Executive Summary High school education in Albany is in crisis. One-fourth of students don’t take all of the required Regents exams. Of the students that do take the Regents tests, more than one-third fail to meet state standards in one or more subjects. Students regularly talk about gang rivalries and violence. In 2005, police were called to Albany High School 250 times, while classes were held for fewer than 180 days. Two weeks into the school year, three students were arrested for a stabbing and two others were disciplined for carrying knives.
Problems are particularly bad for minority students in Albany, who comprise more than 77 percent of the school district’s enrollment. Only half of minority students graduate from high school on time. The social statistics for minority males in particular are disturbing: caught up in a cycle of failure, too many are being drawn away from school and into a culture of violence and crime.
This situation, which is endangering urban school systems across America, is unacceptable and unjust. Here in Albany, there is an opportunity to break the cycle of frustration and failure with the creation of a new public high school dedicated to helping these students reclaim their futures.
Green Tech High Charter School will provide a high quality, college preparatory education for Albany students in a safe, small-school setting that offers an extended school day, a longer school year, extensive literacy instruction, and programs that emphasize environmental awareness and technological proficiency. Green Tech High will be an all-male school, with a social mission to serve students from economically disadvantaged families.
