OSCAR DE LA HOYA DONATES $3.5 MILLION TO

GREEN DOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

De La Hoya Presents Check to Green Dot Public Schools

At Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo High School Graduation on June 19th

(LOS ANGELES) - June 20, 2008 - Green Dot Public Schools, the largest charter school organization in Los Angeles, announced Thursday that Ten-Time World Champion boxer, Oscar De La Hoya, donated $3.5 million to fund his namesake Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School and additional Green Dot schools. De La Hoya presented this gift to Green Dot Public Schools at the commencement ceremony of the Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School on Thursday, June 19th. The ceremony took place at Sullivan Field at the Loyola Marymount University campus.

 

De La Hoya, whose foundation is dedicated to helping underprivileged families in East Los Angeles, has been actively involved with his namesake school since its inception in 2003 and delivered the commencement speech last year to the first-ever graduating class. De La Hoya is a strong believer in supporting the community and often visits the school to encourage the students to study hard and dream big.

 

"Growing up in East Los Angeles, I know how important it is to keep a positive attitude and to stay focused on your goals," said De La Hoya. "I'm so proud of these students. Every one of them deserves a quality education and I'm honored to help them realize their dreams! This is a landmark day for everyone involved with Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School and I'm thrilled to be building a new school in my hometown."

 

Green Dot has founded and is in the process of building Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School and sixteen other Green Dot high schools, including several new schools representing the re-structured Locke High School in Watts. Green Dot schools offer quality education facilities to Los Angeles communities faced with educational, social and economic adversity. Last year, 92% of the seniors at Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo graduated and 71% of those students were accepted to four-year universities. Students from this year's graduating class are expected to go on to four-year universities including: University of California Los Angeles, University of California Davis, University of California Berkeley, University of California Irvine and many others.

 

"Oscar De La Hoya has been an amazing source of inspiration to Green Dot since its inception," added Steve Barr, founder and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools. "With his generosity and goodwill, so many gifted students have been granted the opportunity to obtain a safe, quality education and a chance to succeed in life. With De La Hoya's current donation, we will be able to continue to build schools that will ensure all kids receive a quality education for years to come."

 

The success of the Green Dot schools, whose students score on average 113 points higher than Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) high schools on the state of California's Academic Performance Index, is credited to the "Six Tenets" school model. The "Six Tenets of High Performing Public Schools" calls for schools to: 1) be safer and no larger than 500 students each; 2) implement a college preparatory curriculum for all students; 3) empower principals, teachers, parents and students to own all key decisions related to budgets, curriculum and hiring; 4) add more dollars to classrooms and significantly increase teacher pay; 5) value and support parent participation; 6) stay open later for community use.

 

By implementing this model, Green Dot has produced incredible results, helping students close the achievement gap, graduate from high school and attend four-year colleges. Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo is ranked among the top 10% of high schools in the state of California that serve similar communities.

 

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About Green Dot Public Schools

Green Dot Public Schools is the leading public school operator in Los Angeles and is dedicated to changing public education in Los Angeles so that all children receive the educations they need to reach their dreams. It currently operates twelve public charter high schools in Los Angeles' highest-need communities. Each Green Dot school (branded "Ánimo" schools) vastly outperforms comparable traditional public high schools. For more information visit: www.greendot.org

 

About The Oscar De La Hoya Foundation

In 1995 the Oscar De La Hoya Foundation was created to bring a better quality of life to the people of East Los Angeles. Today, with the help of so many, the foundation serves thousands of people annually. Offering the Oscar De La Hoya High School, the Cecilia Gonzales De La Hoya Cancer Center and the Oscar De La Hoya Children's Medical Center, both located at the White Memorial Hospital.

 

Contacts:

Danielle Rauschendorfer - Green Dot Public Schools

DanielleR@therosegrp.com

310-280-3710

 

Ramiro Gonzalez/Monica Sears - Oscar De La Hoya Foundation

Ramiro@goldenboypromotions.com, Monica@goldenboypromotions.com

213-489-5631

 

The School of Education at Loyola Marymount University will award Steve Barr, the founder and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools, the 2008 Educator of the Year Award at its annual awards ceremony on Sunday, April 27.

