New York, NY (1888PressRelease)
July 20, 2009 - "We are creating a Race to the Top Fund that will reward states and public school districts that adopt 21st-century standards and assessments," said President Obama. "And we are creating incentives for states to promote excellent teachers and replace bad ones -- because the job of a teacher is too important for us to accept anything but the best.
"We should also explore innovative approaches being pursued here in New York City; innovations like Bard High School Early College and Medgar Evers College Preparatory School that are challenging students to complete high school and earn a free associate's degree or college credit in just four years."
Medgar Evers College Preparatory High School, which has been cited by The New York Daily News as one of the best in Brooklyn in 2007 and 2008, provides the diverse student population with a superlative college preparatory education. The School offers a dual enrollment program, a collaboration between the high school and Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York that allows high school students to take college courses for credit.
The program, which affords students the opportunity to graduate in four years with foreign language proficiency, and a New York State Regents diploma, allows juniors and seniors can take up 12 credits per semester, in classes such as physics and organic chemistry. Some students have completed as many as 30 credits by the time they have graduated. Medgar Evers College and Medgar Evers College Preparatory School are currently working to expand the program so that motivated students will be able to graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate degree.
"We, of course, were thrilled to be recognized by President Barack Obama for the quality of our high school program," said Dr. Michael A. Wiltshire, Principal of Medgar Evers College Preparatory School. "We have long understood the truth of President Obama's contention that a high school education is not enough in an increasing global and competitive society, and we have been committed to preparing our children to succeed and ensuring that our students receive a college education."
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