Asia Society Celebrates Grand Opening of Two New High Schools in Texas

LOS ANGELES -- Official opening ceremonies will take place today and tomorrow in Houston and Mathis, Texas, for two new schools in Asia Society's International Studies Schools Network (ISSN). The International High School at Sharpstown and Mathis High School for International Studies brings the total number of Asia Society schools in Texas to four. These internationally themed high schools are public schools designed to prepare students in diverse, low-income communities to be college-ready, globally competent high school graduates. The festivities coincide with the announcement of a $2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen Asia Society’s ISSN, which currently consists of 12 schools in five states.

Asia Society schools seek to engage students through a rigorous curriculum that integrates international knowledge and skills across all subject areas. Students study one or more world language and connect with other youth around the world through technology link-ups in the classroom. The experience extends to internships and service-learning, as well as international travel and exchanges, providing an education that is highly relevant to students' real-world interests and goals.

Mathis is the first school in the network located in a rural community, while the new school in Houston is located on the campus of a large, historically under-performing, inner-city high school. Mathis currently serves a total of 120 students in grades 9 and 10, 93 percent of whom are Hispanic, and will grow to serve students in grades 9-12. International High School at Sharpstown currently serves a total of 96 students in 9th grade and will serve grades 9-12 at full capacity. The student body is currently 70 percent Hispanic and 19 percent African American. Ninety-five percent of students at Sharpstown receive a free or reduced-price lunch.

"One in five jobs in the U.S. today is tied to international commerce, and yet an internationally focused education has traditionally been the exclusive privilege of students whose parents can afford elite schools," said Anthony Jackson, Los Angeles-based Chief Executive Officer of Asia Society's ISSN. "All of our young people need to have an understanding and appreciation of other cultures and speak the world's languages to succeed. Our schools prepare every student to not only participate in the global economy, but to one day become leaders in it."

Asia Society schools instill these values in highly supportive learning environments that promote educational excellence for every student. These secondary schools—some start in grade 6, others in grade 9—share a comprehensive approach to school organization and culture, curriculum and instruction, teachers’ professional development, and parent and community involvement to ensure each student graduates well prepared for the rigors of college and the global economy.

"Our students now have access to a broader world, expanding their horizons," said Elizabeth Ozuna, Associate Principal of Mathis High School for International Studies. "They are making connections they never imagined were possible."

Asia Society schools are raising academic achievement in traditionally disadvantaged communities:

• In the past school year, 10th graders at the Vaughn International Studies Academy in Los Angeles scored 92 percent proficient in English/Language Arts compared with 59 percent in a local comparison school; and 82 percent proficient in math versus 60 percent in the comparison school on California's high school exit exam.
  
  
• At the International Studies Learning Center in Los Angeles, 10th graders scored 89 percent proficient in English/Language Arts compared with 58 percent in a local comparison school; and 82 percent proficient in math versus 45 percent in the comparison school on the state's high school exit exam.
  
  
• Between 2004 and 2006, Asia Society schools outperformed local schools with similar demographic profiles in the vast majority of comparisons across core subject areas, according to the Consortium for Education Policy Research, an independent research and evaluation group.
  

The International Studies School Network was launched in 2003 with the help of a $7.5 million grant from the Gates foundation. In addition to its school collaborations in Houston, Mathis, San Antonio, and, next fall, in Austin, Asia Society has partnered with school districts and charter authorities in New York City, Los Angeles, Charlotte, and Denver to serve over 2,000 students in underserved urban communities. This new grant enables Asia Society to expand the capacity of its school network through additional staff and to further develop core materials and tools in areas such as curriculum, professional development, and assessment.

"Our shared goal is to graduate all students ready for college, career, and life," said Vicki Phillips, director of education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "By creating schools that fully integrate a global perspective, the Asia Society is preparing their students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the 21st century."

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Asia Society
Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States. We seek to increase knowledge and enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts and culture. Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Washington, DC.