Spokane’s Rogers High School featured in New York Times showcasing efforts to help poor students succeed in college

The New York Times published a story Thursday about John R. Rogers High School and the work done there, and district wide, to send more students to college.

The article, which was published in the opinion section, notes a seemingly counter-intuitive technique: the harder high school classes are the more likely a student will attend - and succeed - in college.

The Spokesman-Review has written about the struggle of college preparedness and the district’s attempted solutions. In June, 2013, columnist Shawn Vestal wrote about the achievement gap between high and low income students. Shortly after, in August, the newspaper published a story about the connection between a rigorous high school education and sustained college success.

The NYT article, published in the Opinion section, heralded the effort at Rogers and throughout Spokane. In particular the author credited Rogers High School Principal Lori Wyborney, and Steven Gering, the chief innovation and research officer for Spokane Public Schools.