Barr set out to transform secondary education in California when he created Green Dot Public schools in 1999. Under his leadership, Green Dot now operates 12 high-performing charter public schools, with an additional seven slated to open this fall as part of the Locke High School transformation. In just nine years, Barr has greatly influenced and shaped the California education system, and serves as a leading change agent in the region and nationwide.

“Steve Barr embodies innovation and determination, two tools necessary to change the face of education in Los Angeles and two principles our School of Education prides itself on,” said Shane P. Martin, dean for the School of Education.

The Educator of the Year awardee is selected based on their impact to the field of education. This prestigious award has been awarded over the past 10 years to profound educators, including the 2007 California Teacher of the Year Alan Sitomer; newspaper publisher Monica Lozano and actor Tony Plana.

“I believe education is the great equalizer in our society and that it’s every child’s right to receive a safe, high-quality, free, college-prep education,” said Steve Barr. “It’s a great honor for me to accept this award and I appreciate LMU’s recognition of my efforts.”

In 2006, the Los Angeles Times named Barr as one of the 100 most influential people in Southern California. In addition to leading Green Dot, Barr is a State Board of Education appointee to the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools, where he provides policy recommendations to the State Board of Education on charter school-related issues. Prior to founding Green Dot, Barr co-founded the Rock the Vote campaign and oversaw the creation of Americorps.

 

For more information, go to: http://soe.lmu.edu/Page44341.aspx

 

United Federation of Teachers Contact
Chris Policano
(212) 598-9233 (O)
(917) 846-0933 (C)

Green Dot Contact
Ashish Kapadia
(212) 598-9203
akapadia@animo.org

South Bronx Hub Site Selected for Green Dot Charter School

Opening in September in Partnership with NYC Teachers Union

 

Firm's Los Angeles School Model Well-Suited to Needs of Bronx Community
With Large Population of English Language Learners;
Founding Principal is Former Teacher at Jane Addams High School

 

Green Dot Public Schools, the most prominent charter school operator and educational reform organization from Los Angeles, will open a charter high school this fall that will share space with Intermediate School 162 in an underutilized building at 149th Street and St. Ann's Avenue in the Hub area of the South Bronx, officials announced today.

The new school is the outgrowth of a partnership between Green Dot and the United Federation of Teachers, the labor union representing New York City's 100,000 public school educators, said UFT President Randi Weingarten. It will open in September with about 120 students in 9th grade and will add a grade each year until it fills grades 9 through 12, and class size will average about 25 students, she said.

About 900 middle school students currently attend IS 162 in a building with enough space to comfortably house both schools, Weingarten said.

"The UFT and Green Dot looked at a lot of different locations, and this one seemed to provide the right mix of space and opportunity to address a critical need in the community," she said.

"Our schools in Los Angeles have a great track record of serving communities with large Spanish-speaking populations of students, many of whom are new immigrants or are still learning English," said Green Dot founder and chief executive officer Steve Barr. "We know we'll be serving many students with similar backgrounds in the South Bronx, and we are confident our new school will fill a need and fit well with the neighborhood," he said.

The innovative partnership between the UFT and Green Dot is the first collaboration of its kind in the nation because charter schools usually do not employ teachers in unions and thereby avoid being bound by union contract requirements. Green Dot goes against that trend and is the only non-district public school operator in California that has proactively unionized teachers and actually encourages its employees to unionize.

"Green Dot's core principles are very much in sync with those of the UFT," Weingarten said. "Our educators welcome the opportunity to work in schools that have small classes, foster collaboration and respect for educators and actively involve parents."

Barr said the new Bronx charter school will replicate the progressive working conditions Green Dot provides in Los Angeles, including giving teachers a voice in determining school policy and curriculum, a fair disciplinary process and the flexibility to adjust the contract in key areas over time as needed.

Ashish Kapadia, former assistant principal for organization and supervision at the Eximius College Preparatory Academy, a College Board school in the Bronx, will head the Green Dot school. He was chosen after an extensive search involving more than 100 candidates interviewed by a team of Green Dot principals and staff. Born in the Bronx, Kapadia graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago and went on to earn master's degrees from New York University and Queens College at the City University of New York. He also taught for seven years at Jane Addams High School in the Bronx, specializing in government, economics and history.

The State University of New York Board of Trustees approved plans for the Green Dot charter school last October 26, just eight days after a District 7 Community Education Council public hearing on its plans. It was later approved by the State Board of Regents.

