|
 |
January 2009 |
||
WelcomeWelcome to a new year with the National High School Center! We hope 2008 was a great year for you and look forward to a productive 2009. |
|||
In This IssueThis issue of E-News for Better High Schools provides information on a brand new feature of the Center's Web site, an "Ask the Expert" column; shares details on an upcoming Early Warning Systems Webinar; introduces readers to a new tool that maps high school initiatives across all 50 states and the District of Columbia; and announces the release of a High School Literacy fact sheet. Ask the High School Expert Column Introduced
The "Ask the Expert" column will allow viewers to pose questions on a particular topic via our email account and receive a posted answer on the National High School Center Web site within 72 hours. Additional resources about the given topic will also be provided to further educate readers. We are excited to present our lineup of national experts!
Developing Early Warning Systems to Identify Potential Dropouts Webinar Planned
To help meet this challenge, the National High School Center released the Early Warning System Tool, an interactive resource that calculates if students, beginning in the ninth grade, are on track to graduate or at risk of dropping out based on available student-level indicators (such as attendance, course failures, and grade point average). [Please maximize the document's screen in Excel in order to access all the spreadsheet tabs in the tool.] The Early Warning Systems Guide provides information about factors that help predict the probability of students dr opping out of high school, and offers guidance in building an early warning system. The Center is hosting an interactive Webinar, "Identifying Students At-Risk for Dropping Out of High School: Overview of a Tool for Developing Early Warning Systems," on January 28, 2009, from 3:00pm EST to 4:15pm EST to provide a tour of the Early Warning System Tool and information about how these resources can be used as part of a dropout prevention strategy to keep students in school. To register for this free Webinar, please send an email including your name, organization, and email address to helpfor@betterhighschools.org. Please note that space for this Webinar is limited. A confirmation email with further instructions on how to access the Webinar will be sent to all confirmed registrants. Interactive Map Compares High School Graduation and College Entrance Requirements for 50 States and the District of Columbia
The tool offers 51 profiles providing state-specific high school graduation requisites (English, mathematics, social studies, science, foreign language, art, and electives) and compares these data points with the state university entrance requirements. The profiles also capture national high school improvement initiatives in place to improve secondary education, as well as brief descriptions of the programs/strategies and the related research bases. Each profile also provides the number of high school students currently enrolled per state and includes a direct link to the state's high school redesign Web site or the Department of Education for further information. The map, which will be updated on an ongoing basis, is available on the National High School Center's Web site. High School Literacy Fact Sheet Highlights Importance of Literacy and Illustrates Challenges Associated with Literacy Instruction in Today's High Schools
Drawing from a diverse set of up-to-date sources, the fact sheet contextualizes the challenges associated with literacy instruction at the high school level with particular emphasis on literacy achievement of underserved student populations. We hope that this fact sheet will function as a central source for key information pertaining to high school literacy and as a portal for further discussion and work around this important topic. Upcoming ConferencesThe 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 UsThe 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 |
The National High School Center is pleased to announce that our Web site now features an "
Nationally, U.S. high schools are failing to graduate approximately 30% of the country's future workforce each school year. Identifying warning signs during important transition years is critical for targeting resources and interventions to prevent dropout. 
The National High School Center has released a 
The National High School Center is pleased to announce a new publication,