Keeping our Eyes on the Prize

By Dr. Gene T. Harris
Superintendent
Columbus Public Schools

The year ahead for the students and staff of the Columbus Public Schools can be described in two words: building momentum.
When I became superintendent in 2001, I promised our community that the district would leave the state-designated category of academic emergency by summer 2003. A year ago this month, we held a press conference to announce we had done just that. I’m pleased to state that we will stay out of academic emergency this year.
The state report card continues to change as standards related to the No Child Left Behind Act (such as third-grade reading) are added and others relating to the Ohio ninth-grade proficiency test are phased out. Members of the Class of 2007, now beginning their sophomore year, will have to pass the new, more rigorous Ohio Graduation Test to graduate.
We’re preparing to meet those challenges. Our next short-term goal is moving from the state-designated category of “academic watch” to “continuous improvement” by summer 2006.
We maintained or improved in 16 of the 17 academic standards on this year’s state report card and once again met the attendance standard. We are targeting specific subject areas and emphasizing writing across the curriculum. We are systematically breaking down barriers that keep students from graduating. Four examples of innovative programs beginning this school year or in the planning process are:

• The Virtual High School program, designed for students 21 and younger who have passed all news of the proficiency test but still need core high-school credits to graduate. They can complete work at their own pace and test at a number of community sites as well as at the North Adult Education Center.
• The Columbus Africentric Early College, or CAEC, began with a Summer Bridge program for eighth graders to build their academic knowledge and skills. Their pace will continue to accelerate as they are expected to earn 45-90 hours of credit from Columbus State Community College before they graduate from high school.
• The first year of the prestigious International Baccalaureate diploma program at Columbus Alternative High School, connecting our students with world-class institutions of higher learning at home and abroad.
• Exploration of a new metropolitan school emphasizing math and science. The school will be located downtown and begin with two grades. The school would continue to expand at one grade each year until a complete, separate middle and high school are formed.
By focusing on each individual child and working to actively include parents and the greater community in the educational process, we are setting a long-term goal of meeting the state’s graduation-rate standard of 90 percent by 2012. We have increased our graduation rate as calculated by the state from 55 to 60 percent in the past three years. We’ve also increased the district’s senior success rate to 90 percent.
Our product is the high school diploma, the ‘essential credential’ for all students. It connects their interests and dreams to specific knowledge and skills. High school graduation then becomes the jumping-off point for everything else. We serve our students and the community well when they graduate with diplomas that represent the knowledge and skills needed for higher education, a career-building job, or acceptance into military service.
Following Dr. King’s example, my eyes are on the prize: continuous improvement in 2006 and meeting the state graduation standard of 90 percent in 2012. With your continued support, we can do it.