Preuss School Principal
to Step Down Effective Immediately
December 18, 2007
By Dolores Davies
Dr. Doris Alvarez, Principal of The Preuss School, has submitted a letter of resignation to step down, effective immediately. Scott Barton will continue to serve as Acting Principal for the remainder of the academic year.
For the duration of her contract, Dr. Alvarez will be reassigned to serve as an adviser to the Senior Vice Chancellor – Academic Affairs at UC San Diego. She will retire on June 30, 2008.
During Dr. Alvarez’s tenure as Principal, The Preuss School was the recipient of the following accolades and awards: 10th of 18,000 best high schools by U.S. News and World Report; 9th among 1,200 regarded as the best high schools in the U.S. by Newsweek; Given a National Charter School of the Year award by the Center for Education Reform; Honored as one of the nation’s first “Certified Charter Schools;” Selected as a 2007 California Distinguished School.
In its relatively short history, The Preuss School has become known as one of the top high schools in the nation, and has provided many promising, underserved students with a high quality education. With its top 10 rankings in Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report, The Preuss School is a great source of pride for UCSD and the San Diego community and the university maintains a high level of confidence in the school, its mission, and its students.
In the coming weeks, UCSD will retain an external consulting firm with expertise in charter schools to conduct a comprehensive review of The Preuss School management practices and academic operations. The external review is one of a series of measures UCSD will take in response to an audit that recommended a series of management and administrative changes at The Preuss School.
About The Preuss School
The Preuss School is a middle and high school dedicated to providing intensive college prep education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college. The school is jointly chartered by UC San Diego and the San Diego School District. Opened in 1999 with 150 students, the school currently has 755 students in grades six through 12th.
The school year is 198 days vs. the traditional 180; the school day is 396 minutes vs. an average 360, and the class size is approximately 25 students vs. 34 district-wide. An average 150 UC San Diego students work as tutors at the school, and internships are provided in campus labs for Preuss students.
Of last June’s graduating class of 78 seniors, 96 percent were accepted to a four-year college or university, including all UC campuses and many top private universities—Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Fordham, Wellesley and USC.
Media Contact: Dolores Davies, 858-534-3120
