February 2008

Welcome

The National High School Center would like to share its latest resources and news on critical high school-related topics!

In This Issue

In this issue of E-News for Better High Schools, readers will gain access to our latest publications featuring dropout prevention, transitions out of high school, and state systems of support; and will learn about the National High School Center's recent Advisory Board meeting.

What’s New: Tools and Resources

Since our last edition, the National High School Center has released:

	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.
	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.
	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 underprepared graduates.
	State-Level High School Improvement Systems Checklist This checklist can be used to assess where states are in terms of using existing support and guidance mechanisms, and reconfirming 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 state education planning and implementation processes.
	National High School Center Brochure This updated brochure provides an informative and concise overview of the National High School Center.

National High School Center Convenes Advisory Board

On January 28, 2008, the National High School Center’s Advisory Board met in Washington, DC for its annual meeting. The Advisory Board meeting brought together senior leaders from national educational organizations and state representatives focusing on high school improvement across the nation. An area of discussion focused around Response to Intervention (RTI) and how it is defined in terms of serving general education and special education students. The National High School Center's publication, Meeting the Needs of Significantly Struggling Learners in High School: A Look at Approaches to Tiered Intervention, served as a framework to guide the conversation, and provided insight on what RTI looks like at the high school level.

Upcoming Conferences

The National High School Center wants to keep you informed of upcoming conferences and events pertinent to your work. The High School Events Calendar on our Web site lists national conferences, workshops, and dialogues sponsored by organizations around the country focused on high school improvement. If you are sponsoring a high school-related event, we encourage you to submit the event for posting on the Calendar through 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 to the Regional Comprehensive Centers, 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. The National High School Center Web site is available at www.betterhighschools.org.

The National High School Center at the American Institutes for Research in collaboration with
Learning Point Associates, MDRC, the National Center for Educational Achievement and WestEd.
1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW | Washington, DC, 20007 | Phone: 1-800-634-0503 | Fax: 202-403-5875
TTY: 1-800-634-0752
Email:helpfor@betterhighschools.org | www.betterhighschools.org