 Sustained Positive Effects on Graduation Rates Produced by New York City’s Small Public High Schools of Choice
A new MDRC study finds that new, small, New York City public high schools that are open to students of all academic backgrounds have substantial impacts on rates of graduation with Regents diplomas for every disadvantaged subgroup of students that was examined. It also found a positive effect on a measure relating to college readiness and a five-year graduation rate measure.
(January 2012)
Dropping the Dropout Rate
A recent California news article highlights two California schools that are piloting the National High School Center's Early Warning System Middle Grades Tool. Lakeview Middle and Silverado High schools are among 20 schools in nine districts across California that are engaged in a pilot project, in collaboration with the California Department of Education, that is aimed at curbing dropout rates. The program’s effectiveness was the subject of a recent report, “On Track for Success,” coauthored by Civic Enterprises and the Everyone Graduates Center at John Hopkins University and funded by AT&T.
(December 2011)
Making the Move: Transition Strategies at California Schools with High Graduation Rates
The American Institutes for Research (AIR), as a partner in the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd, worked with the K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office (formerly the Middle Grades Improvement Office) at the California Department of Education to conduct a study on student transitions from the middle grades to high school. AIR contacted nine California high schools with higher-than-predicted graduation rates and three of their feeder middle grades schools to determine what strategies they use to help students transition into and graduate from high school. This paper summarizes these key transition and graduation strategies and discusses the implications for practitioners and policymakers across the state. (November 2011)
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
During the month of October, PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center is engaging and educating communities nationwide to address bullying through creative, relevant and interactive resources as part of its National Bullying Prevention Month. Communities nationwide are urged to plan for and take part in October’s National Bullying Prevention Month, which include events like Unity Day, and Unity Dance Day. For more information, visit the PACER Center's Web site or read more on our blog. (October 2011)
 Tiered Interventions in High Schools: Using Preliminary “Lessons Learned” to Guide Ongoing Discussion
This document – representing the initial work of the High School Tiered Interventions Initiative (HSTII), a collaborative project of the National High School Center, the National Center on Response to Intervention, and the Center on Instruction – summarizes what HSTII has learned thus far about effective RTI implementation in high schools. It provides a brief description of the RTI framework and the essential components of RTI, illustrates how the essential components of RTI were implemented at eight visited schools, and highlights contextual factors unique to high schools and examines how these factors can affect school-level implementation of tiered interventions.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Geography Assessment
This report presents the results of the 2010 NAEP Geography Assessment. The assessment was given to 4th, 8th, and 12th graders in almost 1,500 schools. While 4th grade students' scores showed modest improvement from the 2001 assessment, there were no significant changes in the scores of either 8th or 12th graders. In total, fewer than 30 percent of students tested were found to be proficient. (August 2011)
Additional news spotlights.
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Early Warning System Tools Help Keep Middle Grades and High School Students On Track to Graduate High School
The National High School Center is pleased to announce the release of a new Early Warning System Middle Grades (EWS MG) Tool and an enhanced Early Warning System High School (EWS HS) Tool. Both free, Microsoft Excel-based tools rely on readily available student-level data (attendance, course failures, grade point average, credit accumulation, and behavior) to identify middle grade and high school students who show early warning signs that they are at risk for dropping out of high school. Learn more about early warning systems and download the tools.
In addition to the new tools, the Center will host a series of Webinars on using early warning systems in the middle grades and in high school to keep students on track to graduate. Registration is now open, so sign up below!
Webinar 1: Implementing an Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System to Keep Students On Track in the Middle Grades and High School. November 30, 2011, 3:00—4:00pm ET. National High School Center staff will provide an introduction to the Center's seven-step Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System implementation process, and EWS MG and EWS HS tools. Webinar materials and the presentation recording are now available.
Webinar 2: How to Use the Early Warning System Middle Grades and High School Tools to Keep Students On Track for Graduation.
December 7, 2011, 3:00—4:00pm ET. National High School Center staff will provide an in-depth demonstration of the EWS MG and EWS HS tools, highlight key features of the tools, and take your questions. Webinar materials and the presentation recording are now available.
Webinar 3: Stories From the Field: Putting Early Warning Systems into Practice.
December 14, 2011, 3:00—4:00pm ET. Presenters from California and Virginia will discuss their experiences rolling out early warning systems and will take questions. Webinar materials and the presentation recording are now available.
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Using Literacy to Turn Around High Schools: Lessons Learned from Sue Szachowicz
On September 22, 2011, the National High School Center hosted a Webinar featuring Dr. Sue Szachowicz, principal of Brockton High School in Brockton, MA. Dr. Szachowicz followed up on her conference presentation at the May 2011 Midwest High School SIG Conference, sharing tips for turning around high schools using literacy, and providing more details about the planning process used to promote literacy at Brockton High School. She also explained how her team uses specific materials and tools to accomplish their goals, and answered questions from participants.
To listen to her presentation, visit our Archived Webinars Web page to access the presentation audio, slides, and handouts. |
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High School Matters: The National High School Center Info Blog
High School Matters, the National High School Center's Info Blog,
is a new resource that provides an objective perspective on the latest research, topical issues, and events that affect high school improvement and other related national, state and local K-12 initiatives. Authored by staff and external experts from the National High School Center and updated several times per week, High School Matters offers insight into specific evidence-based information and resources for readers interested in staying abreast of emerging and recent high school improvement activities, as well as snapshots of promising and effective practices.
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