Three Youngstown schools, career center earn awards

Staff report

Youngstown

Three city schools and Trumbull Career and Technical Center earned awards for raising student achievement and improving school practices.

TCTC received the High Schools That Work Career Technical Center Gold Improvement Award.

Youngstown Early College High School received the High Schools That Work Comprehensive High School Bronze Improvement Award.

Rayen Early College Middle School received the Making Middle Grades Work Rigorous Mathematics Exemplar Award and Chaney Visual and Performing Arts/Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Campus earned the Making Middle Grades Work Rigorous English/ Language Arts Exemplar Award.

Each school was the only Northeast Ohio school to receive the awards in those categories.

The awards were presented by the board of trustees of High Schools That Work Ohio Network, a not-for-profit organization that supports HSTW and Making Middle Grades Work in Northeast Ohio and statewide. HSTW is the nation’s first whole-school improvement initiative for middle and high schools.

“These schools illustrate the spirit of change and the gains in performance to get students ready for challenging academics and career/technical courses in high school and prepared for postsecondary education and careers,” said Jeffrey Layton, chairman of High Schools That Work Ohio Network.

More than 1,200 high schools in 30 states and the District of Columbia participate in the HSTW school improvement initiative.

“The awards acknowledge the hard work of our school leaders and teachers,” said city Superintendent Connie Hathorn, “and are another important indicator that we are working together to strengthen our curriculum and prepare our students for their future.”

At Youngstown Early College, a comparison of 2010 and 2012 HSTW Student Survey results shows an increase in the percentage of YEC students who are college-ready in reading, mathematics and science. The school exceeded the mean percentages of high scoring sites nationally in seven of the 10 HSTW intensive emphasis indices: high expectations, literacy, numeracy, integrating academics into career technical, quality career technical studies, high school importance and extra help.

“We are celebrating another year of a state designation of Excellent based on student test scores,” said Principal Michele Dotson. “This award evaluates our work even further by showing that YEC is also doing a good job of preparing students for college and careers.”

Rayen Early College’s accomplishment “is a true testament to the hard work of the REC staff, students and parents,” said Principal Debbie DiFrancesco. “Everyone is dedicated to providing the best education possible — our students will be college and career ready.”

Chaney Principal Diane Rollins attributes that school’s success “to the commitment, dedication and determination of our staff.”

The city school awards will be presented at a school board meeting next month, and each school will receive a banner.