Cristo Rey San Francisco, New York and Brooklyn High Schools

Preparing Students for Success in the Work Place and in Life

Location: New York, NY

Cristo Rey New York High School (CRNYHS), Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School (CRBHS) and Immaculate Conception Academy (ICA) in San Francisco are small, Catholic co-ed (ICA is all girls) high schools that offer students from low-income families a quality, college-preparatory education and real-life work experience designed to prepare them for college and successful careers. They are part of the national Cristo Rey Network of 32 schools providing college-prep education and real-life work experience gained through the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) that funds approximately half of their education.

Although the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) arose from the need for a sustainable way to fund their missions, the program has evolved into a defining element of the educational program. By acquiring four years of job training and skills, students develop a strong work ethic, build leadership skills, and gain exposure to career options. Even more importantly, the habits and “21st century gateway skills” developed in the workplace help them succeed in college at rates far above those of others from similar backgrounds.

Since the schools opened in 2004 (CRNYHS) and 2008 (CRBHS and ICA), the nature of entry level jobs has changed dramatically from manual tasks of mail delivery and filing to computer related tasks. In order to prepare students for these sophisticated tasks, all three schools implemented Skill Soft training. Through Skill Soft, students complete lessons and take assessments on the various aspects of the Microsoft Office Suite. A grant from Project Redwood has allowed CRNYHS, CRBHS and ICA to purchase chromebooks, storage carts and the Skill Soft licenses to pilot and implement the SkillSoft training program with significant impact on student performance and retention.

Here is a video explaining the program:

For more information, see: http://cristoreyny.org.

GRANT SUMMARY AND PURPOSE

  • $25,250 to provide 860 college-bound, disadvantaged students in three inner city schools with MS Office skills needed to increase retention in Corporate Work Study jobs that fund more than 45% of their education. (2017).
  • $33,000 grant to expand SkillSoft MS Office training (licenses and hardware) for CRNYHS and ICA, and licenses at CRBHS, to improve performance, confidence, and retention for 860 low income, at-risk students (70% girls) (2016).
  • $22,300 piloted essential SkillSoft MS Office training for 460 students in Brooklyn and Manhattan to improve student performance, confidence, and retention (2015).
  • $19,200 to support supplementary, intensive mentoring and coaching for three Manhattan students in a one year remedial intervention, served 13 students - one graduated and 9 are on track to graduate (2014).

IMPACT

Improve already high student job performance evaluations leading to a corporate job retention rate increase from 88% to 93% across the three schools, and increase in academic retention from 91% to 96%. The schools provide a unique path to success in college and future careers for students handicapped by poverty.