Henry Ford Learning Institute Expands Urban Schools to Serve 1,600 Students During the 2010-2011 School Year

HFLI and Henry Ford Academies are working to ensure all kids have access to a quality education regardless of race, income level, or ZIP code

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During the 2010-2011 school year, Henry Ford Learning Institute (HFLI) and its partners will provide 1,600 middle and high school students with a quality educational experience at four Henry Ford Academies.  HFLI, a non-profit organization founded by Ford Motor Company Fund and The Henry Ford, is developing schools in America's urban centers that engage educationally underserved students, ensure that they graduate, and prepare them for success in college and their chosen careers.

"'Back to School' for the 1,600 students attending a Henry Ford Academy means being one step closer to college and the educational opportunities all students deserve, regardless of race, income level, or ZIP code," says Deborah Parizek, Executive Director of Henry Ford Learning Institute.

Through previously announced national support from Ford Motor Company Fund and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, HFLI is building a national network of small schools to share what has been learned at the original Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Mich., a thirteen-year-old charter school on the campus of The Henry Ford, America's premier history attraction.  The Academy currently serves 475 students in grades 9-12. Its cumulative graduation rate is greater than 90%, and 100% of the graduating classes of 2007, 2008 , 2009 and 2010 were accepted to two- and four-year colleges and universities.

During the past two school years, HFLI has partnered with local educational, cultural, philanthropic, and community development organizations and charter authorizers to open three new Henry Ford Academies in Chicago, San Antonio, and Detroit, which all serve a primarily African-American or Latino population that has traditionally been academically underserved.  All of the newest Henry Ford Academies commit to graduating at least 90% of their respective students, with at least 90% of those same students enrolling in post-secondary institutions.  The schools will add a new grade level every year until they reach full enrollment.  

During the 2010-2011 school year:

Henry Ford Academy: Power House High will serve approximately 350 students in grades 9-11.  The school was developed in partnership with Homan Square and is located at the award-winning Charles H. Shaw Technology & Learning Center in North Lawndale, a neighborhood on Chicago's West Side.  HFA: Power House High is authorized by Chicago Public Schools and part of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's Renaissance 2010 initiative to launch new quality Chicago Public Schools in priority communities.

Henry Ford Academy: Alameda School for Art + Design will serve approximately 150 students in grades 9-11.  The school was developed in collaboration with The Alameda National Center for Latino Art and Culture and is located at James Bowie School in downtown San Antonio through a groundbreaking partnership with San Antonio Independent School District. HFA: Alameda School for Art + Design is authorized by the Texas Education Agency.

Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies will serve approximately 600 students in grades 6-10.  It is led in partnership with the College for Creative Studies and is located at the award-winning A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education. HFA: School for Creative Studies is authorized by Grand Valley State University.

Henry Ford Academies provide academic rigor, a college-going culture, a project-based curriculum, and real-world learning experiences in the community and at local workplaces. Developed with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Skillman Foundation, HFLI's design thinking curriculum is aligned with national and state standards and consistent with recommendations from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which calls for attention to innovation skills, including the ability to think creatively, work collaboratively with others, and to implement innovations.

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SOURCE Henry Ford Learning Institute