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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think the dual-school approach mentioned several pages back could have the most legs: a city-wide academically specialized academy co-located with a traditional neighborhood program. I like the idea of the specialized program having an admissions floor that is at a predictable, medium level (e.g., proficient on the DC CAS or its equivalent on the PARCC tests), but also think there needs to be a particular academic focus to provide a thematic, differentiating anchor for the program.

Here are some thematic ideas for a specialized academy:

Health Sciences Academy (seemingly a perfect fit for Roosevelt):
-- All students complete a rigorous series of pre-AP and AP coursework including AP Biology and AP Chemistry
-- Real-world medical/health shadow experiences throughout high school
-- Capstone clinical experience either over summer before senior year or senior fall
-- Potential school partners: Washington Hospital Center, National Rehabilitation Hospital, George Washington Hospital

Government Academy (seemingly a perfect fit for Cardozo)
-- All students complete a rigorous series of pre-AP and AP coursework including AP US History and AP World History
-- Students complete History Day projects each fall and research papers each spring through junior year
-- Additional required curricular components include a Modern Legal Theory Seminar co-taught by Georgetown Law faculty and students, and a Contemporary American Politics seminar that includes guest speakers who are elected officials, leaders of government agencies, and community activists
-- Regular "field study" trips across the DC area - including visits to the White House, Capitol Hill, Supreme Court, and more
-- Students encouraged to complete an internship or semester-long volunteer opportunity with the school's partner organizations
-- Electives in: Rhetoric & Debate, Journalism, plus active Model UN club
-- Potential school partners: Georgetown Law, C-SPAN, American Bar Association

Open questions:
-- Could both of these be done concurrently (at Roosevelt and Cardozo), or would these need to happen one at a time? If one at a time, which one should come first?
-- What other schools might be good candidates for school-within-school city-wide academies -- eventually, could every school have one? I could also see a Computer Science Academy, National Security Academy, Environmental Science Academy, Business & Marketing Academy, etc. to fit various interests and needs.
-- What's the ideal size for the academies? My thinking would be to follow the charter model and start small and grow as demand increases: Start with 40-60 students in 9th grade, and then accept new students in 9th grade each year and potentially a few transfers in later grades after the academy "grows" to those grades. Admittedly, this has gotten mixed reviews at Eastern.
-- How can we message this as to reiterate that this is meant to grow the pie, and avoid the perception that this is meant to take away from low-SES families and disadvantaged students? There is enough building capacity at both Roosevelt and Cardozo to add enrollment without limiting the offerings for existing students. These academies need to be perceived as rigorous and prestigious, but also of benefit to the existing neighborhood student bodies. How can we accomplish that?

Full disclosure: I work for the DC government, but not at DCPS.[/quote]

[b]Do people really want kids to start specializing that much this early? [/b]Very few kids are mature enough or well-rounded enough in core subjects in 8th grade to know they want to study health care or government as their specialized education niche from that point forward. How does such a program really work? This is something that turns many people off with STEM high schools (I entered college as a math major and came out with dual degrees in computer science and philosophy and then went to law school). Is there such a thing as too much specialization too early?[/quote]

Whew, I thought I was the only one!  I see value in the AP Sciences coursework, as well as rhetoric and debate - these are all good things and totally appropriate for all HS students to study, but without shoehorning them into "Health Sciences" or Government.

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