There’s an air of change at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in the notoriously rough Liberty City community of Miami.  Graduation rates are on the rise, test scores are up, and for the first time, the school is poised to receive a passing score on the state’s school report cards. Despite the violence and poverty that persists around them, student optimism and enthusiasm is at an all-time high.
 

This is all less than year after JP Chase Morgan funded a $1 million partnership with the school and Florida International University for the first university-assisted community school in Miami-Dade County. JP Morgan approached FIU about implementing the partnership after the Netter Center for Community Partnerships had success operating similar community schools around the country.
 

Parents, students, and teachers all aired a laundry list of nagging problems and recommendations for the new school initiative during on-site focus groups conducted by the Children’s Aid Society this past fall as part of the planning and development process. The results of the new partnerships are palpable in the school’s climate. Students are more encouraged, disciplined, and prepared.
 

Florida International Magazine’s Winter 2012 cover story delves into this unique partnership at this proud neighborhood school.