ESI Update
Week of February 3
Hello, Principals and ESI Team Members!
Last week, during the State of the Union speech, President Obama stated, “We’re working to redesign high schools and partner them with colleges and employers that offer the real-world education and hands-on training that can lead directly to a job and career…to help young men of color facing tough odds stay on track and reach their full potential.” While President Obama did not spotlight particular ESI schools by name, we know that this historical and difficult work is taking place in your schools. Thank you for allowing the ESI community to learn with and from you.
In this issue you will find the following features:
- News and Updates: February 11 Leadership Meeting!
- Opportunities: Quest for Excellence, Digital Ready, and Letter from Birmingham Jail!
- Program Spotlight: Screening of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
- Did You Know? Infographic on African American Male AP Participation Gap
- Halls of ESI Schools: Frederick Douglass Academy VII
- Shout Outs: Science Genius!
News and Updates
*This feature is intended to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening in ESI.
ESI Leadership Meeting February 11
The next Leadership Meeting, designed for Principals and Assistant Principals, will take place February 11 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. At this meeting school leaders will have an opportunity to share strategies, struggles, and breakthroughs in working to prepare Black and Latino Males for college and career. Representation from every ESI school is expected at each of the Leadership Meetings.
When: February 11, 2014
Where: THE HISPANIC FEDERATION (55 EXCHANGE PL, New York, NY 10005)
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Registration: RSVP by clicking here.
Refreshments will be served.
ESI Liaison Meeting Resources available on the ESI Wiki
Resources from ESI Liaison Meetings are available on the ESI Wiki. Click here to access presentations, documents, and other important information.
Opportunities
Quest for Excellence NYC Award
The Quest for Excellence New York City Award is a local initiative of QuestBridge to give high-achieving, low-income high school juniors in New York City access to summer enrichment and travel programs, technology, professional networking, and academic opportunities, all in an effort to strengthen their college outlook.
Interested high school juniors in New York City should apply through the QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship application, including the Quest for Excellence NYC Award supplement. By completing this application and supplement, students will have the chance to receive awards designed specifically to enhance their exposure to opportunities based on their extracurricular interests, background, and career goals, as well as to gain a network of like-minded individuals from the five boroughs of New York. Note: Only students who list their permanent zip code from within the five boroughs will be eligible to access the NYC Award supplement.
For more information about the NYC Award, please click here. For additional questions, please contact nycaward@questscholars.org.
College Fair/Conference for High School Counselors & College Advisors
High School Counselors, College Advisors, and ALL personnel engaged in supporting the college and career readiness of students in NYC public schools are encouraged to attend this full-day professional development opportunity. Presented by the Office of Safety and Youth Development in collaboration with the Office of Postsecondary Readiness, and Career Council, Inc., participants will have the opportunity to meet with college admission representatives from across the nation and attend relevant professional workshops to enhance college and career readiness planning in grades 9-12. Participants may register to attend either of the following event dates.
When: Thursday, February 27, 2014
8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Long Island University
1 University Plaza
Arnold and Marie Schwartz Athletic Center
Brooklyn, New York 11201
When: Friday, February 28, 2014
8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where: CUNY Lehman College
250 Bedford Park Blvd. West
Bronx, NY 10468
To register, click here. Registration for the event must be submitted no later than Friday, February 21, 2014. For further questions, contact Margarita Suero-Duran.
Digital Ready: Student-Centered Technology and Professional Development Program
As a reminder before next week’s deadline, ESI schools should consider the opportunity to apply for Digital Ready, a program launched out of the Office of Postsecondary Readiness. Digital Literacy was one of the strategies highlighted on the ESI application; it is an important strategy that ESI has identified that can impact the college and career readiness of Black and Latino young men. The Digital Ready program can support your school to create a learning environment that matches your students’ needs and interests through the use of technology. Schools that are selected to participate will receive support for planning and implementing the program, professional development for teachers, software to support blended learning and assessment, and guidance on partnering with digital media learning organizations.
To be eligible, your school must meet the following criteria:
• Demonstrate evidence of investment in digital learning, including infrastructure and professional development
• Have scored an A, B, or C on the Progress Report
• If your school received a Quality Review, have scored a Proficient or Well-Developed (if your school received a Quality Review and scored a Developing, it will only be considered if your school scored an A or B on the Progress Report).
Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on February 14. To apply, review the program overview. Then complete the application according to the instructions. Submit the completed application with any supporting materials to the Digital Ready team at team@digitalready.net.
Scholarship for Undocumented Students in New York State
A $25 million college scholarship fund was recently launched to ensure that at least 2,500 youths can afford college for the next decade. The prerequisite? The youths have to be undocumented and must have been approved for a 2012 presidential initiative, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which granted temporary work authorization and legal presence.
The scholarships, accessible through TheDream.us website, help to fund undocumented youths who are “not eligible to apply for federal financial aid to support a college education” for 12 institutions of higher learning. Due to their legal status, undocumented immigrants are allowed to attend college, but ineligible for any federal and most state sources of aid. Many other scholarships require applicants to be legal immigrants or U.S. citizens. In at least six states, undocumented students are explicitly prohibited from receiving in-state tuition or even enrolling at public institutions. This TheDream.us scholarship would thus give undocumented students more access to the same opportunities as lawful residents.
The multi-state fund is one of the largest offered to undocumented students, who are generally unable to shoulder the cost of a higher education due to financial or legal constraints. As it stands, only five to ten percent of undocumented high school graduates pursue a college education. Scholarships range between $12,000 to $25,000 per year and provide 100 percent funding for tuition, fees, and books. Students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA and are eligible for an additional $1,000 to $2,000 honors award if they graduate with a GPA of 3.5 or greater.
The partner colleges are located in California, Florida, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
The deadline to apply is March 31, 2014. For more information, click here. To apply, click here.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
In celebration of Black History Month, The Schomburg Junior Scholars present a theatrical reading of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. This theatrical reading, as conceived by Artistic Director Shaun Neblett, portrays a group of high school students who must read and interpret Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail in order to fulfill their graduation requirements. As they strive to make sense of Dr. King’s 50 year old letter, scenes from contemporary times illuminate their understanding and make the messages relevant for today. Shows begin Monday, February 10. For more information or to register, click here.
