It's Your Turn to Shine a Spotlight on the Work of Green Charter Schools!
Tell President Obama What You Think Today!
April 09, 2023
The White House and the Department of Education chose Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale, Calif. as one of only six high schools in the United States selected as finalists for the first annual Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. The Commencement Challenge, launched in late February, invited the nation’s public high schools to submit applications showing their dedication to providing students with an excellent education that will prepare them to graduate ready for college and career choices. Applications were judged based on the schools performance, four essay questions and supplemental data.
Now it is your turn to put a national spotlight on your work locally by highlighting an exemplary green charter school in the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. This will highlight the work of green charter schools throughout the country.
Rate Environmental Charter High School today!
(Scroll through the schools using the arrow buttons.)
Voting begins APRIL 26 at 5 AM PST and ends APRIL 29 at 9 PM PST. You will be asked to rate each school on a scale of 1-5, giving a 5 to the school that best meets the President’s educational goals. The President will select a national winner from the top three finalists and visit the winning high school to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2010. Environmental Charter High School is blocks from the world’s most congested freeway, yet the campus features fruit trees and a running stream of reclaimed water, which was once asphalt. Freshmen evaluate community health, sophomores debate the sustainability of progress, juniors examine the American dream and ask “How are we powerful?” In the urbanite amphitheater, ECHS showcases art, hosts composting workshops, and trains freshmen for success at ECHS. The schools is 68 percent Latino, 20 percent African-American, and 78 percent low income. Often arriving 2.5 grade levels behind peers in math and English, the students outperform national averages at graduation. Ninety-two percent were accepted into universities in 2009, and most are the first generation in their families to attend.
