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New Program Prepares Urban Education Leaders to Lead Small Schools That Re-Enroll Dropouts

Posted on: Friday, 25 August 2006, 18:00 CDT

CHICAGO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Northeastern Illinois University and the Alternative Schools Network will announce a new two year program that prepares urban education leaders who work with at-risk youth at a press conference to be held at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, August 26, 2006.

The program targets urban educational leaders who work in small schools that re-enroll students who had previously dropped out of school. Like any educators, these leaders need to be supported as they work to encourage students who need a positive environment for learning.

Program benefits teachers, at-risk communities

Twenty-two of 23 participants in the program are minorities. The experience they get through this program will lead them to receive an Illinois Type 75 Principal Certificate and Master of Arts degree. The Illinois Type 75 Principal Certificate is required for principals, assistant principals, assistant or associate superintendents, and staff filling other similar positions.

The new program addresses the pressing need to develop education leaders who work with the most at-risk youth in Chicago's inner-city communities. Students who begin the program created through this partnership will be taught by teachers familiar with issues facing urban schools and will benefit from conferences, workshops and seminars that connect to the urban experience.

The focus of the Praxis Project is to support schools so they can provide their own type of learning communities, according to Marvin Garcia, who directs the Project. Participants in the project share experiences, ideas and initiatives with ASN and through collaborations with external partners.

Garcia says the success of the Praxis Project, ASN's history of work in inner-city schools and Northeastern University's work to develop leaders in schools bodes well for the success of the new program.

"In small schools that serve students who have dropped out of school, school leaders can have a major impact in creating a positive atmosphere for learning," says Garcia. "They foster collaboration and share ideas and experiences in a way that makes a difference. This partnership between NEIU and Alternative Schools will open the door for more leaders in urban schools to grow and develop."

Dr. Maureen Gillette, Dean of the College of Education at NEIU, adds that the program will make a difference for urban educators who are poised to take an even greater leadership role in their schools.

"This program responds to the need to develop strong leaders among educators who devote themselves to working effectively with all youth in Chicago's urban neighborhoods," says Dr. Gillette. "These leaders will play an essential role in creating a strong educational culture -- a learning environment that ensures that all students achieve to their greatest potential because teachers are able to do what they do best, teach."

Partnership

The new program creates a partnership between Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) and the Alternative Schools Network. Both the university and ASN have a strong history of developing creative and innovative educational leadership programs.

NEIU teachers with a background in urban education will teach students in the program, and the university is committed to increasing the presence of NEIU programs that focus on schools in inner-city communities.

ASN is a coalition of 49 community-based schools and educational programs around the city. Schools include Prologue on the city's north side; CCA Academy on the west side; Bronzeville Academic Center on the south side; Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy on the southwest side, and Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School on the northwest side.

Program to be coordinated through ASN Project

The new program, which falls under the leadership program of NEIU's College of Education, will be coordinated through ASN's Praxis Project, a school leadership and capacity-building initiative. The Project provides support to leaders and principals in small schools who are working to implement school improvement plans as well as bolster instruction and wraparound services provided by counselors, mentors and others in a school's community. Through the Project, ASN engages in a dialogue with alternative high schools on key issues including professional development and how schools can meet their instructional goals.

"Urban educators in small schools play a vital role in turning around those schools," says Jack Wuest, Executive Director of the Alternative Schools Network (ASN). "We need to provide them with opportunities to grow as school leaders.

"The success -- and failure -- of small schools that serve previously out-of-school students is greatly affected by the skills and abilities of educators who lead these schools."

The press conference will be held at the university's Jacob Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies, at 700 East Oakwood Boulevard, Room 503, Chicago, IL, where students will participate in the program.

The Alternative Schools Network (ASN) is a not-for-profit organization in Chicago working to provide quality education with a specific emphasis on inner-city children, youth and adults. Since 1973, the ASN has been supporting community based and community-run programs to develop and expand training and other educational services in Chicago's inner-city neighborhoods.

Alternative Schools Network

CONTACT: Ilona Gregory for Alternative Schools Network, Telephone+1-773-832-9101, Cell +1-773-412-6749, Ilona.Thinkinc@ameritech.net , JackWuest of Alternative Schools Network, Cell +1-312-259-2360

Source: PRNewswire

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