A number of students come from homes where English is the second language. Not many of the parents have a college education.
Few students have computers at home.
She wants the students who pass through Alice Birney to have the same skills, the same chance for success in life, as those who attend the schools across town. And if success is judged by the school' s Academic Performance Index, Alice Birney is a certified winner. That means it is ranked in the top 10 percentile compared to schools that draw from a similar socioeconomic profile. In fact in its demographic band, the school ranks No. 4 in the entire state. Uncertainty about the future of some program funding and declining enrollment are threatening to undermine the success the school has achieved so far.