Voluntary Public School Choice – Hillsborough County
BRIDGES Agreement to Expand School Choice

Article Submitted by:  Dr. Pansy Houghton

Hillsborough County Public School (HCPS) has been awarded funding for Project BRIDGE (Building Relationships and Interdistrict Development to Guide Education). Project BRIDGE, as a component of theInterdistrict Agreements for Expanding School Choice through Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC), is intended to expand and enhance successful choice options through a partnership with the neighboring Polk County Public Schools (PCPS). Although the two districts have had an interdistrict agreement for years, this will be the first formal partnership.

With a focus on secondary schools, the project will concentrate on replicating rigorous programs to increase academic focus and college-going culture in the selected sites. The sites chosen in both districts were based on location, performance, and eligibility for Title I status, and are considered low-achieving. Project BRIDGE will assess common needs and create attractor schools with nationally recognized research-based programs that are replicable and sustainable.

Teams at each of the four selected schools will receive extensive training and will begin pilot programs for the 2008-09 school year. However, the schools will not be marketed as school Choice options until 2009-10. The Rigorous Academic Programs (RAP) in middle schools, and Advanced Placement Programs (APP) in high schools, will be characterized by the same elements that comprise the acclaimed College Board EXCELerator model. The EXCELerator program was funded partially through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and was developed in Hillsborough County Public Schools. EXCELerator consists of rigorous inquiry-based academic curriculum combined with institutional support for a college-going culture. Leadership, curricula, instruction, and assessment all reinforce the commitment to high standards. Data collection, monitoring, and interpretation drive all instructional decisions.  

A wide variety of pre-Advanced Placement (AP) and Advanced Placement classes will be offered at each Project BRIDGEsite. The intensive training for teaching AP classes will be offered freely to instructional staff. In addition, Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) programs will be created at each school. AVID is both an elective class and a college preparatory support system for students needing additional social and academic foundations.  An AVID site team will meet regularly at each school and will contribute towards college planning and preparation activities for students. To further support rigorous academic programs, students can experience college life by attending academic enrichment camps at two nearby university campuses during the summer. A specially trained Parent Liaison cadre will work in parent resource centers to assist potential applicants in navigating the Choice application process. Community service, parent meetings, and leadership sessions will also help support change and development of a college-going culture at each Project BRIDGE school.