Two years ago, as a principal in the Escambia district, Dr. Ruth Forrester set out to help a group of children who were performing significantly below grade level and keep them from “falling through the cracks of the education system.” She describes her approach as follows:

I was determined to create an environment that would help students thrive academically. It was my hope that these sixth-through eighth-graders could still be placed on the right track to continue on to high school.

To Superintendent Jim Paul I proposed an alternative academic school, O.A.S.I.S. High School Preparatory Academy. The proposal then went, with Superintendent Paul's endorsement, to the Escambia County Board of Education, which voted to approve the concept. One of only a few such schools nationwide, the academy opened its doors two years ago and has been saving students ever since.

The Pensacola campus services 72 students, in grades six through eight. With 18 computers in each classroom, O.A.S.I.S. is a very high-tech school that uses a great deal of computer-assisted instruction, as well as direct teacher instruction, to aid students in their learning environment.

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