Todd, it appears a solution has been found - right in my town of Worcester, MA. A local college (Clark University) decided to solve the education problem on its own. So Clark created the University Park Campus School. Here is the web site...
http://www.upcsinstitute.org/
Here are some interesting data points...
University Park Campus School was developed by Clark University and the Worcester Public School District to be a public school of choice that would admit neighborhood students regardless of their academic standing. Applicants are admitted by lottery but, before they apply, they must accompany their parents to an informational meeting where they are told about the academic rigor of the school and the minimum of two hours of homework each night.
Seventy-eight percent of University Park students speak English as a second language, with Spanish, Albanian, Vietnamese, or Cambodian as their first language. This percentage is much higher than that of the district (36 percent) or of the state (14 percent). Seventy-three percent of University Park students qualify for free or reduced-price meals (compared to 30 percent in the state), and many of these students are those who had "slipped through the cracks" in their elementary schools. About 39 percent of the students are white; 34 percent are Hispanic; 18 percent are Asian; and 9 percent are African American.
When University Park opened the doors to its first class of seventh-graders in 1997, the school started the year with an "August Academy" to assess the incoming students' proficiency levels in reading, math, and English, and their social skills. The teachers found that one-half of the 35 students were reading at a third-grade level, and four of them could not read at all. Two years later, when the students started ninth grade, all of them were following an honors-level curriculum. The following year, by the tenth grade, on their initial attempt, all students passed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Exam (MCAS), a test in reading and mathematics required for graduation in Massachusetts.
In 2004, all University Park tenth grade students passed the English/Language Arts portion of the MCAS, with 85 percent scoring proficient and advanced, with no one failing. On the math MCAS, 88 percent of tenth graders scored proficient and advanced, with no one failing. Students' scores in both subject areas of the MCAS have consistently qualified the school as one of the top 10 percent of schools in the state, and the school was recently named the top-performing urban high school in Massachusetts.
Not only is the entire tenth grade class doing well on standardized tests, but University Park is succeeding also in closing the achievement gap for Hispanic students. In 2003, 100 percent of the tenth grade Hispanic students met or exceeded the state standards in English language arts, and, in math, 93 percent of tenth grade Hispanic students met or exceeded state standards on the MCAS.
University Park does not expect students' learning to end with high school. Since opening in 1997, all graduates of UPCS have attended college, and 80 percent of them went to four-year institutions. There is a strong emphasis, starting in seventh grade, on going to college.
Let's repeat that for those who missed it:
Since opening in 1997, all graduates of UPCS have attended college - and this is a group of students from a poor neighborhood chosen by lottery. And hey, I've been to that neighborhood and it is
nasty. I am afraid to park there during the
day
So there is your solution. Go to their website and read all about it.
Next question?