NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. - Irondale High School hosted a town hall meeting Friday afternoon for the public and a gathering of Minnesota's political and educational elite. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Governor Mark Dayton and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page were among those in attendance. The occasion was a chance to welcome and question U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Duncan came to the school to salute Irondale's first-in-the-state program that will award college associate's degrees to graduating seniors who earn them. The idea is to light an academic fire in students whose achievement is "in the middle."
"We have been offering college-level programming for our higher achieving students for quite some time and we want to tap more students on the shoulder for that kind of work," said Irondale Principal Scott Gengler.
Beginning with the fall 2012 semester, freshman and sophomores can start taking the advanced courses with the goal of gaining the two-year college degree. School officials say the students are excited.
"I'm very interested in math and science," said Parth Patel, a 15-year-old 9th grader. "I'll be able to take AP Bio next year. That will definitely help me in the science field." Patel hopes to pursue engineering in college.
Ninth grade student Amanda Stoddard, 15, was on the practical side of the issue in becoming a physical therapist. "This will allow me to save up to like $10,000 in tuition money."
Classmate Ahmed Maamedi, 15, has a business future in mind. "I have a bunch of ideas: a pilot, CEO of a company, a car manager or something."
"Most early college programs are geared toward that top 30 percent," explained Rob Reetz, 10th grade English teacher and Instructional Strategies. "We want to establish clear pathways for all students."
The message was not lost on the visiting national education secretary.
"I love the early college program," Secretary Duncan said. "For me, it is not just for the high fliers. It is a great drop-out prevention strategy.
"Students who may not think they can go to college because they do not have family members who have done it, start to get a college credit or two or their AA degree. They start to say, 'guess what? That world is for me!' So, I love the innovation. I love the creativity. I love the commitment."
Irondale officials said they do not know how many students would take the advanced placement classes but insist the possibility is open to all students. Students "in the middle" will be determined by comparing national test data to the school's testing.
Reetz wanted people to know that the courses will maintain the same rigor as any college course. "By no means does this program dumb down college in any way. Students are going to have to meet the high rigors of the course in order to earn the credit."
The Anoka-Ramsey Community College is partnering with Irondale to be sure of the quality of the work.
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