Here are links to the NYC Department of Education most recent evaluations for those Success Academy public schools in operation long enough to have been tested: Harlem 1 (96.5% minority, rated: A); Harlem 2 (97.2% minority, rated: A); Harlem 3 (95.3% minority, rated A); Harlem 4 (92.8% minority, rated A); Harlem 5 (95.7% minority, rated A); Bronx 1 (95.7% minority, rated A); Bronx 2 (97.5% minority, rated A).
At their core, what these reports represent are at-risk youngsters receiving a foundation of skills and self-confidence that will lead to productive lives, breaking the cycle of poverty and despair that too often begets hopelessness, teen pregnancy, dependency, crime and incarceration.
So it’s a big deal, I think, to be encouraged — and poached from wherever its methods can prove helpful to other public schools.
As mentioned earlier in the week, those methods are offered for $20.23 in Mission Possible: How the Secrets of the Success Academies Can Work in Any School. A DVD of 21 revealing video clips comes bundled with the book. As I said Monday: just look at the faces!