Green Dot currently operates 12 public charter high schools in Los Angeles' highest-need communities that outperform comparable traditional public high schools. Its schools have no more than 500 students each and they implement a college preparatory curriculum for all of its students. The firm has produced real results for its students, graduating 98 percent of its seniors with up to three-quarters going on to four-year universities.

"We're proud of our academic track record, and we're looking forward to working with the UFT to achieve great results here in New York City, too," Barr said.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:                                                                                                                   Green Dot Contact:

Beth Mills, Eric Lamoureux, Laurel Goddard                                                                 Tracy Mallozzi
916-376-5036                                                                                                             310-280-3710
                                                                                                                                 tracy@therosegrp.com
Monica Nakamine, Osborn Architects
818-246-3112

California Awards First ‘Green Schools' Grant to Ánimo Venice Charter High School

SACRAMENTO - The Department of General Services' Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) announced today that the State Allocation Board (SAB) has awarded a $107,000 to Ánimo Venice Charter High School in Los Angeles. Ánimo Venice is the first school to receive a grant from the High Performance Incentive Grant program, which earmarks $100 million for "green" school projects funded by Proposition 1D. The High Performance Incentive Grant is part of the $15.6 million the Board has awarded Ánimo Venice to fund the construction of the new campus, scheduled to begin in April.

"Green schools greatly improve the learning environments for kids while helping California meet Governor Schwarzenegger's goals for environmental responsibility," said Anne Sheehan, SAB Chair and Chief Deputy Director of Policy at the Department of Finance.

In December 2004, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-20-04, ushering in the State's Green Building Initiative. The Executive Order encourages schools built with State funds to be energy-efficient, while creating safer and healthier learning environments.

"Energy efficiency is a key element in the design of California's schools, and studies show that students attending green schools are healthier and more productive," said Rob Cook, Executive Officer of the SAB/OPSC. "These schools emphasize a comfortable environment, full of natural light and air, with gardens, natural shading, reduced noise levels and lowered chemical emission rates from elements such as floor and wall coverings and janitorial products."

"High performance schools save money, preserve precious resources and demonstrate the importance of sustainability to our children," said John Sun, Director of Real Estate Development for Green Dot Public Schools.

Sustainability was a critical factor in designing the Ánimo Venice campus. Osborn Architects, the Los Angeles-based architect firm that designed the school, incorporated several "green" features in various aspects of the facility and campus life. These features include:

• Innovative day lighting - reducing the need for artificial lighting;
• Drought-tolerant landscaping - decreasing the demand for water within a water-use budget;
• A rooftop photovoltaic grid - generating solar power;
• An efficient mechanical system - exceeding Title-24 standards;
• Implementation of quality acoustics - conducive within a dense urban environment;
• An outdoor "paseo" - enhancing socialization and encouraging outdoor use; and
• A compact footprint - reducing sprawl and revitalizing an underutilized urban site.

California's High Performance Incentive Grant program promotes high-performing sustainable building practices, so that a school's infrastructure and materials maximize energy efficiency. The regulations for the program include a High Performance Rating Criteria modeled after the Collaborative for High Performance Schools program. OPSC uses criteria to determine the high performance attributes in a project and to assign a score that correlates to the increased amount of funding a project receives. The high performance grants will provide incentives of between 2 - 10 percent of the base grant for high performance facilities.

About the State Allocation Board, Office of Public School Construction

As staff to the State Allocation Board, the Office of Public School Construction facilitates the processing of school applications and makes funding available to qualifying school districts. These actions enable school districts to build safe and adequate school facilities for their children in an expeditious and cost-effective manner.

About Green Dot Public Schools

Green Dot Public Schools is the leading public school operator in Los Angeles and is dedicated to changing public education in Los Angeles so that all children receive the educations they need to reach their dreams. It currently operates twelve public charter high schools in Los Angeles' highest-need communities. Each Green Dot school (branded "Ánimo" schools) vastly outperforms comparable traditional public high schools. For more information visit: www.greendot.org

About Osborn Architects

Throughout its history, Osborn (www.osborn320.com), a multidisciplinary design practice, has sought clients and projects that emphasize change as an essential element of community development. Based in the Greater Los Angeles area, the firm has been privileged to work with many groups at the forefront of their industries in promoting progressive solutions to traditional challenges. These relationships have sponsored a design process that mines opportunity from very pragmatic criteria embedded in projects. As a result, Osborn has won 10 local and state American Institute of Architecture (AIA) awards in the last five years from a portfolio that includes schools, civic centers, parks, libraries and many non-profit sector projects.

