The Westerville City School District will begin working with the Lead Higher Initiative to close participation and success gaps in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses by fall 2017. Scott Reeves, the district’s director of secondary academic affairs, told school board members March 7 that being accepted into the Lead Higher Initiative means the district would receive grant money from the nonprofit Equal Opportunity Schools. The funds would help to identify and place low-income students and students of color into Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses.
Through the yearlong partnership, EOS would provide field-leading data analysis to measure student- and school-specific causes of participation gaps and then develop a comprehensive strategy to close the gaps, Reeves said. “We’re pleased to be one of a very select few school districts given this opportunity,” Superintendent John Kellogg said. “The additional resources and expertise this will bring to our high schools will have a tremendous impact on our ability to meet the diverse academic needs of our students and families.”
