New Haven Schools of Choice

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New HavenSchools of Choice

• Growing from good
• to great!!!

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New Haven Public Schools

• New Haven is a small city district (20,123) in
  which 89 of the student population is non-white
  and 62 receive free and reduced lunch. In
  contrast, the state of Connecticut is 18
  non-white, and 7.9 of its population lives below
  the poverty level.

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The Largest Choice Program in the State of
Connecticut

• Goal to build the capacity of VPSC-receiving
  schools to better meet the needs of students
  transferring from low-performing schools.
• Goal Creating racially, ethnically and
  socio-economically diverse higher-achieving
  schools of choice.
• Goal to sustain partnerships that seek to
  implement an interdistrict approach
• Goal to support student transportation services

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The Largest Choice Program in the State of
Connecticut

• Includes
• Local (Intradistrict) magnets schools (5)
• Interdistrict magnet schools (18)
• Open Choice districts and schools (13)
• Lighthouse schools (6)
• Charter schools (4)
• Suburban interdistrict magnet schools. (2)

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Lighthouse Schools

• Non-magnet, higher-performing schools located
  near Title I schools in need of improvement
• Develop themes/unique features
• Increase capacity to meet the needs of students
  who transferred from low-performing schools

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Lighthouse Schools (cont.)

• Supplemental services before and after school
  (tutoring)
• Upgrading curriculum
• Professional development around the theme
• First necessary steps that lead to interdistrict
  magnet schools

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Interdistrict Magnet Schools

• Nine high-performing schools serving 30 suburban
  towns
• In 2008/09 school year New Haven enrolled 2,844
  magnet students, 1065 of these students
  transferred in from the suburbs
• Pre-K through grade 12
• Thematic/Unique features that attract parents

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Interdistrict Magnet Schools (cont.)

• More diverse student body
• Eight week application process with lottery held
  in March
• Free transportation offered to all students
  (except pre-K)
• Free pre-school offered to all incoming students

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New Haven VPSC Evaluation of Student Achievement
and Transfers

• Key Question What percentage of students are
  moving from low- to high-performing schools?
• Key Question Have the test scores of VPSC
  transfer students increased relative to students
  who remained in low-performing schools?
• A three-step, quasi-experimental design measuring
  growth over time in program participants.

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Transfers from low-performing to high-performing
schools
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Longitudinal Study Cohorts 152000-2008
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Longitudinal Study Cohorts 152000-2008
Intradistrict Magnets
Interdistrict Magnets
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Contacts
Robert Canelli, Supervisor of Magnet Schools, New
Haven Public Schools ROBERT.CANELLI_at_new-haven.k12.
ct.us [phone] David Kikoler, American
Education Solutions, Inc. usgrants_at_mindspring.com
[phone]