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A recent study conducted by Just For The Kids- California (JFTK-CA), an affiliate of the National Center for Educational Accountability, shows Green Dot's Latino students to be among the highest performing for Algebra 1 standards among schools in the state with 50% or more minority students.

The study, published February 11, 2008, studies performance specifically among schools which have minority populations of 50% or more.  They look at Latino students' performance on Algebra 1 statewide standards. After processing data from these schools with high minority populations, the report showed that five of Green Dot's schools, Animo Pat Brown, Animo Inglewood, Oscar De La Hoya Animo, Animo South LA, and Animo Venice, were among the top 100 schools in California.

Animo Pat Brown tied for first in the state, with a record 47% of Latino students ranked proficient in Algebra 1. This score is especially remarkable considering that over 96% of Latino students were tested, as compared to the other first-ranked school, which only tested 11.2% of Latinos. This is also based on data from Animo Pat Brown's first year of operation!!!

Animo Inglewood and Oscar De La Hoya Animo followed close behind with a tie for fourth-highest ranked performance in the state, with 42% of Latino students ranked proficient. Animo South LA and Animo Venice were also in the top 100, with Animo South LA performing with 27% proficient and Animo Venice performing with 14% proficient.

Congratulations to our schools for getting our students off to a great start! While our long-term goal is for 100% of students to be proficient or advanced, we commend our educators for all of their hard work and innovative teaching.

The data is available at: http://jftk-ca.org/special/mdavis/hiscatterv2.php

The State University of New York Board of Trustees today approved the application for the Green Dot New York Charter School founded in partnership by Green Dot Public Schools, the most prominent charter school operator in Southern California, and the United Federation of Teachers, the labor union representing New York City's 110,000 public school educators.

The approval by the SUNY trustees, coming just eight days after a District 7 Community Education Council hearing on the plans, sets the stage for final consideration by the State Board of Regents in coming months. If approved by the Regents, Green Dot will operate a high school in the South Bronx beginning with 100 students in grade nine and eventually expanding to include all high school grades through grade twelve. Class size will be capped at 25 students.

The innovative partnership between Green Dot and the UFT is the first collaboration of its kind in the nation because Green Dot, unlike most charter school operators, encourages its teachers to unionize.

"Many charter school operators have been aggressively anti-union and have tried to employ teachers without providing them with any rights, career track or fairness," said UFT President Randi Weingarten. "Green Dot, on the other hand, encourages its teachers to unionize, and in doing so it has shown its commitment to fair treatment, fair pay and a teacher voice in the workplace," she said.

Green Dot founder and chief executive officer Steve Barr said, "The progressive working conditions Green Dot provides in Los Angeles will be replicated here in New York, including giving teachers an explicit say in school policy and curriculum; a full and fair disciplinary process based on an independently mediated just cause standard; a professional work day rather than defined minutes; and flexibility to adjust the contract in critical areas over time."

"Following the expansion of the charter school cap in New York State, we wanted to find sponsors who understand that teachers are a key ingredient of school reform and who put programs and practices in place to support teachers," Weingarten said. "Green Dot has core principles that are very much aligned with the UFT's and it has a great track record. Teachers want to work in schools with small classes, that foster collaboration, respect and school-based decision making and that engage and involve parents."

Green Dot currently operates 12 public charter high schools in Los Angeles' highest-need communities that outperform comparable traditional public high schools. The firm insists that its public schools be no larger than 500 students each; implement a college preparatory curriculum for all students; empower principals, teachers, parents and students to own all key decisions related to budgets, curriculum and hiring; add more dollars to classrooms and significantly increase teacher pay; value and support parent participation; and stay open later for community use.

Using this model, Green Dot has produced real results for its students, graduating 98% of its seniors with 78% going on to four-year universities. Barr said results of this type are unmatched within the Los Angeles Unified School District where Green Dot currently operates.

