FAQs
How
many students attend MVAS?
We
have approximaly 400 students.
How
are students selected for MVAS?
For
our first year, 2004-2005, current Crawford students were given
the opportunity to choose their small school. For incoming freshman,
we informed them of the different options and they also made a selection,
we hope based on their interest.
When a student comes to Crawford Educational Complex, they are given
information related to each small school. If the school of their
choice has room, they are taken. If not, then they go down to second
or third choice.
What
is a small school?
Ideally,
a small school is formed by less than 500 students. Every school
in San Diego Unified has the obligation of preparing students to
do college work; small schools are bound by that mandate. What makes
small schools different from a large comprehensive high school is
that by being smaller we are able to have a better chance to know
our students. We have found that when strong relationships exist
between adults and students, performance increase and general satisfaction
with the school experience also increases.
Small schools do not have to be theme based. We have chosen to be
that way because we believe that by tapping on students’ interests
we will have a more engaged group and we can also address students’
talents. So, at the center of a small school is rigor, respect,
and relationships.
How
is the Bill Gates Foundation funding the small school effort?
Any
meaningful reform effort requires money. The Gates Foundation provides
that support. The Gates Grant main purpose is to support professional
development. Since this work has not been done before, teachers
and administrators need to continue learning about how to form and
maintain strong relationships, how to modify the curriculum to create
units of study that are interdisciplinary and that embed the theme,
and how to support each other in this effort. So the purpose of
the Grant is to support Professional Development.
|
