SACRAMENTO—Twenty-five outstanding California schools were named today by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson as 2012 Model Continuation High Schools for their programs designed to help struggling students stay in school.
"Every student comes to school with a different set of needs, and our job is to provide them with the best chance to succeed," said Torlakson. "That's why it's so important to provide students who are having trouble staying in school with great continuation high schools. The schools we are recognizing today have gone the extra mile to help kids get the education they deserve and need to succeed in life and careers. Congratulations to them all."
Continuation high schools meet the needs of students aged 16 years or older who lack sufficient school credits, are still required to attend school, and are at risk of not graduating. Many of these students have jobs outside of school because of family problems or other circumstances. Continuation high schools offer these students an alternative high school diploma program that focuses on school-to-career education, individualized instructional strategies, intensive guidance and counseling, and flexible school schedules.
More than 69,000 students attended the state's 504 continuation high schools in the 2010–11 school year.
The Model Continuation High School Recognition Program is a partnership of the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA). The goal of the partnership is to identify and recognize outstanding programs and create a resource list of quality programs other schools can visit and emulate.
To be eligible for the recognition program, applicants must be accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and demonstrate exemplary program effectiveness in school management, curriculum, instructional strategies, educational climate, and guidance and counseling. As part of the application for recognition, parents, students, and community members are required to submit written statements in support of their schools.
A total of 27 continuation high schools applied for the recognition and were visited by a review team. Based on their evaluations, 25 were recommended for model school status.
The selected schools retain their title for three years and must file an annual assurance statement of compliance with model school guidelines in order to maintain the designation. With the addition of the new Model Continuation High Schools, there are now 64 Model Continuation High Schools in California.
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2012 Model Continuation High Schools
- Allan F. Daily High School, 220 North Kenwood Street, Glendale, CA 91206, Christopher Coulter, Principal, 818-247-4805.
- Alta Vista High School, 1325 Bryant Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94040, Bill Pierce, Principal, 650-691-2433.
- Apollo High School, 3150 School Street, Simi Valley, CA 93065, Dean May, Principal, 805-520-6150.
- Calaveras Hills High School, 1331 East Calaveras Boulevard, Milpitas, CA 95035, Alecia Myers, Principal, 408-635-2690.
- Canyon Oaks High School, 930 Royal Oaks Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016, Flint Fertig, Principal, 626-471-3000.
- Conejo Valley High School, 1872 Newbury Road, Newbury Park, CA 91320-3495, Martin Manzer, Principal, 805-498-6646.
- Del Mar High School, 312 South Del Mar Avenue, San Gabriel, CA 91776, Lon Sellers, Principal, 626-291-5723.
- Glen View High School, 905 Michigan Avenue, Beaumont, CA 92223, Matt Russo, Principal, 951-845-1133.
- Ivy High School, 1056 Winterhaven Road, Fallbrook, CA 92028-4500, Melissa Marovich, Principal, 760-723-6395.
- John R. Wooden High School, 18741 Elkwood Street, Reseda, CA 91335-1802, Jason Garrison, Principal, 818-345-0203.
- La Vista High School, 909 North State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92831-3013, Sandi Layana, Principal, 714-447-7821.
- Lincoln High School, 2600 Teagarden Street, San Leandro, CA 94579-1222, Alexander Harp, Principal, 510-618-4460.
- Marin Oaks High School, 720 Diablo Avenue, Novato, CA 94947-4004, Kessa Early, Principal, 415-892-8733.
- Mesquite High School, 140 West Drummond Avenue, Ridgecrest, CA 93555, Shirley Kennedy, Principal, 760-446-4561.
- Monroe High School, 126 South Snyder Street, Tehachapi, CA 93561-1513, Paul Press, Principal, 661-822-2124.
- Monterey High School, 1915 Monterey Avenue, Burbank, CA 91506-1107, Ann Brooks, Principal, 818-558-5455.
- Orangewood High School, 515 Texas Street, Redlands, CA 92374-3071, Carol Ruhm, Principal, 909-307-5380.
- Redwood High School, 18400 Clifton Way, Castro Valley, CA 94546-0146, Suzy Williams, Principal, 510-537-3193.
- Ruben Salazar High School, 9115 Balfour Street, Pico Rivera, CA 90660, Reynaldo Reyes, Principal, 562-801-5021.
- San Antonio High School, 125 West San Jose Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711-5205, Steven Boyd, Principal, 909-398-0316.
- Santana High School, 1006 Otterbein Street, Rowland Heights, CA 91748-1408, Guillermo Muñoz, Principal, 626-965-5971.
- Sierra High School, 1134 South Barranca Avenue, Glendora, CA 91740-4916, Mari Bordona, Principal, 626-852-8300.
- Silverado High School, 25632 Peter A. Hartman Way, Mission Viejo, CA 92691, David Gordon, Principal, 949-586-8800.
- Valley Alternative School, 15430 Shadybend Drive, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745, Priscilla Tam, Principal, 626-933-3400.
- Windsor Oaks Academy, 8681 Windsor Road, Windsor, CA 95492-9511, Patricia Law, Principal, 707-837-7771.
I have to admit, as much as I love to write, trying to squeeze it into my school day for my kids, was just not working. I mean, yes, we wrote in a variety of subjects. And yes, we had our Writing block, but…something was missing, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. The principal requested that we have our kids write every day, nonfiction writing. Why? Because research shows… Okaaay, that wasn’t working for me either. I don’t know about you, but I would not want to write about nonfiction topics every day.
