Hughes in the Enquirer...

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081112/NEWS0102/811120362/1055/NEWS

The following is taken from the above link:

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS - Hughes Center is being converted into Cincinnati's first STEM high school - a school devoted to science, technology, engineering and math - but the transition is not without controversy.

Next school year, a new Hughes Center will be open to freshmen, one of five new STEM high schools in Ohio.

Unlike traditional schools, STEM schools emphasize math and science courses while directing students toward career-oriented internships, mentoring and co-op opportunities in math, science or technology.

The new school will feature state-of-the-art labs and computers and employ problem-solving education, said Jamie Beirne, one of the teachers on the development team.

"The essence of what makes Hughes a great school will still be there," he said, "but we're trying to make it a 21st century learning environment."

Yet some Cincinnati school board members were resistant recently to a plan to eliminate a current Hughes program - its communications program - from the newly reorganized school.

Several board members said that the district can't afford to lose any effective high school programs.

"I've said explicitly that we have to keep effective programs," said Susan Cranley, a school board member. "Why are we going to dismantle what's working ... when we've got things in place that aren't working?"

Other board members also cautioned against imposing entrance requirements on future STEM students, making it like Walnut Hills High School.

"We did not want another exclusive school; the board is committed to that," said Eve Bolton, president of the board. "It's not that we're saying no to STEM; we're having issues with dismantling or disassociating ourselves (from) Hughes."

The old Hughes is being phased out. This year's is the last freshman class, and its current students will be the last graduates of its current programs. The first STEM freshmen will start class in fall 2009. Eighth-graders can begin enrolling Jan. 26.

Much about the STEM high school is undecided, but there are no plans for admissions restrictions, said Mary Ronan, interim superintendent. It will be like CPS' other "high schools of choice," she said, with open enrollment, on a first-come, first-served basis.

She hopes for 300 ninth-graders.

But Hughes' communications professions program doesn't fit into the new STEM school, she said. The communications program was more journalism-oriented than technology-oriented, said Tim Kraus, president of the teachers union and a member of the STEM steering committee.

"We're trying to make this (school) as flexible as possible to meet the demands of 21st-century careers," he said. "We're trying to prepare kids for jobs that don't even exist right now."

Eileen Cooper Reed, a board member, said communications is worth saving.
"We still love STEM; it's the logistics we don't like," she said. "We want to protect good programs and make sure we don't displace programs."

Ronan said there may be a way to re-create the communications program at another high school some year soon. She mentioned the School for Creative and Performing Arts, which requires auditions for admission, but that hasn't been discussed with its local leaders, she said.

Hughes' 98-year-old building has been gutted for its two-year renovation. Hughes' existing classes are being held in a vocational building attached to it.

The new STEM classes will be held in the old Fairview German School building until the renovation is finished in 2010.

At the STEM school, freshmen and sophomores will take traditional high-school classes, but with field trips to university research labs, STEM-oriented businesses and area agencies. Juniors and seniors will concentrate courses in career "pathways" and participate in internships, job shadowing, summer jobs and mentoring in science and industry.

Some Hughes programs will be updated and folded into STEM programs, Ronan said. For instance, the teaching courses will focus on math and science education; the Zoo Academy may end up in engineering or science tracks.

Last year, Hughes was rated Effective, the third-highest rank on Ohio's school report cards. Its graduation rate was 90.5 percent in 2006-07, with 57 percent headed to college.

Beirne said the new school will serve the kinds of students Hughes now serves.

Last year, Hughes' student body was 89.7 percent black and 7.2 percent white. Nearly two-thirds qualified for free or reduced-price meals, and nearly a quarter had a disability.

CPS this year converted Taft Elementary into a STEM school. Its partners include the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State Community and Technical College, the Strive coalition and several major corporations.

What are your thoughts on the transition?