To assure better alignment with the needs and unique graduation timeline of El Centro students, the El Centro Servant Leadership Team has worked this summer on providing additional scaffolding to Big Picture Learning’s innovative Learning Through Internship program.

 

Students will begin at the “101 Gateway” level, where they will have an opportunity to identify their interests and passions through self-reflection, surveys, and skills assessments. Then, students and advisors will create a learning plan consisting of goals that will drive students' 201 project work and post-secondary planning.

 

Students will then able to enter the 301 level, prepared to engage in more challenging independent projects that are centered around their interests. By senior year, 401 students will execute an interest-based Senior Thesis Project that reflects their growth at El Centro, their real world learning experiences, and leaves a lasting impact on the El Centro community and beyond.

 

An accelerated, alternative high school for students who are “off-track”, Big Picture Philadelphia has made El Centro one of the most effective alternative high schools in the city. El Centro consistently exceeds expectations with an average 80% graduation rate, besting the city-wide average of 35% among former drop-outs (Project U-Turn).