone agree or disagree with Sarah?"

When teachers constantly throw material back on the class to work out as a team, the message, albeit subconscious at times, is clear: The answer lies in you. You and your classmates have the tools to succeed.

And they are constantly driven to do so, taking all honors classes from 9th grade on. Many of them take college courses down the street at Clark University (free of charge) during their junior and senior years. I ate lunch with a group of seniors yesterday who couldn't stop talking about the colleges they're about to attend. One is heading to Union in Albany, NY on a full-ride scholarship she beat out 2500 kids for nationwide.

The logos of colleges this year's seniors are heading to are proudly displayed on the 2nd floor bulletin board. What's better than a poster that reads: "You can succeed." How about a bulletin board that says: "You already are."

I made it a point to greet each student I passed. And every darn one of them looked me in the eye and said "Hello." You won't hear a single curse word in the halls of UPCS. Respect is so deeply embedded, PA announcements begin with: "Please pardon the interruption..."

The UPCS philosophy and mission is quickly spreading around this country. It's example has helped shape 159 early college high schools from coast to coast and up to Fairbanks, Alaska. Our goal at JFF is to help start up 100 more.

After witnessing these shining up-and-comers who statistics believe should be scrapping the barrel of American society... I hope we don't stop there.