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National High School Center News and Events

Implementing Graduation Counts: State Progress to Date, 2008
States are on track to publicly report their high school graduation rates by 2012 using the National Governors Association’s formula, according to a new report from NGA’s Center for Best Practices. The report, Implementing Graduation Counts: State Progress to Date, 2008, said 16 states use the NGA Graduation Counts Compact formula to calculate and report their high school graduation rates. Five more states plan to implement the formula later this year, eight more will next year, and nine more will in 2010. Six states plan to implement the formula in 2011, and one plans to do so in 2012. (July 2008)

Eight Elements of High School Improvement: A Mapping Framework
The National High School Center’s goal is to encourage researchers, policymakers, and practitioners at all levels to engage in comprehensive, systemic efforts to maximize attainment for all high school students, with a focus on those students who have been historically underserved. To this end, we have developed a framework that consists of eight core elements and provides a lens for mapping school, district, and state high school improvement efforts. (July 2008)

Career Academies: Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood
This report, authored by the MDRC, describes how participating Career Academies were able to implement and sustain the core features of the approach as they served a cross-section of the student populations in their host schools. Furthermore, the report discusses how Career Academies influenced students’ labor market prospects and postsecondary educational attainment in the eight years following their expected graduation. The results are based on the experiences of more than 1,400 young people, approximately 85 percent of whom are Hispanic or African-American. (July 2008)

On Ramp to College: A State Policymaker’s Guide to Dual Enrollment
This guide from Jobs for the Future reviews trends in a growing number of states that see dual enrollment as a way to expand college opportunity—particularly for students who might not be considered college-bound. The guide shows how dual enrollment can serve as an “on ramp” to postsecondary education for students who are otherwise unlikely to attend college. The guide also highlights successful state-wide dual enrollment efforts, provides a step-by-step plan for policymakers to create successful programs and assess current approaches, and guides state officials in how to provide a wide range of students with equal access to dual enrollment and make it part of a continuous system for grades 9-16. (May 2008)

Crafting a New Vision for High School: How States Can Join Academic and Technical Studies to Promote More Powerful Learning
A new report from the Southern Regional Education Board calls for states to align their career and technical curriculum with college-readiness standards, conduct end-of-course assessments, and establish panels of college faculty, high school teachers, school officials, and employers to devise curriculum frameworks and course syllabuses. It also encourages states to provide incentives for districts and high schools to work together with two-year colleges, technology centers and employers to craft courses. (May 2008)

Rethinking High School: Supporting All Students to be College Ready in Math
In mathematics classes across the country, many students identify themselves as being in one of two camps: Those who can do math and those who can't. Such labels may be assumed by the students themselves or unconsciously assigned to them by the adults in their lives based on students' math achievement. Whatever its source, the can't label may be a costly one. This Rethinking High School report from WestEd profiles three high schools supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that have successfully implemented mathematics programs that prepare all students for college. According to this report, access to and enrollment in challenging courses had a greater impact than any other factor, including income level and parents' level of education. (April 2008)

Cities in Crisis: A Special Analytic Report on High School Graduation
Seventeen of the nation’s 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates reported in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland, according to a report released by America’s Promise Alliance. The report found that about half of the students served by public school systems in the nation’s largest cities receive diplomas. Students in suburban and rural public high schools were more likely to graduate than their counterparts in urban public high schools, the researchers said. Nationally, about 70 percent of U.S. students graduate on time with a regular diploma and about 1.2 million students drop out annually. (April 2008)

Technology Counts 2008: STEM: The Push to Improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center have released the 11th Annual Technology Counts report. Technology Counts 2008: STEM: The Push to Improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics examines the educational community's response to the United States’ perceived failings in preparing students to thrive in a high-tech global economy. The report includes interactive online state data comparisons and individual state reports, as well as several feature stories on how states are strengthening STEM education, the effectiveness of the federal role in STEM, how teacher colleges are incorporating technology into courses in new ways, and the focus some programs are taking on increasing STEM interest and achievement among underrepresented groups. (March 2008)

Award for Breakthrough Middle and Secondary Schools
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the MetLife Foundation are calling for entries in the search for the nation's top "Breakthrough Schools." Applicants should be high achieving middle or high schools, or schools that are making dramatic improvements in student achievement, whose best practices and outstanding results can inform other schools as they further their own improvement efforts. Honorees will be chosen based upon documented success in implementing strategies aligned with the three core areas of NASSP's Breaking Ranks II publication. Those three areas are collaborative leadership; personalization; and curriculum, instruction and assessment. (March 2008)

4th Annual AP Report to the Nation
The College Board has announced findings from its 4th Annual AP Report to the Nation, which include participation and performance data for each state within the context of its population and racial/ethnic demographics. The report also announced that a greater percentage of the nation's students are taking and succeeding on AP Exams, which research shows are predictors of success in college. (February 2008)

E-News for Better High Schools (February 2008 edition)
This E-newsletter is distributed quarterly and shares our latest tools and products, news and events, and research regarding high school improvement.

