These are the kind of high school graduation statistics about
which most schools can only dream.
All 60 students in the 2005 Anzar High School graduating class
will go on to some form of post-secondary educational institution
next fall.
Hollister – These are the kind of high school graduation statistics about which most schools can only dream.
All 60 students in the 2005 Anzar High School graduating class will go on to some form of post-secondary educational institution next fall.
According to figures provided by the San Juan Bautista school, 63 percent of 2005 graduates will attend two-year colleges next year, while 33 percent will attend four-year colleges. The remaining four percent will attend technical or trade schools.
All of the school’s graduates – 100 percent – this year and last year have met enrollment requirements for the University of California and California State University. That number is up 25 percent from the 2002-2003 school year. Statewide only 33.7 percent of students met the requirements.
These statistics may seem amazing to many, but not to Anzar High School Principal Charlene McKowen.
“It’s been the norm here,” McKowen said.
Anzar High School is smaller than most – enrollment for 2004-2005 was 374 students. And according to the California Department of Education, class sizes at Anzar are a little higher than average – 28.4 vs. 27.4 statewide for 2003-2004, the last year for which statistics are available.
McKowen said it isn’t the school’s size that makes its graduates better prepared for college. A combination of great teachers, a defined five “habits of mind” guide for critical thinking and a small school are the main reasons for Anzar’s success, McKowen said.
Eight years ago, teachers and staff gathered in a classroom and moved all the furniture aside to clear a space for brainstorming ideas to improve learning at the school. The process was very involved and “very messy,” McKowen said, but the result was a program called “habits of mind” that were subsequently posted in every classroom.
Five “habits” – evidence, perspective, extension, relevance and reflection – provide students with a guide to critical thinking that can be used to approach problems they face. McKowen said many graduates have returned from college requesting copies of these habits to distribute in their dormitories.
Success at Anzar begins with graduation requirements, which are more stringent than those required by the state. For example, students must complete 100 hours of community service, called “Service Learning,” before graduating.
In addition to completing course work, service work and passing classes, students must demonstrate to a jury of teachers, peers and community members that they have mastered the essential reasoning skills spelled out in the “habits of mind.” This is called “graduation by exhibition.”
“One hundred percent of our graduates have completed a complex exhibition process that allows them to pursue their passions and interests,” McKowen said.
Anzar also promotes extensive communication between teachers, which is beneficial to students, McKowen said.
“It’s beyond cooperation and collaboration, and into the realm of collegiality,” she said.
McKowen said teachers at Anzar have all come from larger districts specifically looking for a smaller school.
Another difference between Anzar and other high schools is the small support staff. Instead of hiring an assistant principal, the school decided to hire another teacher.
“We’re trying to pay attention to what students really need to do in college,” McKowen said. “What we teach is not a skill set, but a way of thinking.”
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
