Accountability

This policy brief focuses on state implementation of Title III from the No Child Left Behind Act, which covers English language learners. This brief summarizes state actions to date to implement those provisions, and outlines key benefits and challenges that have emerged.

This report by the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE) examines different aspects of high school reform. The author makes six recommendations for high schools to improve education equity for all students: (1) make all students proficient and prepared for college and work, (2) hold high schools accountable for student success, (3) redesign the American high school, (4) provide students with the excellent leaders and teachers they need to succeed, (5) invest communities in student success, and (6) provide equitable learning conditions for all students.

This brief, sponsored by Alliance for Excellent Education, Civic Enterprises, and the Data Quality Campaign, discusses the importance of using data at various levels within the education system. The authors describe the use to of data in identifying students at risk of dropping out as well as in identifying if students are college and career ready. The brief also identifies challenges, including making sure that data is accessible while protecting privacy, and linking data across systems.

This is a paper and pencil version of the online self-assessment tool.

This report discusses the importance of early literacy in order to prepare adolescents to be college and career ready. It states that literacy crosses over into other subject areas such as science and math and problem solving skills in life. The authors suggest that linking instruction to the growing knowledge base on literacy and using current outcome data and best practices can help bridge this gap and lead to more prepared students.

The Eight Elements of High School Improvement framework provides a lens for mapping school, district, and state high school improvement efforts. This framework, updated from the original July 2008 version, incorporates new language and ideas from the U.S. Department of Education’s current education reform priorities.

This white paper from Jobs for the Future provides state-level policymakers with a framework for raising graduation rates in their states. The five commitments offered in this piece are: 1) A High School Diploma That Signifies College and Work-Readiness, 2) Pathways to High School Graduation and College for Overage, Undercredited, and Out-of-School Youth, 3) Turnaround of Low-performing High Schools, 4) Increased Emphasis on Graduation Rates and College-Readiness in Next Generation Accountability, and 5) Early and Continuous Support for Struggling Students.

This report from Achieve, Inc., looks at high school exit exams and makes the argument that they are, in fact, not challenging enough. The author reviews several state exams, results, and structures and provides recommendations for states and policy makers on how to improve graduation tests and implementation of their assessment systems for graduation.

This report, commissioned by the California Teachers Association’s (CTA) High School Restructuring Task Force and authored by WestEd, synthesizes the major initiatives on high school reform taking place nationally and in California. The publication provides: 1) clear synthesis of the problem and context; 2) research on high-performing high schools, comprehensive school reform models, and the barriers to improvement; 3) current reform proposals and their research base; and 4) suggestions for further discussion and exploration by CTA.

Many states and districts across the country struggle with designing and implementing coherent dropout prevention initiatives that promote academic advancement, especially for special needs students, who drop out at much higher rates than the general student population. This snapshot from the National High School Center recognizes New Hampshire for its innovative use of data collection and analysis as the key to unlocking the dropout problem.