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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

MCC Hosts SUNY Launch of 11 Smart Scholars Early College High Schools Today


The State University of New York and EdWorks are announcing  the statewide launch of 11 Smart Scholars Early College High Schools at 10:30 a.m. today, Sept. 16, in the Empire Room of the Warshof Conference Center in the Flynn Campus Center.

The Early College High Schools initiative provides high school students with an opportunity to accelerate their high school courses while earning college credit. The purpose is to make college a reality for students who are at risk of dropping out of high school and are largely underrepresented in college.
It is designed to increase high school graduation rates as well as college completion rates among underserved students.

Monroe Community College is partnering with the Rochester City School District and the nonprofit Asia Society to launch the Rochester Early College International High School. 

Speakers at this morning’s event include President Kress; Johanna Duncan-Poitier, Chancellor’s Deputy for the Education Pipeline and Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges; Rochester City School District Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard; Marlene Blocker, principal of Rochester Early College International High School; and Rochester school students.

The Smart Scholars initiative, which will serve more than 2,700 students, is made possible through a generous grant to the New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  The 11 Smart Scholars Early College High Schools partnerships are:

-- Rochester City School District, Monroe Community College and the nonprofit Asia Society

-- Buffalo City School District, Erie Community College and D’Youville College

-- Syracuse City School District, Onondaga Community College, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry

-- City School District of Albany, Hudson Valley Community College, the University at Albany, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

-- Greater Amsterdam Central School District and Fulton-Montgomery Community College

-- Roosevelt Union Free School District and the SUNY College at Old Westbury


-- Schenectady City School District and Schenectady County Community College

-- Yonkers City School District and Westchester Community College

-- Bard High School Early College and Bard College in New York City

-- Freeport Central School District and Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

-- City Polytechnic High School of Engineering and the New York City College of Technology

Hency Yuen-Eng
College and Community Relations
09/16/2010