John Tyler High School

John Tyler High School (JTHS) has made remarkable strides in an extremely short time period. Historically, the college readiness1 of JTHS's students was dismally low when compared with other schools across the state and the nation. Only 8 percent of the graduating class of 2004 met the standard for college readiness in reading and only 14 percent m... et the standard for college readiness in math in the state of Texas. In addition, 60 percent of the students at John Tyler High School receive federally subsidized lunches and nearly 92 percent are underserved minorities. The class of 2003 had a dropout rate of 12 percent, and more than 20 percent failed to complete high school within four years. Viable postsecondary options were few and far between, and the outlook of JTHS students was consistently bleak. After a change in leadership, the new school administrators realized that while many of their students had the ability and aptitude to succeed, these students had greater circumstances to overcome and were not receiving the support they needed to help reach their potential. With statistics as they were, the school officials knew they had to take drastic measures: They established the 2004-05 College Initiative, with the goals of educating their students about viable postsecondary options and providing the adequate support needed. With this determination, the 2004-05 College Initiative exceeded its original goals. The school established a College and Career Center that provided the administrative structure the school needed to turn itself around. From the 2002-03 to the 2004-05 school years, college acceptance rates more than doubled,from 41 percent for the class of 2003 to an extraordinary 96 percent for the class of 2005. College workshops were implemented in both English and Spanish, and college visits were conducted for interested seniors and juniors. In addition, JTHS faculty realized the importance of parental involvement and conducted college workshops specifically for parents of first-generation college ...Read More