EXCELerator

EXCELerator is a school improvement model developed with the College Board. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation agreed to fund a five-year pilot project with a $16 million grant. For the 2006-2007 school year, a total of eleven schools were selected in three large urban districts where the graduation rate was well below the national average and minority enrollment was above 50%. [ [http://www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedStates/Education/TransformingHighSchools/Announcements/Announce-060831.htm Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Aug 31, 2006- New Investment Broadens College Board’s National Education Reform Effort to Ensure More Students Graduate Ready for College and Work] ]

Participants

The initial districts and schools chosen were:

Washington, D.C. Cardozo High School Wilson High School H.D. Woodson High School .

Jacksonville Lee High School Terry Parker High School Sandalwood High School Wolfson High School .

Chicago John F. Kennedy High School Morgan Park High School Roosevelt High School The Al Raby School for Community and Environment

For the 2007-2008 school year, sixteen additional schools were selected, for a total of 27. [ [http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/152560.html The College Board website: Jan 23, 2007-Expansion of EXCELerator™ Schools Project to Denver, CO, and Hillsborough County, FL (Tampa), School Districts] ]
The phase II districts and schools included:

Denver South High School Lincoln High School Thomas Jefferson High School . North High School

Jacksonville First Coast High School Raines High School Ribault High School Jackson High School .

Chicago Curie Metropolitan High School Simeon Career Academy Hubbard High School Clemente High School

Tampa East Bay High School Leto High School Middleton High School Plant City High School

Key Elements

# Extensive use of data to inform and drive teaching, learning, and assessment;
# Counseling and advisory programs that support early college planning and preparation
# Promote rigorous academic programs with an enriched & accelerated college preparatory curriculum and increasing the literacy levels of underachieving students;
# Developmental supports to create a more personalized learning environment;
# Strengthen professional development and instructional leadership among teachers and administrators, extensive and on-going. [ [http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/excelerator.pdf College Board website: EXCELerator Schools Fact Sheet] ]

Expected outcomes

* Higher academic achievement including Advanced Placement courses and reduced achievement gaps across subgroups
* Increased high school graduation rates and reduced dropout rates
* Better college-readiness and decreased need for remediation in college
* A school culture focused on college readiness for all students and greater student engagement with challenging, meaningful content
* A national school improvement model for deep and lasting systemic change that can be widely and quickly disseminated [ [http://professionals.collegeboard.com/k-12/system/excelerator College Board website: Helping high schools improve underserved students' access to college] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.collegeboard.com/ The College Board website]
* [http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]