SUNY Launches 11 Smart Scholars Early College High Schools

Rochester – The State University of New York and EdWorks today launched 11 Early College High School Partnerships across the state, including the new Rochester Early College International High School.

The historic launch was held at Monroe Community College and hosted by President Anne M. Kress.  President Kress was joined by Jean-Claude Brizard, Rochester City School District Superintendent; Marlene Blocker, Principal of the Rochester Early College International High School; and Johanna Duncan-Poitier, SUNY Chancellor's Deputy for the Education Pipeline and Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges.

The Smart Scholars Early College High School is making college a reality for students who are at-risk of dropping out of high school and are largely underrepresented in college. Students will get a jump-start on college by earning college credit while they are still in high school.

“We are so proud to welcome these first students to the 11 Early College High Schools across New York this fall,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “We are also pleased to be celebrating the launch of the Early College High Schools in Rochester. These partnerships are an important part of SUNY’s commitment to strengthening the education pipeline in the greater Rochester area and in regions throughout the State.”

Harold Brown, president of EdWorks, a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based KnowledgeWorks, who is partnering with SUNY on the implementation of the 11 Early College High Schools, said he is excited about the partnership as well. “In New York, we expect to build on our strong record of improving student achievement – as we have in Ohio and other parts of the country -- especially in some of our most underserved communities,” Brown said. “This critically important work demystifies college for students who may not otherwise be college bound and gives them a head start on their post-secondary education career. Ultimately, the result of this partnership will be a more highly educated work force for the state of New York.”

“The Smart Scholars Early College High Schools will benefit over 2,700 students across the State and has the potential to be a leading model for transforming education and maximizing student success,” said Duncan-Poitier. “We are grateful for the generous support provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through a grant to the University of the State of New York that has made this opportunity possible.”

“The Smart Scholars program is unique because it helps us approach education in a more integrated way, utilizing the tremendous resources available throughout the State, including the State University of New York, for the education of our students," said Education Commissioner David Steiner.

“Monroe Community College is pleased to partner with the Rochester City School District and the Asia Society to launch the new Rochester Early College International High School,” said Kress. “This is such a great opportunity for us to bring The Power of SUNY to our community and strengthen it by helping students along the educational pathway from high school to college.”

The 11 Smart Scholars Early College High Schools partnerships include:

• Rochester City School District, Monroe Community College and the Asia Society
• Buffalo City School District, Erie Community College and D’Youville College
• Syracuse City School District, Onondaga Community College, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry
• City School District of Albany, Hudson Valley Community College, the University at Albany, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Greater Amsterdam Central School District and Fulton-Montgomery Community College
• Roosevelt Union Free School District and the SUNY College at Old Westbury
• Schenectady City School District and Schenectady County Community College
• Yonkers City School District and Westchester Community College
• Bard High School Early College and Bard College in New York City
• Freeport Central School District and Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus
• City Polytechnic High School of Engineering and the New York City College of Technology

About EdWorks

EdWorks, a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks Foundation (www.kwfdn.org), is a high school turnaround organization that partners with schools, districts and states to provide effective, long-term solutions. EdWorks offers three different models of school design: High School Turnarounds, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) schools and Early College High Schools.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 465,000 students in 7,351 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visitwww.suny.edu 

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