Enhanced Reading Opportunities: Early Impact and Implementation Findings
This National Center for Education Evaluation report presents early findings from an evaluation of the impact of two supplemental literacy programs that aim to improve the reading comprehension skills and school performance of struggling ninth-grade readers. The report describes the effects of the programs on the first cohort of students entering high school two to five years behind grade level in reading. Taken together, the programs produced a positive, statistically significant impact on reading comprehension among students who were randomly assigned to participate in the supplemental literacy programs compared to those who did not participate in the programs. There were no statistically significant impacts on student achievement in vocabulary or student use of reading behaviors promoted by the programs. (January 2008)

Highlights from PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science and Mathematics Literacy in an International Context
This report from the National Center for Education Statistics summarizes the performance of U.S. students on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), comparing the scores of U.S. 15-year-old students in science and mathematics literacy to the scores of their peers internationally in 2006. PISA, first implemented in 2000, is sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental agency of 30 member countries. The results show the average combined science literacy scale score for U.S. students to be lower than the OECD average. On the mathematics literacy scale, U.S. students scored lower than the OECD average. Differences in student performance based on the selected student characteristics of sex and race/ethnicity are also examined. (January 2008)

Building a System of Excellent High Schools: A Framework and Tool for Discussion and Action
This new tool from the Center for School and Community Services and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform has been designed to support district leaders, educators, administrators, community stakeholders, parents and students in their efforts to reform high schools. The framework and indicators draw heavily on the lessons and accomplishments of the seven school districts involved in the Carnegie Corporation's Schools for a New Society initiative. The tool provides methods for mapping and assessing progress when implementing system-wide reform programs and also identifies and tracks indicators of effectiveness that can be refined to measure progress. In addition, the tool outlines ways to develop and promote a shared commitment throughout the community to ensure all stakeholders are engaged in reform. (December 2007)

Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004-05
This report from the National Center for Education Statistics presents findings on the numbers and rates of public school students who dropped out of school in school years 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05, using data from the CCD State-Level Public Use Data File on Public School Dropouts for these years. The report includes high school dropout rates by state, region, school district size, and several student characteristics. (December 2007)

Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs With Appropriate Interventions
This report outlines steps that schools can take to identify at-risk students and provide the necessary support systems and relevant interventions to assist students in obtaining a high school diploma. Further, the report discusses the use of early warning data systems to target interventions for groups and individual students, offers a variety of best practice approaches undertaken by higher-performing high schools, and presents effective programs that are currently being implemented to stem the dropout problem. The press release for this report may be viewed here. (October 2007)

State-Level High School Improvement Systems Checklist
This checklist is designed to help states at various stages develop their system of support to reach struggling high schools. The checklist can be used to assess where your state is in terms of the elements of using existing support and guidance mechanisms, and reconfiguring and/or creating new structures to leverage system change for high school improvement. The elements listed in the checklist may be helpful in establishing or refining your state’s education planning and implementation process. (October 2007)

Transitioning Out of High School: A Quick Stats Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides statistics describing the current status of high school graduates readiness for life after high school. It highlights some of the challenges and opportunities facing high school students after graduation as well as some of the consequences and implications for America’s under-prepared graduates. (October 2007)

High School Dropout: A Quick Stats Fact Sheet
This fact sheet highlights the problem of dropout prevention facing America’s high schools today. It provides information on the students most likely to drop out, and examines the impact of dropouts on crime, the economy, personal incomes, and employment. (October 2007)

Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Minorities
This report from the National Center for Education Statistics examines the educational progress and challenges that racial and ethnic minorities face in the United States. This report shows that over time larger numbers of minorities have completed high school and continued their education in college. Despite these gains, progress has varied, and differences persist among Hispanic, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White students on key indicators of educational performance. (September 2007)

E-News for Better High Schools (September 2007 edition)
This E-newsletter is distributed quarterly and shares our latest tools and products, news and events, and research regarding high school improvement.

