Don't Read Unless an Educatophile

I heard about this secondary school model on American RadioWorks Podcast (http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/workplace_ed/). My new favorite iPod listening. I love what I've learned about this school network. Makes the hard work of finals cramming seem worth it - this is what i study and it is beautiful...

The Cristo Rey Network

The Cristo Rey Network® is comprised of 24 high schools that provide quality, Catholic, college preparatory education to urban young people who live in communities with limited educational options.

Most of our students qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program. Member schools utilize a longer school day and year, academic assistance, and counseling to prepare students with a broad range of academic abilities for college. All students at Cristo Rey Network schools participate in a work study program through which they finance the majority of the cost of their education, gain real world job experience, grow in self-confidence, and realize the relevance of their education.

The Cristo Rey Network of schools was founded in 2001 when leaders from groups in Portland, Oregon, Cleveland, Denver, and New York hoping to replicate Cristo Rey Jesuit High School of Chicago gathered for the first time to learn more about the model school. Since 2001, leaders of the Cristo Rey schools have been meeting regularly to share ideas and best practices.

All students will graduate from high school and college.

With this goal as our highest aspiration, all students engage in coursework designed to prepare them for success in college. Core subjects – reading, writing, science, mathematics, social studies, religious studies, world languages, and the arts – provide the foundation for our college preparatory education. Our academic program also emphasizes thinking strategies and lifelong learning behaviors necessary for success in both the classroom and the workplace, such as: precision and accuracy, complex reasoning, persistence with new tasks, and teaming and collaboration.

All Cristo Rey Network students take a full course load of college preparatory coursework for four years, as they participate one day each week in our four-year work study program. Through this program, every student works in a professional setting, developing the knowledge and skills to prepare them well for college and the world of work. This relevant work experience not only provides our students with the opportunity to contribute financially to their education, but it reinforces in them the thinking strategies and lifelong learning behaviors emphasized in the classroom. The workplace experience allows students to apply and make connections from the classroom to the world of work. This unique combination of classroom learning and workplace learning prepares Cristo Rey Network students for success in high school, in college, and in the years to come.