There are no low-track courses at this high-poverty school. Instead, there are strong supports and a focus on learning.
December 20, 2018
By: Valerie Strauss
Source: The Washington Post
Seaside, Calif., boasts a high school where the students — most of whom are economically disadvantaged — receive strong academic and social supports that allow them to learn and progress academically, placing the school at the center of its community. Seaside High School is one of the 2017 winners of the “Schools of Opportunity” project, which recognizes public high schools that work to close opportunity gaps by creating learning environments that reach every student.
The Schools of Opportunity project started in 2014 as a pilot in New York and Colorado and went national in 2015-16. Several dozen schools have been honored in the program, which assesses a range of factors, including how well the adults in a school building provide health and psychological support for students, as well as judicious and fair discipline policies and a broad and enriched curriculum. (See the criteria graphic below.)