Larry Rosenstock, point man at the High Tech High village of schools in Point Loma, has added his name to the recipients of the prestigious McGraw Prize, claiming the 2010 Secondary Education Award honor for his vision and leadership. McGraw-Hill Publishing, a leading education, publishing, and financial corporation, unveiled the winners of its 23rd annual award during an evening dinner gala at the New York Public Library on Sept. 28. Rosenstock, CEO and founding principal of the High Tech High village of schools, joins the ranks of previous honorees who include former First Lady Barbara Bush, former U.S. secretaries of education Richard Riley and Rod Paige, and the Hon. James B. Hunt, Jr., former governor of North Carolina. The winners of the prestigious awards were chosen by a distinguished panel of judges based on this year’s criteria — scaling up effective educational ideas. Panel members were challenged to look at candidates exemplifying innovation in educational ideas, scaling up those ideas to improve student achievement, and the creation of reforms that will stand the test of time. Rosenstock, it seems, passed this test. McGraw-Hill Publishing officials said High Tech High is the epitome of “scaling up” because its schools advance education for vulnerable populations by closing the gaps between socio-economic status and racial and ethnic disparities, while also adhering to a teaching philosophy that is both innovative and effective in the long term. Rosenstock said the school’s philosophy is based on four “inclusions,” which bridge the gaps between social classes, “head-only” or “hand-only” concepts, secondary and post-secondary education, and school and community. “We are unique in a few ways,” Rosenstock said. “First, we are diverse because of our selection process,” he said, referring to the school’s blind, ZIP Code-based lottery for selection of its students. “Once they’re there, we don’t segregate them in any way,” Rosenstock said, emphasizing that all students have the same academic requirements. “We have an assumption that if you look at those kids whom one would predict would not go to college and integrate them with those kids that are expected to go to college, everyone will succeed.” The second inclusion is of “head and hand.” High Tech High’s hands-on, project-based curriculum leads to tangible success, such as the recent publication of Economics Illustrated, an artistic, contemporary and logical guide to economic concepts that was written by High Tech High’s 10th-grade class. “Separating head and hand is a false dualism,” Rosenstock said. “You need to use both, and you need to use both well. “We also focus significantly on college prep,” he said, referring to the school’s third inclusion principle. “We have an advisor working with kids years before they apply [for college].” Nearly 100 percent of High Tech High graduates enter college and 82 percent of its students graduate from college, regardless of their income, parents’ educational background or minority status. Finally, the High Tech High curriculum focuses on the inclusion of the community in the school by having adults visit the school often and providing students with internships at local businesses in the community. Rosenstock said he hopes High Tech High can serve as a model for schools to emulate. He is constantly innovating and is actively pursuing change in traditionally rigid, and often restrictive, forms of education. Since Rosenstock founded High Tech High’s first charter school in Point Loma 10 years ago, the single school has grown into a network of nine of the highest-achieving schools in San Diego. And Rosenstock said he doesn’t intend to stop there. He already has two more schools under construction in Chula Vista, and is approved to open up as many as 48 schools throughout California. The other 2010 McGraw Prize winners were Christopher Cerf, executive producer of “Between the Lions” for the Pre-K and Elementary Education Award; and Dr. Robert Mendenhall, president of Western Governors University for the Post-Secondary Education Award. To learn more about High Tech High and its philosophy, visit www.hightech-high.org.