ShyGuyInChicago
February 24th, 2011, 05:58 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/24/teen-parent-high-school_n_827719.html?ir=Education
Is it better to treat teenagers with children the same as every other student, or should they have their own special school?
That question lies at the heart of the debate over a proposed high school specifically for teen parents.
If it receives its charter, the New Directions Charter high school in Bed-Stuy would have an enrollment of 300 boys and girls, with free on-site day care for their little ones. The school would open in 2012.
"A lot of times when they go back to the regular school setting, there's a lot of stigmatization," said nonprofit consultant Jacquelyn Wideman. "The goal is for them to perform at the same optimum level as regular high schools."
Close to 7,700 girls between 15 and 19 gave birth in the city in 2009. Most of those babies were born in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
The New York Post points out that the city closed its last four high schools for teenage moms in 2007 because of poor attendance levels and "low levels of credit accumulation among students."
The paper also said the teenage-parents-only high school model has largely disappeared in the rest of the country.
I think this is a great idea. It could help teens adjust to parenting while attending school and it has the convenience of day care on campus
Is it better to treat teenagers with children the same as every other student, or should they have their own special school?
That question lies at the heart of the debate over a proposed high school specifically for teen parents.
If it receives its charter, the New Directions Charter high school in Bed-Stuy would have an enrollment of 300 boys and girls, with free on-site day care for their little ones. The school would open in 2012.
"A lot of times when they go back to the regular school setting, there's a lot of stigmatization," said nonprofit consultant Jacquelyn Wideman. "The goal is for them to perform at the same optimum level as regular high schools."
Close to 7,700 girls between 15 and 19 gave birth in the city in 2009. Most of those babies were born in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
The New York Post points out that the city closed its last four high schools for teenage moms in 2007 because of poor attendance levels and "low levels of credit accumulation among students."
The paper also said the teenage-parents-only high school model has largely disappeared in the rest of the country.
I think this is a great idea. It could help teens adjust to parenting while attending school and it has the convenience of day care on campus