Jeffrey T. Leeds, who will serve as chairman of the schools board of directors, said, "What is particularly exciting about this initiative is that it represents a model for structural reform. At its heart, this model recognizes that for schools to be successful and for students to achieve, partnerships need to be forged and accountability needs to be shared."

LOS ANGELES — Green Dot Public Schools today announced a $7.8 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to open 10 new high schools in the community served by Alain Leroy Locke Senior High School in Watts. This investment builds upon a September 2006 grant of $1.8 million for five charter high schools surrounding Jefferson High School, also in south Los Angeles.

The 10 new schools will double the number of Green Dot schools in the district, providing more high-quality educational options for students and parents in disadvantaged communities. California Department of Education data indicates only about 25 percent of 9th graders entering Locke graduate on time, and according to research by UCLA/IDEA less than five percent attend four-year colleges. By challenging students academically and supporting them to meet their goals, Green Dot expects to create a new culture of high expectations that will prepare all students for college, career, and life.

“Green Dot and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation share the belief that the children of Watts and Los Angeles deserve the best public schools,” said Steve Barr, CEO and founder of Green Dot Public Schools. “This grant not only supports our proven education model, but serves as a clarion call to accelerate bold reform at public schools across the city. When teachers, parents, students and community leaders work together, bold reform can happen.”

The Green Dot model has a track record of success, improving student achievement as well as graduation and college acceptance rates. Academic Performance Index (API) results for 2006 showed that four out of five Green Dot High Schools earned ratings of 700 or higher while the average comparable Los Angeles Unified School District schools in the same communities scored an average of 140 points lower.

This year, 80 percent of Green Dot students graduated on time. Over 90 percent of Green Dot graduates will attend college in the fall, with two out of three having been admitted to four-year universities. By contrast, according to EducationWeek’s Diplomas Count report, only 45.3 percent of LAUSD high school students graduated on-time in 2004, the most recent year of data available. Research by UCLA/IDEA further estimated that less than one in four district graduates will attend a four-year college.

“This generous grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation represents the best in philanthropy,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “All of our children deserve a quality education, and by supporting Green Dot Public Schools in Watts, this grant will provide hope and opportunity to the students who need it the most.”

“We are excited to know that parents, teachers, philanthropic and educational leaders have come together to support a bold plan for turning around Locke High School,” said Monica Garcia, the newly elected President of the Los Angeles School Board. “We must implement innovative strategies for improving academic achievement at all of our schools, so that we can move closer to 100% graduation.”

Green Dot’s success is rooted in its “Six Tenets of High-Performing Schools” that call for schools to: 1) be safer and no larger than 500 students each; 2) have high expectations for every student, most notably by implementing a college preparatory curriculum for all students; 3) empower principals, teachers, parents and students to own all key decisions related to budgets, curriculum and hiring; 4) maximize funding to the classroom and significantly increase teacher pay; 5) value and support parent participation; 6) stay open later for community use.

This latest investment also will help strengthen Green Dot’s home office, building its capacity to provide additional coaching and training to teachers and principals in the new schools; deepen curriculum development; and develop specialized courses for students with special needs. Green Dot currently operates 10 high schools in the Los Angeles area.

“Too few students in the U.S. get the high-quality education they deserve,” said Steve Seleznow, program director for education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “By growing its network of high schools, Green Dot has a unique opportunity to strengthen partnerships across the city and provide more students with the skills and knowledge they need for college and work success.”

 

Nationally, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its partners are focused on increasing graduation and college readiness rates by supporting the creation of new high-quality high schools and the transformation of existing low-performing high schools into more focused and effective learning environments. To date, the foundation has invested more than $1.7 billion to improve high schools, supporting more than 1,800 schools in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Since 2000, the foundation has invested more than $45 million in the Los Angeles region to open new high schools and strengthen existing ones.

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About Green Dot Public Schools

Green Dot Public Schools (www.greendot.org) is the leading organization working toward the transformation of public education in Los Angeles. It operates small, successful public high schools and seeks to help empower communities in order to improve their schools. It currently operates 10 public charter high schools in Los Angeles’ highest need communities that vastly outperform comparable traditional public high schools. Every Green Dot school carries the brand name “Ánimo”, a Spanish word meaning “vigor, spirit, and the courage to overcome odds.”

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.