Educator Effectiveness/Quality

High School Reform: National and State Trends

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.

Meeting Five Critical Challenges of High School Reform: Lessons from Research on Three Reform Models

This report from MDRC looks at how three different high school reform models--Career Academies, First Things First, and Talent Development--addressed five challenges found to be obstacles to successful reform implementation in low-performing high schools. According to this report, the pillars of high school reform are structural changes to improve personalization and instructional improvement. The report offers tangible solutions as well as supporting evidence and various resources.

Report on Key Practices and Policies of Consistently Higher Performing High Schools

This National High School Center report focuses on successful high schools, highlighting the ways in which many superintendents, principals, and teachers are setting and meeting high expectations for all students. Developed specifically for state leaders, it provides them with suggestions on how they may support initiatives that are linked with accelerated learning.

Moving College Readiness Beyond Academics

During Education Week’s January 31st Webinar, College Readiness and Life Skills: Moving Beyond Academics, contributing writer Caralee Adams moderated as presenters shared their experiences and knowledge gained in college readiness beyond the traditional academic setting. The event’s presenters included Mandy Savitz-Romer, professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Susan Strickland, counselor at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia.

What We Are Reading: LGBT Students in Rural Schools, College-Going Patterns, Potential Obstacles to Common Core Success

Looking for new high school-related resources? Here are some pieces that the National High School Center and other organizations have recently released:*

NASSP Webinar: Early College Programs, A Win-Win for Everyone

The National Association for Secondary Schools Principals (NASSP) hosted a Webinar, “Early College Programs, A Win-Win for Everyone,” on September 26, 2012 on models for preparing high school students for higher education. Janice Bell Ollarvia, NASSP Professional Development Specialist and a former school principal, compared features of high school initiatives that link secondary education with two and four year institutions of higher education and allow high school students to participate in college-level courses.

College Access Programs: Reaching Students in Rural Areas

Last week, the National College Access Network hosted its conference, “Changing the Odds: College Success for All,” in Las Vegas and included both in-person and virtual events. The virtual conference spanned all three days, with as many as six virtual events held in one day.

Professional Learning’s Role in College- and Career-Readiness

On July 31, the Alliance for Excellent Education hosted a Webinar about recent efforts to transform professional learning in order to ensure that students are college and career ready. Speakers from Learning Forward and the states of Kentucky and New Hampshire spoke about their recent partnership, formed for the purposes of designing a statewide, comprehensive professional learning system in order to effectively and deeply implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Moving Toward College and Career Readiness for All Students: Major Developments and Trends in 2012 State Legislative Sessions

On Thursday, June 21, the Coalition for College and Career Ready America and the Alliance for Excellent Education sponsored a Webinar, “Moving Toward College and Career Readiness for All Students: Major Developments and Trends in 2012 State Legislative Sessions.”  Facilitated by Liz Schneider of the Alliance for Excellent Education, the Webinar began by briefly discussing federal policy, including projected federal appropriations and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver applications.

The Principal’s Role in Implementing the Common Core State Standards: Ten Keys to Success

This blog is the fourth in a series of blogs by Mel Riddile, Associate Director for High School Services at the National Association of Secondary School Principals, on the principal’s role in implementing the Common Core State Standards.

School leaders should consider 10 keys to successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards:

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