Abramson Sci Academy

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Coordinates: 30°02′N 89°58′W / 30.03°N 89.97°W / 30.03; -89.97
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Abramson Sci Academy
Address
Map
5552 Read Blvd.

New Orleans
,
Louisiana
70127

United States
Coordinates30°02′N 89°58′W / 30.03°N 89.97°W / 30.03; -89.97
Information
School typePublic Charter
Established2008
Grades9-12
GenderCo-ed
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Red, white, and blue
     
AthleticsLHSAA
Team nameCommodores
Websiteasa.collegiateacademies.org

Abramson Sci Academy is a high school in the New Orleans East area of New Orleans, United States. The school is a charter school and has an open admission system.

Management principles

The school uses long school days, analyzes individual test results carefully, and splits students into groups of ability within each classroom. Cindy Chang of the

positive reinforcement for academic achievement and also "qualities like helping others," and that the praise, given on a daily basis from teachers, and the "celebration" assembly, held every week, "convince students that they can be the first in their families to go to college, if only they work hard."[1] Wendy Kopp of The Atlantic said that, at the school, there is "required rigorous coursework, an intense culture of character-building, and an all-out effort by teachers[...]"[2]

The school uses specialized vocabulary, referring to all students as "scholars" and teachers ask students to "spark," or to visibly show enthusiasm and energy, and to "track," or look at a person who is speaking.[1] The school hosts weekly seminars on the importance of using formal speech and what clothes one should wear to a job interview. Chang says that the school also discusses plans to attend universities in an "unrelenting" manner.[1] The school assigns individual groups of students to a faculty member for all four years as part of its "advisory" system. Chang said that the system "ensures that each child has a surrogate parent at the school and helps to inculcate the values and behavioral norms associated with the college-bound upper middle class."[1]

Marcovitz said that the most successful teachers, during their first years, work 12 hours per day, for sixty hours per week.[3] The school pays its teachers 20% higher than the average pay in the Recovery School District, partly due to the long working hours. Teachers publicly post their telephone numbers in their classrooms,[3] and they take telephone calls from students until 9:30 p.m.[2]

History

The school opened in the 2008-2009 school year at grade nine. As of March 2008 the school's location had not yet been decided, but possible locations were

East New Orleans and Gentilly. The school was originally named New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics Academy which was similar to another New Orleans high school, New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School (SciHigh). Sci Academy was modeled after SciHigh.[4] Most New Orleans area charter schools which were opening at the time started with students younger than high school age, and then added grades as the students advanced and grew older.[5] Ben Marcovitz, then 28 years old, founded the school. Marcovitz, a graduate of Yale University, had previously taught at Sci High.[1] He also previously taught at Saint Mary's Academy.[citation needed
]

Originally the school used a standard curriculum for a 9th grade level in American schools. It later concluded that its students needed to develop additional reading skills, so it added a literacy program, and according to principal Ben Marcovitz, the curriculum "basically changed over a weekend."[5] The school stopped assigning students to read novels such as Lord of the Flies, and began extra grammar and writing classes.[3] The school offered courses in fluency and phonics.[5]

In 2008-2009, the average 9th grader had a 4th grade reading level. Average reading levels improved by 3.5 grades in the span of less than one year. At that point, the school's scores ranked as the third best in New Orleans and the best in the

John McDonogh Senior High School received "basic" or higher in the English language arts section..[1] In 2010 Sci Academy was the highest performing non-selective public high school in New Orleans.[6]

During 2010, most teachers were young

University of California Berkeley, and Yale University.[3]

In September 2010, Oprah Winfrey presented a $1 million check from the Oprah's Angel Network to the school principal, Ben Marcovitz. Sci Academy was one of six schools to receive $1 million checks from Oprah on that occasion.[6] In October 2010, parents of children with disabilities filed a lawsuit against the school, saying that the school discriminated against students with disabilities, with the Southern Poverty Law Center representing the families.[7]

Also in September 2010, about 85% of the students were eligible for free or reduced price lunches.[6] As of November 2010 almost 90% of students were eligible. During the same period, special needs students made up 15-20% of the students at Sci Academy, while the New Orleans public school average was 12%.[1] In 2010, despite an increase in the school's reputation, it had not experienced having a waiting list or finding an increase in academic ability in incoming freshmen. As of early November 2010, the school had remaining openings for ninth grade students. Cindy Chang of the

Times Picayune said "Administrators quickly refute the notion that they are "creaming" the top students and denying admission to others" and that the school says that it takes "anyone who comes through the door [...] including special-needs students".[1]

In November 2010, the school had 225 students in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades. As of 2010, the majority of students are from

Eastern New Orleans and Gentilly. The school has students from other areas in New Orleans. Residents of New Orleans, post-Hurricane Katrina, can choose schools regardless of where they live in the city.[1]

Also in November 2010, Cindy Chang of the

Times Picayune also said that "teenagers sit bolt upright in their seats -- no surreptitious napping here -- and getting good grades is considered cool."[1] According to Macovitz, as paraphrased by Chang, fights become more infrequent "once the faculty convinces new students that they are safe at school and do not need to prove their toughness."[1]

Campus

At its founding, the school was located in a set of modular buildings on Dwyer Road. In the summer of 2010, the school moved to modular buildings on the former

Times Picayune said that the school hallway coverings are "makeshift."[1] As of 2010, when a strong rain occurs, the hallway coverings cannot prevent flooding and classes are delayed.[1] The Abramson campus property is adjacent to the campus of the Sarah T. Reed Elementary School.[9]
The school later built its permanent campus on the former Marion Abramson High School campus on Read Avenue.

School uniforms

The school has

school uniforms consisting of polo shirts and khaki pants.[7]

Athletics

Abramson Sci Academy competes as the alias “Abramson Commodores” in athletics, and competes in the LHSAA.[10]

References

  1. ^
    Times Picayune. Sunday November 7, 2010. Retrieved on August 3, 2012. Alternate Archived 2014-01-01 at the Wayback Machine, Archive
  2. ^ a b Kopp, Wendy. "How Micromanaging Educators Stifles Reform." The Atlantic. April 10, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Hacker, Holly K. "Charters give education in New Orleans a fresh start." The Dallas Morning News. August 4, 2012. Retrieved on August 4, 2012.
  4. Times Picayune
    . Thursday March 13, 2008. Updated Thursday December 3, 2009. Retrieved on August 2, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "Necessity Is the Mother of Invention." Newsweek. August 26, 2010. 1. Retrieved on August 2, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Jones, Ken. "Oprah Winfrey Gives $1Million to New Orleans Charter School." NBC 33. Wednesday September 22, 2010. Retrieved on August 2, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Hechinger, John. "Oprah-Backed Charter School Denying Disabled Collides With Law." Bloomberg. September 21, 2011. Retrieved on August 2, 2012. - Alternate
  8. ^ "Parents: Eastern New Orleans schools overlooked in recovery efforts." New Orleans CityBusiness. June 19, 2006. Retrieved on March 17, 2013. "They visited Marion Abramson High School in eastern New Orleans, Benjamin Banneker Elementary School Uptown and Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in[...]"
  9. ^ "RSD TO HOST MEETINGS FOR PARENTS OF ABRAMSON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS." (Archive) Louisiana Department of Education. July 18, 2011. Retrieved on March 17, 2013.
  10. ^ "Abramson Sci Academy". lhsaa.org. Retrieved September 9, 2019.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abramson_Sci_Academy&oldid=1202905353"