Other Report

In this report, the author discusses the shift to a mentality that all students need to go on to college in order to be successful in life. He identifies several reasons within the changing economy that support this belief and describes skills that are crucial in today's workforce.

This report describes how some of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s education grantees in Atlanta are working to increase the instances of students in the community moving on from secondary to postsecondary life. The author highlights the strategy known as "P-16" which aims to link education strategies from preschool through college graduation. Lessons learned provide insight for other communities undertaking this approach. This report would be most useful for state and community leaders working to graduate students prepared for postsecondary success.

This report provides a profile of 38 schools and details how these schools have implemented strategies to promote and advance college readiness. The report outlines each school, characteristics that make the school unique, and lessons learned from undertaking particular strategies. The report is organized into six sections: 1) alternative schools, 2) charter schools, 3) comprehensive schools, 4) early college high schools, 5) magnet schools, and 6) private schools. In several cases, schools may have utilized more than one strategy to achieve their goal.

In this conference paper, the author notes that good jobs require access to postsecondary education and training. There is a growing economic divide between adults with and without postsecondary education and training. The author recommends that policies be put into place that assist non-traditional students and students with barriers to access postsecondary education.

This policy statement from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) provides reasons why the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) should be reauthorized. The authors include recommendations for ESEA reauthorization in the four core areas of reform: standards, assessments, and accountability; data and reporting; teachers and leaders; and supports for next-generation learning.

This report suggests that school systems must do three things to get students on track for academic success: 1) adopt high but attainable college-readiness standards that minimize the odds that students will need remediation should they attend college; 2) make a K-12 curriculum based on those standards the default curriculum for all students regardless of socioeconomic background; and 3) get students on track to reach those standards in elementary school, as getting academically behind students up to high academic standards later is difficult and costly.

This report from America's Promise Alliance discusses the nation's dropout rates during 2010-11 and what is being done to improve the situation. The report highlights that working collaboratively in local communities and across the nation can stem the dropout tide, meet national goals, and ensure the next generation of students are educated to meet the increasing demands of our society, economy, and democracy. It encourages states, districts, schools and communities to adopt the Civic Marshall Plan framework and benchmarks to organize and accelerate efforts.

This paper from the Center for Public Education is aimed at defining the educational skills needed in the 21st century. The author first outlines how the world is changing and the impacts on work and life. This includes automation of formerly human-performed tasks, globalization of the economy, and restructuring of traditional organizational hierarchies, along with a rapidly changing and more diverse demographic population who have more individual responsibility over their lives.

This paper examines the the relationship between high school preparation, college choice and postsecondary outcomes for Chicago Public School (CPS) students in an effort to improve educational attainment.