National High School Center 2007 Summer Institute Materials 
The National High School Center’s Summer Institute, Advancing High School Student Success: Building Systems of Support, was held on June 11-13, 2007 in Washington, DC. The agenda was based on the expressed needs of our clients, the Regional Comprehensive Centers, and covered topics that included dropout prevention, high school literacy, transition to high school, and strategies to serve students with disabilities. Videos, PowerPoint slides, and resources from the Institute are now available. (August 2007)

State Approaches to More Reliable and Uniform Dropout and Graduation Data
This issue brief outlines the immediate need for more accurate dropout and graduation data, while providing a snapshot of work currently underway.  By drawing on two prominent methods for calculating graduation rates: the National Governors Association’s endorsed longitudinal approach and the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR), this brief outlines how data are needed to track dropout trends and patterns, as well as how to direct resources and more effective strategies to ensure more students receive a high school diploma.  This brief concludes by offering take-aways for states. To view the press release for this brief please click here. (August 2007)

Meeting the Needs of Significantly Struggling Learners in High School: A Look at Approaches to Tiered Intervention
This report, authored by Helen Duffy of the National High School Center at the American Institutes for Research, provides an in-depth look at the implementation and structural issues, as well as the needed support required to successfully institute Response to Intervention (RTI) at the secondary school level. It defines the RTI models, explores benefits and challenges faced at the high school level, shares a snapshot of implementation at the high school level, and outlines the necessary resources needed to support this work. To view the press release for this brief please click here. (August 2007)

Easing the Transition to High School: Research and Best Practices Designed to Support High School Learning
This report is a rolled up version of four National High School Center products that had been previously released as individual pieces related to one of the National High School Center focus themes: transitions into high school. Included in this publication are a fact sheet, policy brief, issue brief, and snapshot. (July 2007)

The Matrix: Mapping Federal Resources for Technical Assistance & Information Services
The Matrix is an extensive database of activities undertaken by the United States Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) projects and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education's (OESE) Comprehensive Centers. Information is entered about activities of the projects and centers in the Matrix, and this database of activities allows states, stakeholders, projects, centers, and others to view the work happening in states and jurisdictions across the United States. (June 2007)

National High School Center’s 2007 Summer Institute, Advancing High School Student Success: Building Systems of Support
The National High School Center’s first Summer Institute, Advancing High School Student Success: Building Systems of Support, took place on June 11-13, 2007 at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. The Institute’s agenda was based on the expressed needs of the Regional Comprehensive Centers (RCC) and addressed issues including building systems of support to increase high school success; high school literacy; dropout prevention; and transitions into high school. For your reference, a final meeting agenda is attached. Presentations and materials from the Institute will be posted to our Web site shortly. (June 2007)

Resources on Ensuring a Smooth Transition into High School
This toolkit from the National High School Center contains four resources on how to support and guide a smooth transition into high school. A policy brief, “State and District-Level Support for Successful Transitions into High School,” examines how some states and districts are currently easing the transition, while a best practices piece based on key research is the focus of the brief, “Toward Ensuring a Smooth Transition Into High School.” Additionally, a snapshot is provided of how one school is managing to make a positive difference for ninth graders through the “Managing the Transition to Ninth Grade in a Comprehensive Urban High School.” Also included is a quick stats fact sheet on the ninth grade bulge, wherein a disproportionate number of ninth graders are held back in the ninth grade. The press release for this toolkit may be viewed here. (May 2007)

Dropout Prevention for Students With Disabilities: A Critical Issue for State Education Agencies
This issue brief provides guidance to states as they respond to requirements presented in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) in the area of dropout prevention for students with disabilities. It also highlights the role of State Performance Plans as starting points for states to develop data collection and monitoring procedures, and supplies states with considerations and recommendations for providing a consistent method of tracking dropout data. The press release for this brief may be viewed here. (May 2007)

Findings from the Early College High School Initiative: A Look at Best Practices and Lessons Learned Regarding a Dual Enrollment Program 
This research brief on the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI), a dual enrollment program developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, examines lessons learned and best practices gleaned from an evaluation specific to the ECHSI, “Early College High School Initiative 2003-2005 Evaluation Report.” These findings help inform those interested in developing or implementing dual enrollment programs as a strategy to accelerate learning and help bridge transitions after graduation. (March 2007)

E-News for Better High Schools (February 2007 edition)
Our quarterly E-newsletter was distributed on February 23, 2007. If you are not yet on our mailing list and would like to be added, please click here.

Strengthening High Schools For The 21st Century
Authored by the U.S. Department of Education, this Fact Sheet about No Child Left Behind reauthorization outlines the areas of "Building On Results: Strengthening the No Child Left Behind Act" that relate to high schools. (February 2007)

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. (January 2007)

National High School Center Hosts Webinar on Dropout Prevention
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, and addressed research in the field and highlighted state implementation strategies for preventing students from dropping out.The Webinar featured 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. (December 2006)

National High School Center Announces National Expert Panel on High School Improvement
The National High School Center has convened a national panel of experts on high school improvement. To read more, please view the press release. (December 2006)

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 rigorousresearch currently available in the school reform arena. This research brief identifies lessons learned as well as key practices used to strengthen high schools and isbased on evaluations of four widely used high school improvement programs - Career Academies, First Things First, Project GRAD, and Talent Development. To read the press release about this brief, please click here. (November 2006)

