| A new report from the Research Alliance for New York City Schools presents the latest findings from our evaluation of the NYC Department of Education's Expanded Success Initiative (ESI), which is designed to boost college and career readiness among Black and Latino male students. Two years into the four-year initiative, we found that schools have made notable changes, including an early focus on college and new approaches to student discipline.
"There is strong evidence that these schools are doing something different as a result of ESI,” says the study’s lead author, Adriana Villavicencio. “We are seeing important shifts in the tone and culture of the schools. And, compared to students in other, similar high schools without ESI, students in these schools are more likely to report engaging in a range of positive activities, including college trips and one-on-one college advising, mentoring, and counseling. Whether this will ultimately translate to measurable improvements in student outcomes is an open question.”
ESI, the core education component of NYC's Young Men's Initiative, is providing funding and professional development to 40 NYC high schools, aimed at helping these schools improve outcomes, particularly college and career readiness, among their Black and Latino male students. The initiative hopes to enable schools to “move the needle” on their own college readiness rates and at the same time highlight effective practices that might be replicated in other high schools. |
