The alliance will be made public on April 7 when the two institutions formalize their partnership in a ceremony at the academy. Its reopening months later as the Frederick Douglass Academy marked the beginning of an astounding turnabout, and the school is now acclaimed nationwide for its devotion to academic rigor and student achievement. Administrators at both the FDA and Ithaca College say their partnership will only enhance educational opportunity at both institutions. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, the Frederick Douglass Academy bases its success on a singular mission - that all of its students get through high school and into college, regardless of the hardships they may face. At FDA, excellence is expected of and delivered by a student body that draws the majority of its members from single-parent homes.
Many students live in poverty and in areas where drugs and crime are a way of life.
We have found a significant number of areas where we can work together to produce something we were individually unable to do. Ithaca's students and faculty have already participated in site visits and workshops to observe and work with the academy's students and staff, and those interactions will continue. In turn, The FDA will continue to rely on the College for assistance in the development of its television studio, student newspaper, and computer laboratory. Three FDA students participated in the College's Summer Sophomore Program last year, and scholarships have been established to allow others to make that trip in years to come. Future partnership links are being explored in business education, health related education, computer technology, journalism, and audiovisual production.