Five large “ambitious” Maine public high schools committed to essentially becoming college prep schools, or graduating classes where 100 percent are ready for college, are getting help with extra money from the federal government.

Two of them are Lewiston High School and Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris.

Lewiston will receive $154,000 the first year, from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2007; $162,600 the second year, and $162,600 the third year, David Ruff of the Southern Maine Partnership said Wednesday.

Oxford Hills will receive $163,000 the first year, $156,000 the second year and $160,600 the third year.

The other schools, Bonny Eagle High School in Buxton, Noble High School in North Berwick and South Portland High School will receive similar amounts.

Schools could get similar amounts in years four and five if Congress approves that, Ruff said.

The five high schools are working together to improve, and are part of the Great Maine School Project’s Larger School Collaborative. All five have adopted tougher standards so that every student is ready to go to college when he or she graduates.

“It’s an incredibly ambitious goal,” Ruff said. The higher standards doesn’t mean that every graduate will decide to go to college. Some will work. But it’s not up to educators to decide who goes to college and who does not, Ruff said.

The five schools have agreed to provide college preparatory courses to all students, will create advisory programs to help ensure all students have the support they need, and will offer early college opportunities to all students, Ruff said.

Lewiston and Oxford officials said they’ll use the money to address problems brought to light in recent reports.

Lewiston’s Great Maine Schools Project critique said in order for every student to be college ready, Lewiston high school must have more rigor in courses, should reduce tracking, have students more engaged, and teachers should use more technology to teach.

Lewiston will use the money for training to address those areas, Superintendent Leon Levesque said.

“We know society’s needs and employers’ needs have changed, and schools need to adapt,” Levesque said. “Part of the grant will help us provide more academic rigor for all students and address student engagement,” Levesque said. And the school’s curriculum will need to be tougher and adapted, he said.

Oxford Hills will focus on improving students’ math skills so more students take higher levels, different kinds of teaching to engage more students, improved reading skills, and integrating more technology in the classrooms, Principal Ted Moccia said.

Education will be also improved through more math labs and more students getting tutoring, Moccia said.

Parental involvement in helping their students get excited about going to college will also be encouraged. “We’re going to develop a newsletter and have a whole guided curriculum parent evening,” Moccia said. Financial aid for college will also be discussed.

All the above steps are planned to boost students’ engagement and motivation, two things criticized on the Great Maine Schools report.

All four of Maine’s representatives in Washington, D.C., U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, and Reps. Michael Michaud and Tom Allen, helped secure the money for the Maine schools, Ruff said.

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