School Improvement

Implementing SIG: Advice for School Improvement Grantees

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This is one in a series of blog posts about the recent Midwest High School SIG Conference, held May 18-19, in Chicago. Schools and districts involved in turning around low performing schools received advice from leaders in the field at the Midwest High School SIG Conference last month.  Braden Goetz, Group Leader of High School Programs at the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S.

Implementing SIG: Advice for District Turnaround Agencies

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This is one in a series of blog posts about the recent Midwest High School SIG Conference, held May 18-19, 2011 in Chicago. Schools and districts involved in turnaround low performing high schools received advice from leaders in the field at the Midwest High School SIG Conference last month.

Condition of Education 2011 Reports New Education Statistics

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Today the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released The Condition of Education 2011, a Congressionally-mandated annual report that details all aspects of U.S. education, including early childhood education, student achievement, postsecondary education, teacher effectiveness, and school environment. There were a number of key findings related to high schools, their students, and implications for transitions to college, including:

What We Are Reading: CPB Dropout Prevention Initiative, Male Achievement Gap, Postsecondary Remediation Costs, 21st Century High Schools

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Looking for new high school-related resources?  Here are some pieces that other organizations have recently released:*

Doing What Works: Another Example of a High School Using Data to Improve Instruction

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The U.S. Department of Education’s Doing What Works Web site has a wealth of information on high schools that have put practices designated as “working” into place. This blog describes one of the schools featured on the site. MacArthur Ninth Grade School is located outside of Houston, TX in the Aldine Independent School District. The school enrolls a majority of Hispanic students (83%) and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (79%).

What Works Clearinghouse's Dropout Prevention Recommendations

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Graduating students who are college and career ready is a national priority. The U.S. Department of Education included high school dropout rates as an eligibility criterion for the School Improvement Grants, and earlier this year, provided $46,610,682 in funds for high school improvement through the High School Graduation Initiative. 

Providing Increased Learning Time Opportunities to High School Students

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Each year, an increasing number of high schools provide longer school days, longer school years, or partner with community-based organizations for out-of-school academic support to close achievement gaps. This number is expected to keep climbing with the new budget proposed by President Obama, which includes $600 million for School Turnaround Grants (increased learning time is a requirement under SIG).

The Pros and Cons of Virtual High Schools

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In an earlier post, we discussed virtual high schools (VHSs), highlighting examples from Florida and North Carolina. We have since learned that an increasing number of states have plans to use VHSs as a strategy to maximize limited resources, as evidenced by inclusion of VHSs in Race to the Top (RTTT) and School Improvement Grant (SIG) applications. Rural SIG schools and districts looking to expand their course catalogues are particularly interested in exploring VHSs.

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