As an alternative high school, educators designed Tiger Ventures to reach disengaged students, students identified for special education programs and services, and students who demonstrate an interest in entrepreneurship. Tiger Ventures re-engages them by emphasizing youth voice and choice, a holistic approach to teaching, learning, and school culture that focuses on giving all students opportunities to bring their identities as learners and develop the capacity for agency and autonomy. 

Tiger’s students have a major voice in setting their schedules, which can vary from week to week and day to day. Each quarter, every student works with an advisor to develop a personalized set of learning goals and an action plan. The plan includes formal courses (required and optional), projects, independent study, and the means to evaluate each. The student council led the development of a schoolwide effort called ROAR (Responsibility, Organize, Attitude, and Respect) to develop community, build culture, discourage bullying, and help students understand how to support and accept differences. In addition, the staff at Tiger Ventures is trained in restorative practices, which they use in advisory courses and on an as-needed process.

The school has about 70 students in grades 8–12 and provides them with intensive support. Nearly all Tiger students come from low-income families and qualify for the federal free and reduced-price lunch program. When they enroll at Tiger, students experience strong social bonds with adults and their fellow students, growing in confidence to take risks and explore their interests through Tiger’s entrepreneurship and business management opportunities. 

Student Outcomes

Tiger Ventures is in its own building six miles away from Union-Endicott High School, but the state of New York doesn’t consider Tiger a separate school entity. As a result, the state does not publish data on Tiger, such as graduation rates or results on state standardized tests, but instead includes Tiger students in the statistics for Union-Endicott High School. 

However, the XQ Senior Survey of the class of 2022 revealed seven in ten surveyed 12th graders had completed internships, a remarkable accomplishment considering pandemic restrictions. 

Nine in ten surveyed 12th graders said they felt at least somewhat prepared for the future, according to the XQ Senior Survey. Of those students, 90 percent cited creativity and problem-solving as key strengths they had developed in high school that will serve them well in adulthood. And 70 percent of surveyed 12th graders said they appreciated being able to work at their own pace to master what they need to learn. The school uses a pass-or-fail, standards-based grading system that ensures students have the time to master new material.