Program to benefit county schools

Some of Beaufort County’s public high-school students could benefit from a grant designed to accelerate progress toward obtaining a college education and improve student performance.

Foundations, companies and individuals have pledged $1.5 million to help match a $15 million federal grant.

This grant “would extend successful early college strategies to as many as 20 traditional high schools” in counties such as Beaufort County, reads a Thursday news release from the North Carolina New Schools Project.

The New Schools Project was started in 2003 by the North Carolina governor’s office, the state’s education cabinet and support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the project’s website shows.

“The U.S. Department of Education last month selected (the New Schools Project) from among nearly 600 applicants across the country as one of 23 organizations to potentially share $150 million under the federal Investing in Innovation (i3) competitive grant program,” the release reads. “The (New Schools Project) initiative is the only proposal from North Carolina recognized for funding in this highly competitive grant program, and one of only five to be selected for potential funding at the $15 million level.”

Essentially, the money would allow local schools to take some of the statistically successful methods used at the state’s early college high schools — typically based on university or community college campuses — and apply those models to traditional high schools.

Six rural counties’ high schools — those in Beaufort, Hertford, Madison, Richmond, Sampson and Wilkes counties — would be included in the project.

Benefits would accrue to more than 20,000 students, according to New Schools Project officials.

“We are excited that this grant was funded and even more excited that Beaufort County is included,” said Don Phipps, superintendent of Beaufort County Schools. “The grant will benefit students, teachers, and administrators. The goal of our work is consistent with the goals of this grant, that all students will be ready for career, college or technical training, and it helps provide much needed financial support for the many elements associated with teaching and learning. This opportunity is great, but the timing could not have been better. If we are able to better assist students in earning college credit while still in high school, the positive impacts are multiplied.”

The New Schools Project “supports the 74 existing (early college high) schools with coaches for teachers and principals and carefully designed professional development based on a set of proven design principles, all of which are aligned to an overarching goal of graduating all students ready for college, careers and life,” the news release reads. “Under the new federal grant, (the New Schools Project) will extend successful early college high school strategies to between 15 and 20 traditional high schools and up to 10 rural, low-income county districts where they are located. One key goal of the initiative is for all students to graduate with at least 21 college credits, or the equivalent of about seven courses.”

In a recent presentation to the Beaufort County Board of Education, Todd Blumenreich, principal of Beaufort County’s Early College High School, offered numbers demonstrating the school’s average test scores exceed the state and district scores in English, algebra, physical science, biology, civics and economics, U.S. history and writing.

The school had a proficiency goal of School of Excellence, with at least 90 percent of its students at or above grade level, for the 2011-2012 school year.