By Stanley Litow

In 2010, New York City, along with the rest of the U.S., was struggling with how to cope with the disruptive and economically serious consequences of a challenging recession. Unemployment was spiking, economic opportunities declined and far too many Americans couldn’t afford housing, health care or the cost of a middle-class life.

Does this sound familiar? It could describe what we are facing right now. But back then, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein approached IBM to see how the company might be able to assist. IBM was interested but made clear that it would not hire large numbers of young people with only a high school diploma — and neither would any other Fortune 500 company.

Across nine entry-level job categories, in areas involving hardware, software and consulting, IBM needed people with degrees in subjects like computer science and electromechanical engineering, along with solid workplace skills. Bloomberg and Klein asked the company to outline what a partnership could look like, and IBM responded with a blueprint for what would ultimately become P-TECH schools.

It would involve breaking down the barrier between high school and college, creating a dual-enrollment model where students would complete both a high school diploma and an associate degree in computer science or electromechanical engineering within four to six years. The company would provide volunteer mentors and paid internships, and ensure successful graduates were first in line for available positions.

The initial P-TECH school, located in a distressed Brooklyn neighborhood, opened in fall 2011. Today, some 15 years later, there are more than 600 P-TECH schools in 16 cities and 28 countries, having graduated tens of thousands of low-income students.

The original P-TECH school was recently named the No. 1 vocational high school in New York City based on its reading and math scores, even with a population that is 99% low-income students of color. This verified the findings of an earlier independent evaluation [by MDRC] that concluded Black male students who attended P-TECH were more likely to obtain a college degree than similar students attending other NYC high schools….

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