Introducing the Opportunity Schools Quality Framework: A North Star for Serving Students Furthest from Opportunity
Right now, there are more than 2 million students in US high schools who will leave school without a high school diploma. We use various labels to focus attention on these children; they are “disconnected,” or “at-risk,” or in the “school to prison pipeline.” Too often, the only options available to these students aren’t designed with their long-term success in mind.
At Groundswell Network, we believe we can do better.
That’s why we’re excited to share the Opportunity Schools Quality Framework — a concise, practical guide written in collaboration with leading educators and policy experts that describes what it takes to create high-quality “Opportunity Schools” where young people furthest from opportunity can thrive.
What Makes a School an Opportunity School?
Too often, “alternative schools” intended to serve the most struggling students provide an alternative for the system, but not for the child. In contrast, true Opportunity Schools across the country are proving every day that school can be a transformative place for young people facing tough challenges.
Notable examples include Urban Dove in New York City, a team-based model where students who have failed 9th grade join a sports team which not only plays together but attends class together–with their coach. In Newark, previously struggling students at LEAD Charter School prepare for life after school by renovating abandoned houses for neighborhood families. The Maya Angelou network in Washington, DC has campuses both inside juvenile detention facilities and out, so that students can transition much more seamlessly into school upon re-entry.
This Framework captures the key success drivers at these and other successful Opportunity Schools::
High Expectations, Real Pathways: Instruction designed to meet students where they are and help them move quickly toward graduation and life after high school
Strong Relationships as Foundation for Learning: A welcoming, orderly school environment where students build trusting connections with adults and peers
Commitment to Post-Secondary Success for All: Clear, supported pathways for every student to reach academic and post-secondary goals
The Moment for Opportunity Schools is Now
We’re at an important turning point, as public education moves toward a more thoughtful, student-centered vision for student success. This Framework is designed to make sure that schools that inspire achievement and growth for our highest-need students are included in this new vision.
We hope the Framework will serve as a North Star, providing a common language and a shared understanding of what it will take to make sure that in every community the students furthest from opportunity have access to Opportunity Schools that believe in their abundant potential and prepare them for the future they choose.
