The Urban Assembly Requests Community Feedback for our CTE Charter High School Application

November 06, 2015

The Urban Assembly will submit an application to the SUNY Trustees in late January of 2016 to open a new Career & Technical Education (CTE) Charter High School in the South Bronx that prepares students for college and careers in Computer Science. Community input and partnership is at the center of the creation of The UA’s new CTE high school. Your voice is needed! We sincerely request your feedback and partnership. Here’s more about our school and what you can do to help make it a reality.

Who will be eligible to apply? All students!

• The CTE Charter High school in the South Bronx will be open to all students and will give admissions preference to students in the South Bronx.
• There are no entrance requirements.
• The school will open with a founding 9th grade class in August 2017.
• Students will receive college and career preparation side by side, graduating with both a high school diploma and industry-recognized certifications.
• The curriculum will include Computer Science and other technology-based courses.
• Students will gain real-world experience through internships with partners in the technology industry.

What will the school offer?

• The school will open with a founding 9th grade class in August 2017.
• Students will receive college and career preparation side by side, graduating with both a high school diploma and industry-recognized certifications.
• The curriculum will include Computer Science and other technology-based courses.
• Students will gain real-world experience through internships with partners in the technology industry.

Why Computer Science?

We strongly believe that the greatest opportunities in the next decades will be in technology-centered careers, especially computer science. Our students will be fully prepared for both college and career in order to be competitive candidates for well-paying computer science and software engineering careers.

Why Career and Technical Education?

Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides students with the academic and technical knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college and future careers. Students in CTE schools graduate with industry-recognized credentials or certifications in addition to being college-ready. Nationwide, CTE students graduate at a considerably higher rate than their non-CTE peers.

Has The UA done this successfully in the past? Yes!

In recent years, The UA has developed seven CTE high schools, which have been highly praised by The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. With your help, this would be our first CTE school serving South Bronx students and families.

How can you help?

Do you have a child in middle school now? Your child will be eligible to apply. More information coming soon.

Give us feedback: The UA is actively soliciting comments on our proposal, its educational program and student needs. Fill out a survey HERE or send your feedback to uacharter@urbanassembly.org.

Why The Urban Assembly?

The Urban Assembly is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering underserved youth by providing them with the academic and life skills necessary for college and career success. We create and support unique, small public schools that are open to all students, scale up promising programs, and coordinate with hundreds of partner organizations in the private, public, non-profit and higher education sectors. Currently, we are serving over 9,000 students from 21 small, public middle and high schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Has The UA Demonstrated Effectiveness? Yes!

• Graduation Rates: For the class of 2015, The UA’s graduation rate is 77%. This is 9% above NYC’s graduation rate for the class of 2014 and 18% above NY State’s Big 4 average which includes the following school districts: Buffalo, Syracuse, Yonkers and Rochester.
• Closing the Achievement Gap: The Urban Assembly graduation rate has closed the often referenced "Achievement Gap" that exists between White students and African American students in New York City. Our graduation rate is 14% above the city average for African American students.
• College Access: Since 2001, our schools have achieved a college enrollment rate of 79% for all High School graduates, nearly 30% points above the national average for similar populations.
• College Persistence: 80% of The UA graduates that enroll in college return for at least a second year.

Join us! Let’s make this new opportunity for South Bronx students a reality! For more information and to share your feedback by completing a SURVEY HERE or reaching out to us via www.urbanassembly.org/contact.