PROVOST,THURGOOD MARSHALL COLLEGE
February 22, 1996
SUBJECT: UCSD Charter High School
For the past few years, a number of faculty, alumni, and students have considered the possibility of starting a charter high school on the UCSD campus. This has principally been a collaborative discussion between faculty in our Teacher Education Program and Thurgood Marshall College. The general outline of the project is to create an intensive and supportive academic high school (grades 9-12) whose mission is to recruit, admit, and instruct disadvantaged youngsters from low income backgrounds. There is to be only one college preparatory curriculum (UC a-f courses) taught by teachers recruited via a national search and aided by specially trained UCSD student tutors.
The goal of the project, as proposed, will be to increase the academic achievement of selected low income students so that they are competitively eligible for entrance to the University of California or other selective universities. The presence of such a charter high school on our campus presents special opportunities for significant outreach, research, and teaching.
The steering committee for this project has drafted a proposal outlining the conceptual framework for the high school. At present, a local feasibility task force is reviewing the non-academic elements of establishing such a school and will soon make its recommendation to Interim Chancellor Marjorie Caserio. While the review process unfolds, the steering committee is planning to host an all-UCSD Town Meeting to describe this initiative, and solicit comment and response from the broader UCSD community.
I hope that you are able to attend the UCSD Charter High School Town Meeting in the Price Center Theater, Monday, February 26th at Noon.
Professor Cecil Lytle
Provost, Thurgood Marshall College