What’s New: Tools and Resources
The following resources have recently been released:
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National High School Center Publications
This resource contains brief descriptions of current and forthcoming National High School Center resources centered around a variety of current high school issues. |
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States Progress Toward High School Restructuring
As many Title I high schools approach their fifth year of failing to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP), many states and districts are struggling to navigate the new waters of school restructuring as required in such cases as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. The following brief outlines the provisions of the law related to restructuring and includes strategies that states and districts are undertaking to meet their obligations under the law, particularly at the high school level. |
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Emerging Evidence on Improving High School Student Achievement and Graduation Rates: The Effects of Four Popular Improvement Programs
The National High School Center released methods for improving low-performing high schools based on some of the most rigorous research currently available in the school reform arena. This research brief, authored by MDRC, a partner of the National High School Center, identifies lessons learned as well as key practices used to strengthen high schools and is based on evaluations of four widely used high school improvement programs - Career Academies, First Things First, Project GRAD, and Talent Development. |
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Improving Literacy Outcomes for English Language Learners in High School: Considerations for States and Districts in Developing a Coherent Policy Framework
This research brief, authored by WestEd, a partner of the National High School Center, outlines existing barriers regarding teacher expectations, tracking, and placement of English language learners and offers key policies and useful strategies in building capacity and developing learning environments conducive for all students in obtaining academic success. |
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Report on Key Practices and Policies of Consistently Higher Performing High Schools
This National High School Center report is authored by NCEA, a National High School Center partner, and 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. |
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Sustaining Focus on Secondary School Reading: Lessons and Recommendations from the Alabama Reading Initiative
The Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) addresses literacy and includes a focus on high school students. This research brief, authored by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), summarizes student and teacher outcomes, lessons learned, and other findings from a recent evaluation of the Alabama Reading Initiative at the secondary school level.
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National High School Center Hosts Its First Advisory Board Meeting
As legislated under NCLB, each of the five National Content Centers possess an Advisory Board that provides ongoing needs-sensing, promotes the work of the Center among stakeholders, colleagues and institutions, and identifies ways that the Center can leverage its work. The National High School Center’s Advisory Board provides in-the-field perspectives as we move forward with issues regarding high school improvement. The Advisory Board held its first meeting on January 22, 2007. Key decision-makers in high school improvement that sit on the board include:
- Brian Cobb, Professor, Colorado State University
- Todd D. Flaherty, Rhode Island Deputy Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, Rhode Island Department of Education
- James V. Foran, Executive Director, High School and Postsecondary Initiatives, Maryland State Department of Education
- Tony Habit, President, North Carolina New Schools Project
- T. Kenneth James, Commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education, Arkansas Department of Education
- Suzette Lee, Director, High School Redesign and ACT/SAT Improvement, South Carolina Department of Education
- Dane Linn, Director of Education Division, National Governors Association
- Angela Hernandez Marshall, Senior Associate, Council of Chief State School Officers
- Jose Martinez, Assistant Superintendent, Racine Unified School District
- Ann Masters, Assistant to the Commissioner of Education, Nebraska Department of Education
- Pamela Pfitzenmaier, Division Administrator PK-12 Education, Iowa Department of Education
- Linda Pittenger, Director, Division of Secondary and Virtual Learning, Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Department of Education
- Robert Ream, Professor Emeritus, University of Montana
- Mike Roach, Mathematics Consultant, Office of Program Development, Indiana Department of Education
- Keith Travis, Chairman, Kentucky Board of Education
- Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education
- Patricia I. Wright, Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia Department of Education
National High School Center Announces Expert Panel
The Friends of the National High School Center is a voluntary, distinguished panel of award-winning practitioners, researchers, and senior staff from national education organizations and foundations that provide guidance and direction to the National High School Center as it offers high school-related assistance to the Regional Comprehensive Centers. The first Friends meeting was held on December 7, 2006. Members include:
- Nancy Ames, Education Development Center
- Ann Coles, Pathways to College Network
- David Ferraro, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Naomi Housman, National High School Alliance
- Stephen Luke, National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
- Jill Martin, Principal, Thomas B. Doherty High School and 2007 NASSP/MetLife National High School Principal of the Year
- Monica Martinez, KnowledgeWorks Foundation
- John Nori, National Association of Secondary School Principals
- Nancy Reder, National Association of State Directors of Special Education
- Maria Santos, New York City Department of Education
- Becky Smerdon, Urban Institute
- Catherine Walcott, WestEd
The next meeting will be held in March.
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Webinar on Dropout Prevention Addresses
Research and Implementation Strategies
The National High School Center hosted a Webinar on Dropout Prevention, “Preventing High School Dropout: Understanding the Underlying Issues and Useful Strategies to Address the Problem,” which took place on December 13, 2006 from 2:00 - 3:15 p.m EST. The Webinar, available on the National High School Center Web site, addressed research in the field and highlighted state implementation strategies for preventing students from dropping out. Featured presenters included Russell Rumberger, University of California, Santa Barbara, Professor and Director of Linguistic Minority Research Institute; Cammy Lehr, Coordinator of the Dropout Prevention, Retention, and Graduation Initiative at the Minnesota Department of Education; Glory Kibbel, Interim Director of Choice and Equity for the School Choice Programs and Services Division, Minnesota Department of Education; and was facilitated by Becky Powell, Director of Outreach for the National High School Center. |
Add Your Event
The National High School Center wants to keep you informed of upcoming high school related conferences and events. Our Web site has an Events Calendar listing national conferences, workshops, and dialogues sponsored by organizations around the country. If you have events relevant to high school improvement, we encourage you to submit them via the online form on our Web site.
About Us
The National High School Center at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), in collaboration with its partners, strives to provide the most up-to-date, accessible information on breakthroughs in high school improvement, vetted best practices, hands on technical assistance, and an easy-to-use navigation of the latest research on creating and maintaining excellent high schools. The National High School Center does not endorse any interventions nor does it conduct field studies. For further information please visit our web site at www.betterhighschools.org.
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