Foster City Islander Article - 06-20-2007
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Charter Public |
Phyllis Moore, President, Foster City High School Foundation |
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City Will Achieve Its Vision With Envision Schools
Envision Schools (www.envision.org), a successful, non-profit charter school management organization, has begun working with the City, the Foundation and our High School District to establish and then operate Foster City’s tuition-free public high school, which will provide a cornerstone for our planned community educational center.
Envision operates four innovative college-preparatory high schools in the Bay Area. All of them are educationally and financially successful. Envision’s high schools focus on ensuring that every student not only enrolls into college but also graduates from college.
Their results speak for themselves. 70% of the graduates from Envision’s Marin School of Arts & Technology (MSAT) were accepted to 4-year colleges and most of the rest will attend community colleges. In comparison, only 43% of California’s high school graduates enroll directly into college. Not surprisingly, U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey recognizes that, “Envision Schools is a model for our country.”
Envision comes to Foster City with an impressive record. Last year MSAT was one of only two charter schools statewide to win a prestigious California Department of Education grant to support sharing of its educational approaches with other schools. MSAT recently also received a 6-year accreditation, the maximum that can be granted, and an extraordinarily rare award for a 4-year-old school.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sees great promise in Envision and awarded the organization $6.9 million in 2006. Gates spokeswoman Maria Groark told the San Francisco Examiner that, “We gave them an earlier grant in 2003, and with those dollars, we’ve seen some fantastic results. These are great schools, it’s important that there are more of them.”
Envision names its schools “Arts and Technology” High Schools, because these areas engage students. Once engaged, the school’s innovative curriculum motivates them to excel in school. According to Steve Seleznow, Gates Foundation’s Program Director for Education, “By holding all students to high expectations and supporting them academically and socially, these schools are posting significant gains and preparing all its students to succeed in college and career.”
Contact me at phyllismoore1@comcast.net or 650-349-5676
