How one 'Renewal' school is trying to reach high-needs students by making classes harder

Jason Rosenbaum knew his high school had a problem: Students often arrived years behind in reading and the school struggled to get them to graduation. He tried tweaking the curriculum, but not much changed.

So when New York City’s education department required Juan Morel Campos Secondary School to adopt a new curriculum last year as part of its high-profile “Renewal” turnaround program, Rosenbaum jumped at the chance to quickly change things up.

“Looking back, I was standing at the edge of this cliff and I’m glad someone pushed me,” he said. “Maybe I was moving too gently for what our kids needed.”

http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2016/06/07/how-one-renewal-school-is-trying-to-reach-high-needs-students-by-making-classes-harder/