Vol. 38, No. 18

1-18-2006
By:

New public high school offers Ohio State researchers many opportunities

Ohio State has joined with Battelle and the Columbus-based Educational Council in a project to create a new public high school that will serve as a hub of innovation for teachers and learners while providing researchers across campus with opportunities to improve education nationwide.

The project, the Metro High School, will open in August. It will be a small, highly personalized, intellectually vibrant school with an emphasis on science, math and technology. The 11th and 12th grade students will have opportunities to participate in "learning labs" with scientists and other mentors.

"Metro High School will provide an arena for research into the best educational practices to make secondary education more relevant and rigorous," said David Andrews, dean of the College of Human Ecology and interim dean of the College of Education. "It will give opportunities for personal success to students who value creativity and innovation."

For Ohio State, the opportunities for research are many, from studies of the dynamics of mentoring, to research into how to prepare scientists to be educators, to inquiry into how to connect with learners, said Brad Mitchell, executive director of the Educational Council, which will operate the school.

A town meeting for the Ohio State community will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Metro School site at 1929 Kenny Road in the university research park. Faculty and staff are invited to learn more about the project, and how to become involved, from Andrews and Mitchell, as well as Metro School principal Marcy Raymond and consultant Dan Hoffman, who directs the Ohio Center for Essential School Reform.

Faculty and administrators from the colleges of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences have joined the College of Education, Battelle, and the Educational Council in designing the school. About two dozen additional Ohio State faculty already have been identified as interested in the design and implementation of the new Metro School. Faculty also will continue to study the program to ensure innovations will be ongoing.

"We will be able to try out new approaches to curriculum design, teacher training, and how to connect students to resources," Andrews said. "The opportunity to assess their impact will be an essential component."

The building's space will support research and professional development by including observation windows and conferencing ability. Also, the Ohio Resource Center for Math, Science and Reading is located at the Kenny Road site.

In addition to faculty participation, the university is contributing $1.2 million in rent over the next three years for approximately 22,000 square feet of space.

The first group of 100 ninth-grade students will be enrolled in autumn 2006. Additional classes will be added each year, for a maximum of 400 students. Students from all Franklin County districts may apply for admission. Teachers also will come from across the county.

Freshmen and sophomores will prepare for exploratory experiences, which will take place during 11th and 12th grades. Juniors and seniors will participate in "learning labs" at Ohio State, Battelle, COSI, the Columbus Museum of Art, the WOSU-Stations, the Wexner Center for the Arts, as well as other central Ohio organizations and businesses.

Information about Metro High School and its admissions packet are available online at http://www.themetroschool.org.

Battelle, a global leader in science and technology, conducts $3.3 billion in annual research and development. The Educational Council is a consortium of Franklin County's 16 school districts.

In U.S. News & World Report's 2006 guide, America's Best Graduate Schools, Ohio State's College of Education has five academic programs in the top five and one program ranked in the top 10. Another three programs are in the top 20. Ohio State's overall graduate education program has been listed in the U.S. News top tier since the survey began in the early 1990s, and continues with a 20th place tie with Boston College.

For additional information on the Metro High School, contact Gemma McLuckie, College of Education, 292-4658.

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