Description of School

International High School (IHS) was established in 1985 as part of the alternative high school system in New York City and the Center for Collaborative Education. IHS targets the needs of limited English speaking adolescents who have been in the U.S. four years or less. To enter, students must score below the 20^th percentile on the English Language Assessment Battery. The school serves approximately 450 students in grades 9-12, and shares its campus with LaGuardia Community College.

Demographics

Student Racial/Ethnic Composition:

45% Hispanic

30% Asian or Pacific Islander

22% White (not of Hispanic origin)

2% African American (not of Hispanic origin)

LEP Students: 73%

Number of Languages: 37

Qualify for Free/Reduced Price Lunch: 82%

Receive Special Education Services: 0%

Background and Goals

IHS's Comprehensive Educational Plan specifies that for effective professional development, three elements are indispensable: shared leadership, diversity of philosophy and teaching styles, and consensus. Professional development is infused into, rather than added onto, the school culture through constant reflection. Professional development experiences for IHS faculty model the kinds of innovative teaching strategies (e.g., collaborative learning, portfolio assessment) that the teachers use in their classrooms.

Professional Development Design and Implementation

• Interdisciplinary Teams. Student needs drive the structure of professional development. The faculty and student body are organized into six teams. On each team, five faculty members (math, science, English, and social studies teachers and a counselor) are jointly responsible for a multi-age group of about 75 ninth through twelfth graders. The faculty works with the same group of students for an entire year, providing a full academic program that focuses on one theme. Each team has significant decision-making power over the curriculum, budget, and scheduling, and three hours of meeting time are built into each faculty team's weekly schedule (via the early release of students on that day). Team members use this time to determine student needs, to set professional development team goals, to plan and carry out activities to reach the goals (including budgeting time and allocating funds), and to monitor and evaluate their practices constantly. Teams track student learning by observing and assessing daily classroom activities, projects and portfolios. In addition to team efforts, each staff member prepares individual professional development plans which include goals, activities, and outcomes that relate to improving student achievement. Individuals seek support from fellow team members and are accountable to them for executing the plan. In addition to the interdisciplinary teams, teachers team teach, mentor and observe each other, and engage in peer review.

• School-Wide Cooperative Leadership. The entire school staff determines the direction of professional development through stages of recommendation and approval by different teacher groups. This process of decision-making is bottom-up; everyone's expertise contributes to the professional development of everyone else.

• Substantial Fiscal Allotment. 50% of IHS's discretionary funds, totaling about $80,000, are allocated to professional development. However, the school speaks of fiscal resources in terms of time; each team has 500 hours to divide among its members for attending and presenting at conferences, taking courses, and pursuing other interests. No request for professional time has ever been denied, and the staff shares what they learn from extra-school activities.

Objective Evidence of Success

IHS assesses students using multiple objective measures, judging itself in relation to previous years, as well as compared to other students in the district. IHS students' graduation rate in four years for the class of 1993 (54%) was higher than the rate not only for all LEP students in the city (34%), but also for all New York City students (44%). In addition, the students' graduation rates are increasing; whereas the rate in 1994 was 55%, it was 72% in 1996. The percentage of IHS students passing courses has grown since the introduction of interdisciplinary course clusters (91% in 1994-95, 93% from 1995-97). Attendance has increased to 95% (1996-97), and dropout rates are below the city average: 1.7% compared to 16.4% for New York City.

Contact Information

Aaron Listhaus
Chair of Coordinating Council
The International High School at LaGuardia Community College
31-10 Thomson Avenue
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 482-5482
(718) 392-6904 (fax)

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