Improving Literacy Outcomes for English Language Learners in High School: Considerations for States and Districts in Developing a Coherent Policy Framework
This research brief 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. To read the press release about this brief, please click here. (November 2006)

U.S. Department of Education's Teacher to Teacher Workshops
The U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher to Teacher Workshops provide examples of classroom strategies and materials which may be useful to high school teachers. Among these are the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM), created through the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning as a framework for reaching all students, particularly students with disabilities. Other workshops and session materials of interest to high schools include Implementing Reading Intervention in Secondary Schools, A Cognitive Strategy for Inclusion Classrooms, Incorporating Explicit Vocabulary Instruction at the Secondary Level, and Increasing Rigor and Relevance in Secondary Science. For a complete list of all Teacher to Teacher Workshop Sessions, please click here. (November 2006)

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. To read the press release about this report, please click here. (October 2006)

What Works Clearinghouse Releases Additional Intervention Reports for Dropout Prevention
The What Works Clearinghouse has recently released two new Dropout Prevention intervention reports on Career Academies and ALAS (Achievement for Latinos through Academic Success) which join a previous intervention report on Check & Connect. This review focuses on interventions in middle school, junior high school, or high school designed to increase high school competition, including techniques such as the use of incentives, counseling, or monitoring. (October 2006)

New CSRQ Center Report on Middle and High School CSR Models
The Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center has released a new report on middle and high school comprehensive school reform and schoolwide improvement models. This report offers a scientifically based, consumer-friendly review of the effectiveness and quality of 18 widely implemented middle and high school comprehensive school reform or schoolwide improvement models. To read this report, visit the CSRQ Center Web site at http://www.csrq.org/reports. (October 2006)

Secretary Spellings Announces Plans to Improve the Higher Education System
On September 26, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced plans to improve the higher education system, based on the recommendations in the final report of her Commission on the Future of Higher Education. The Secretary’s remarks, a full report, Webcast and other resources are available here. (October 2006)

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 summarizes student and teacher outcomes, lessons learned, and other findings from a recent evaluation of the Alabama Reading Initiative at the secondary school level. (September 2006)

$17 Million in Grants Awarded Under the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the award of 33 grants totaling $17 million to boost participation of low-income students in advanced placement courses and tests. The grant is being provided to states, school districts, and national education nonprofits to help increase advanced placement access rates for economically disadvantaged students. (September 2006)

Paying Double: Inadequate High Schools and Community College Remediation
This issue brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education (August 2006) finds that the United States spends over $1.4 billion dollars annually to provide remediation to students who were not prepared for college, and provides a state-by-state breakdown on costs. The issue brief suggests that improving high schools will reduce the number of students unprepared for college, and is available for free download from the Alliance for Excellent Education. (September 2006)

E-News for Better High Schools (September 2006 edition) This E-newsletter is distributed quarterly and describes current and future activities of the National High School Center, as well as pertinent information on high school topics of interest.

Diplomas Count: An Essential Guide to Graduation Policy and Rates
Diplomas Count: An Essential Guide to Graduation Policy and Rates, a recent report from Education Week (June 2006), provides information on the subject of high school graduation rates and tracks state polices related to high school graduation requirements. This report is available to read from Education Week. Free registration is required. (August 2006)

A State Leaders Action Guide to 21st Century Skills
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (July 2006) has produced a guide for state leaders which redefines rigor to reflect the need to encompass 21st century skills in addition to core subjects, and examines key elements and strategies to help states and districts improve education in the 21st century. (August 2006)

Essential Tools: Increasing Rates of School Completion: Moving from Policy and Research to Practice
This toolkit for educators, policymakers, and administrators - prepared in May 2004 by Camilla A. Lehr, David R. Johnson, Christine D. Bremer, Anna Cosio, and Megan Thompson, and published by the National Center of Secondary Education and Transition - summarizes research findings on dropout prevention and provides examples of interventions that have shown evidence of effectiveness. (July 2006)

The Silent Epidemic: Perspective of High School Dropouts
This report on high school dropouts - issued in March 2006 by Civic Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates and commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - provides new insights into America's dropout problem from the perspective of high school dropouts. A series of focus groups and surveys of high school dropouts ages 16-25 found that most dropouts believe they could have succeeded in school with more demanding coursework, engaging classrooms, and access to additional help. (July 2006)

U.S. Department of Education Announces Student Eligibility Options for New Academic Grants
The U.S. Department of Education has announced guidelines for current college students and high school seniors to apply for new Academic Competitiveness Grants, as well as National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants. (July 2006)

National High School Center Archived Webinar on the Ninth Grade Transition
View the National High School Center’s Webinar: "Leading the Way to a Smooth Ninth Grade Transition,” which was presented on April 28, 2006 to Regional Comprehensive Center staff, as well as related resources on the Ninth Grade Transition. (July 2006)