Leadership Academy Proposed

Students at risk for academic problems and dropping out of school may have another option if the proposed New Bedford Leadership Academy — a smaller school that would exist inside New Bedford High School — becomes a reality next year.”For the past year, the high school has been working on restructuring and within that vast task, a team of teachers, community leaders, parents, administrators and student representatives have received a readiness grant to draft a proposal to create an autonomous school within a school,” Superintendent Dr. Portia S. Bonner said. “This will be a pilot program that targets incoming ninth-graders from each of the district’s three middle schools, as well as current freshmen who have been retained.”

The project’s design team has created a proposal that will be shown to the entire restructuring team on Dec. 22 and presented to the New Bedford School Committee at a later date.

According to teacher Nate Everett, chairman of the design team, the Leadership Academy is something entirely new and exciting for the high school.

“This is a big step for the district,” Everett said. “Not only is it a small school design model, but it is a teacher-led initiative. … As a teacher I can tell you that any student can benefit from an environment like this. … In a school of 3,000 students this will give students a cultural identity.”

Students will apply to the school on a voluntary basis with 125 accepted per year.

Of those accepted, 75 percent will have certain at-risk indicators and 25 percent will be considered open enrollments.

Class sizes, according to planners, will be kept below 20 students.

For their part, students will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills through college-preparation programs, internships with area businesses and volunteer efforts in the community.

Although the academy will be under the control of the School Committee, teachers are expected to be heavily involved in planning the academy’s curriculum and budget.

Asked about the costs of the academy, Bonner said that funds will be reallocated from the high school based on student enrollment.

The plan to restructure the high school came about following the 2008 release of Gov. Deval Patrick’s action agenda for improving education and preparing students to compete in the 21st century job market.

Bonner said she envisions that the high school eventually will consist of four to five smaller academies.

In addition to the Leadership Academy, an Engineering Academy is also in the works.

“Such an academy would provide a personalized, project-based curriculum using engineering design models to solve real-life problems and enhance critical thinking skills,” Bonner said. “Work has begun by collaborating with Bristol Community College to extend the course offerings and dual enrollment.”

To assist with the total restructuring initiative, Bridgewater State College will be providing professional development to the staff, and consultants from Northeastern University will be working directly with administration and staff to create a time line for completion of the transformation from a single high school to several “innovation schools.”

Planners are aiming for a September opening date for both the Leadership Academy and the Engineering Academy.

“Innovation schools are truly intended to be an innovative, autonomous redesign of public schools that foster the creativity that is needed to reach our students and to prepare a work force that is ready to work in an environment that requires them to think critically, problem solve, work collaboratively and creatively and to think outside of the box,” Bonner said. “In retrospect of changes that are coming on the national and state level, this is an opportunity for New Bedford to lead the way instead of following the pack after the fact.”

NEW BEDFORD