According to information provided by the Minnesota House of Representatives House Research website (www.house.leg.state.mn.us), the Federal “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001” requires schools to make adequate yearly progress toward students becoming proficient in English and math. The goal of Title I of the Act “is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.” The federal law requires schools to make sure all students and specific subgroups of students, including African American students, are making AYP.
Benson, Language Arts teacher, attributes the City, Inc.’s AYP success to a four-prong approach that includes: a) setting high standards; b) staff consistency; c) creating a learning community that provides positive reinforcement for scholastic achievement; and d) tightening up on behavior issues that may impede academic success.
“After 40 years of serving the community, the City, Inc. has made significant strides with helping students, who for a variety of reasons have not succeeded in more traditional academic settings,” said Fred Easter, President/CEO. “It’s wonderful to be able to share such a great honor with the community, as well as to invite students seeking an alternative learning environment to check us out.”