Press Release January 18, 2008

HEADLINE: New York Times Article Spotlights Hamilton County Schools

Front Page Article Notes Local Shift to Single-Path Curriculum to Increase College-Going

In a front page article titled “Urban Schools Aiming Higher Than Diploma,” the New York Times cited the efforts of Hamilton County Department of Education and the Public Education Foundation to move students past a high school diploma and aspire to college.

In her article, Times reporter Sara Rimer noted a growing national concern that a high school education is no longer enough to prepare young people for the job requirements of the 21st Century.

The article noted that Hamilton County had eliminated its multi-track curriculum in favor of a single-path, which gives every student the qualifications needed for college.

Public Education Foundation President Dan Challener, who was quoted in the Times story, says that Hamilton County’s shifting emphasis can be traced in part to the Schools for a New Society initiative, a five-year program that was funded by the Carnegie Corporation and local donors.

“Schools for a New Society enabled us to re-shape our thinking about high school education, and we realized that there were better ways to move students toward their diploma. But along with that, it allowed us to raise our own expectations about whether our graduates go on to college,” said Dr. Challener.

With the establishment of other initiatives like the College Access Center, Hamilton County has been able to help more high school students navigate the college application process and prepare better for the academic requirements and culture change that greet them when they get there. Those efforts are adding to the college retention rate.

At the same time, the school system itself is trying to change the way students and families look at college-going. School superintendent Dr. Jim Scales has made it a cornerstone of his strategic plan.

In 2006, 70% of Hamilton County graduates enrolled in college, which is slightly higher than the national average quoted by the New York Times. This number included 171 more Hamilton County graduates than the year before. College-going data for 2007 is scheduled to be released next month.

Ms. Rimer cited initiatives in two other school districts: Boston and Prince George’s County, Maryland.

According to Dr. Challener, it is no accident that Chattanooga was included. “People who follow education regularly turn to organizations like the Carnegie Corporation to find out where the best and most innovative school work is being done. Hamilton County’s partnership with Carnegie has created significant and sustainable change in our high schools, and we have become a model that other school systems pay attention to,” said Dr. Challener.