Diplomas aside, there could be an even bigger benefit for local students in a plan to raise achievement at Albany High School. Our Lori Chung explains how the boom in the region's tech sector may play a part.

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- ALBANY, N.Y. -- "These kids are dropping out of school [and] we have to give them an incentive," said Mayor Jerry Jennings.

He says the incentive for Albany High students is a brand new school and new courses to prepare them to compete here in Tech Valley. It's something he and others hope will improve the graduation rate here which stands at just 47 percent.

"There’s no doubt that we have the greatest resources," said Jennings. "We have jobs here coming from GlobalFoundries and Nanotech and experts at what our kids need. Why not involve them in the process of writing the curriculum?"

With that in mind, the mayor announced the presidents of both St. Rose and UAlbany will head a committee to explore how to build a model urban high school.

"We'll be looking at issues of model curriculum, how do we engage students in work study programs to prepare for college," said R. Mark Sullivan, President of St. Rose.

The state education department has labeled the city school district as "in need of improvement." Achievement is down in English and math. Another committee is looking at whether rehabbing the existing building will help student performance. But Superintendent Ray Colucciello says the mayor's approach can help chart the best path forward.

"This will help us define how much you need a new building, what do you need? What do you need to support a program? And that will kind of get us to where we need to be."

Jennings says, if done correctly, the new school and curriculum could serve as a model for city school districts across the state, giving New York students an edge in scoring a high tech job.