“The Annenberg Foundation is pleased to offer its continued support to New Visions and the small school movement,” said Leonore Annenberg, President and Chairman of the Annenberg Foundation. “In small schools the leaders can be more inspired, the teachers more energized, and the students more engaged.  This grant will help build upon our early successes and set the stage for future ones.”

In 1994, the Annenberg Challenge invested $25 million to increase the number of small schools throughout New York City.  Today, new small high schools are the centerpiece of Mayor Bloomberg's commitment to transform secondary education in the City.  The Fund will extend the legacy of the Annenberg Challenge and ensure that existing and new small schools continue their positive contributions to the lives of New York City's public school students. 

 “This grant recognizes both the impact of small schools on student achievement and the additional supports they need to ensure that they succeed in preparing students for college and meaningful employment.  The Fund will strengthen small schools through concerted strategies focused on high quality teaching, effective school leadership and greater civic engagement directly in the schools with young people,” said Dr. Gail Levin, Executive Director of the Annenberg Foundation.
 
“The small schools New Visions has helped to create are having a real impact on student achievement,” said Robert Hughes, President of New Visions.  “The challenge is to make sure that these schools have the talent, tools and resources to succeed.  The Annenberg Fund for Small School Advancement will allow us to take on the hard work of maintaining quality so that small schools can deliver on their promise.  We are grateful to the Annenberg Foundation for their support in making this ambitious vision a reality.”

Small schools have been found to be especially effective in meeting the needs of students in underserved communities.  Most recently, in the New Century High Schools created by New Visions, the combination of personalization and academic rigor are resulting in higher average daily attendance rates and greater rates of promotion from one grade to the next.  Preliminary data from the first group of New Century High Schools with graduating classes indicate that these schools will exceed the city-wide graduation rates. 
 
The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Fund for Small School Advancement is designed to address the needs of small schools that are already showing progress, support their development, and harvest promising practices for dissemination and adoption by schools across the system. While it builds on the important work of national foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and the Open Society Institute, the Annenberg Fund's purpose is distinct: to make sure these schools succeed, that their students go on to college and good jobs, and that the schools become a cornerstone of New York City's public school system.

The Annenberg Foundation was established in 1989 by Walter H. Annenberg, a newspaper and magazine publisher, broadcast pioneer, diplomat and former Ambassador to the Court of St. James.  The Foundation works to advance the public well-being through its focus in education, the arts and culture, health, and civic life (www.annenbergfoundation.org).