School Improvement

Condition of Education 2011 Reports New Education Statistics

Today the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released The Condition of Education 2011, a Congressionally-mandated annual report that details all aspects of U.S. education, including early childhood education, student achievement, postsecondary education, teacher effectiveness, and school environment. There were a number of key findings related to high schools, their students, and implications for transitions to college, including:

Doing What Works: Another Example of a High School Using Data to Improve Instruction

The U.S. Department of Education’s Doing What Works Web site has a wealth of information on high schools that have put practices designated as “working” into place. This blog describes one of the schools featured on the site. MacArthur Ninth Grade School is located outside of Houston, TX in the Aldine Independent School District. The school enrolls a majority of Hispanic students (83%) and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (79%).

What Works Clearinghouse's Dropout Prevention Recommendations

Graduating students who are college and career ready is a national priority. The U.S. Department of Education included high school dropout rates as an eligibility criterion for the School Improvement Grants, and earlier this year, provided $46,610,682 in funds for high school improvement through the High School Graduation Initiative

Providing Increased Learning Time Opportunities to High School Students

Each year, an increasing number of high schools provide longer school days, longer school years, or partner with community-based organizations for out-of-school academic support to close achievement gaps. This number is expected to keep climbing with the new budget proposed by President Obama, which includes $600 million for School Turnaround Grants (increased learning time is a requirement under SIG).

The Pros and Cons of Virtual High Schools

In an earlier post, we discussed virtual high schools (VHSs), highlighting examples from Florida and North Carolina. We have since learned that an increasing number of states have plans to use VHSs as a strategy to maximize limited resources, as evidenced by inclusion of VHSs in Race to the Top (RTTT) and School Improvement Grant (SIG) applications. Rural SIG schools and districts looking to expand their course catalogues are particularly interested in exploring VHSs.

High School Graduation Initiative Strategies: Preparation in Middle School and Transitions to High School

High School Graduation Initiative (HSGI) grants have been awarded recently to a wide range of applicants, and summaries are now available on the Department of Education’s Web site.  Twenty-nine grantees in 18 states will receive a total of $46,610,682.  In a series of blog entries, we will be examining some of the common strategies proposed by HSGI awardees.  Though these posts examine trends in strategies used, the applications may include other components not captured

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