Skip Nav

Archived Webinars

Four people watching a Webinar.A Webinar (web + seminar) provides a convenient opportunity to learn from experts without having to travel. Webinars combine three means of communication: phone, online presentation, and a chat window for typing questions.

The National High School Center hosts Webinars designed to meet the specific needs of our targeted audience, the national network of Regional Comprehensive Centers. Archived versions of these Webinars, as well as related resources, are posted below, so that other education consumers can access materials related to pressing issues in high school improvement.

In order to view the archived Webinar recordings, you will need to have Windows Media Player installed on your computer. Click here to download Windows Media Player. If you have any questions about the National High School Center Webinars, please contact the National High School Center at helpfor@betterhighschools.org.

New iconEWS Middle Grades and High School Webinar Series

To supplement the November 2011 release of its new Early Warning System (EWS) Middle Grades (MG) Tool and enhanced, updated version of the EWS High School (HS) Tool, the National High School Center hosted a three-part Webinar series that highlighted the MG and HS tools, the seven-step Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System (EWIMS) implementation process, technical aspects of each tool, and states' implementation of the tools.

Webinar 1: Implementing an Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System to Keep Students On Track in the Middle Grades and High School
This November 30, 2011 Webinar, presented by Dr. Mindee O'Cummings and Dr. Susan Therriault from the National High School Center, provided an introduction to the seven-step Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System implementation process, and the EWS MG and EWS HS tools.

Webinar 2: How to Use the Early Warning System Middle Grades and High School Tools to Keep Students On Track for Graduation
This December 7, 2011 Webinar, presented by Dr. Mindee O'Cummings, Matt Hauenstein, Michelle Perry, and Laura Yerhot from the National High School Center, provided an in-depth demonstration of the EWS Middle Grades and High School Tools, introduced the EWS Community of Practice, and responded to questions.

Webinar 3: Stories from the Field: Putting Early Warning Systems into Practice
This December 14, 2011 Webinar, presented by Dr. Mindee O'Cummings, Dr. Susan Therriault, Lynn Sodat (Virginia Department of Education), Ellen Ringer and Johannes Troost (California Department of Education), and Ron Williams (San Bernardino County Schools), discussed experiences rolling out early warning systems in Virginia and California, and took questions.


Using Literacy to Turn Around High Schools: Lessons Learned from Sue Szachowicz

During the National High School Center's Webinar on September 22, 2011, Dr. Sue Szachowicz shared tips for turning around high schools using literacy. Dr. Szachowicz followed up on her conference presentation from the Midwest High School SIG Conference and described the planning process used to promote literacy at Brockton High School, explained how her team uses specific materials and tools to accomplish their goals, and answered questions from participants.

Presentations:

Handouts:

"Early Warning System Tool v2.0 Webinar"
October 19, 2010

The National High School Center’s Early Warning System (EWS) High School Tool (formerly the EWS Tool v2.0) enables schools and districts to identify students who may be at risk of dropping out of high school and to monitor these students’ responses to interventions. This Webinar featured Susan Bowles Therriault and Mindee O’Cummings from the National High School Center, who reviewed the research used to develop and inform the EWS Tool v2.0 and demonstrated the new functions of the enhanced tool.

"The High School Tiered Interventions Initiative: The Implementation of Tiered Interventions and RTI in High Schools"
February 11, 2010

The High School Tiered Interventions Initiative (HSTII) is a collaborative effort among the National Center on Response to Intervention, the National High School Center, and the Center on Instruction that explores how RTI and tiered interventions are being implemented at the high school level. During this webinar, Dr. Lou Danielson and HSTII staff shared information on how the essential elements of RTI can be implemented in high schools, what some of the associated challenges and considerations are, and how contextual factors specific to high school settings make RTI implementation increasingly complex and challenging. This presentation is suitable for anyone interested in RTI and tiered interventions at the high school level.

“What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities”
December 8, 2009

A new report from the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) at the University of Chicago and the National High School Center, What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities, finds that factors such as freshman year absences, course failures, course credits and GPA can be used to accurately predict whether ninth-graders with disabilities will graduate from high school. This Webinar featured report authors Julia Gwynne, Joy Lesnick, and Holly M. Hart from CCSR, as well as Mindee O’Cummings from the National High School Center, and presented an overview of the What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities report and engaged participants in discussion around graduation rates and on-track indicators for students with disabilities.

"The High School Tiered Interventions Initiative"
September 23, 2009

Hosted jointly by the Center on Instruction, the National Center on Response to Intervention, and the National High School Center, this Webinar described the collaborative High School Tiered Interventions Initiative (HSTII) which will enhance the understanding of tiered intervention models emerging in high schools across the country. Presenters Greg Roberts from the Center on Instruction, Tessie Rose from the National Center on Response to Intervention, and Lou Danielson, Joe Harris, and Jenny Scala from the National High School Center provided a description of the work being conducted by this collaborative group.

"Effectively Educating English Language Learners at the High School Level: What Research and Practice Tell Us"
May 14, 2009

This Webinar presented the latest research and best practices for educating English language learners at the high school level. The presentation was designed to: build awareness for the current body of research on educating English language learners at the high school level; discuss best practices from a practitioner's perspective; and explore how effective practices can be integrated to inform district, state, and national policies. The National High School Center’s recently released suite of resources on educating English language learners at the high school level were also discussed during the session.

“Identifying Students At-Risk for Dropping Out of High School: Overview of a Tool for Developing Early Warning Systems”
January 28, 2009

This Webinar provided a tour of the Early Warning System Tool, which allows educators to input student-level data and automatically calculate whether individual students are on track to graduate or at risk of dropping out, and the Early Warning Systems Guide, which provides information about factors that help predict the probability of students dropping out of high school. The Webinar provided guidance in building an early warning system along with information about how these resources can be used as part of a dropout prevention strategy to keep students in school.

“Preventing High School Dropout”
December 13, 2006

Representing both the research and practitioner perspectives, this Webinar highlights key research-based findings and dropout prevention strategies.

“Leading the Way to a Smooth Ninth Grade Transition”
April 28, 2006

This session addresses the issues faced by ninth grade students including students with disabilities, English language learners, and other special needs students. The interactive presentation draws on research to contextualize these challenges, identifies selected strategies proposed in the field to address these issues, and provides a review of the findings from key studies on these selected strategies.