Ready for Success Blog

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

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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

NNSSIL Webinar Presents Arizona’s Early Lessons Learned from SIG

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Last Thursday, October 28th, the National Network of State School Improvement Leaders (NNSSIL) held a webinar, “Supporting Systemic Change in High Schools,” that focused on School Improvement Grants (SIG).  Participants included Angela Denning from the Arizona State Department of Education, Lisa Long and Michael Dunbar from Pima Partnership High School in

Students with Disabilities: Transition to College, Workforce, and Community

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Multiple reports[1] indicate that the number of students with disabilities enrolled in K-12 schools has steadily increased since the initial passage of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) in 1975. Equally important, the number of students with disabilities who completed high school with a regular diploma increased by 50 percent between 1997/98 and 2006/07, showing a greater growth rate than the number of students exiting high school for the same period of time[2].

Doing What Works Provides Research-Based Dropout Prevention Practices

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The Obama administration has placed a high priority on increasing high school graduation rates, creating new programs, such as the High School Graduation Initiative[1], to support states, districts, and schools graduate students college and career ready. Research suggests that key strategies for keeping students in high school involves challenging them with rigorous content, engaging them in real-world learning experiences, and providing them significant, tailored supports.

Early College Schools: Success Built on Support

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By Andrea Berger (guest blogger)

Early College Schools affiliated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Early College High School Initiative strive to enroll students from populations typically underrepresented in colleges and enable them to graduate with at least one year of college credit. Despite enrolling students not typically viewed “college material,” Early College High School students earned an average GPA of 3.1 in college classes and graduates earned an average of almost one year of college credit.[1]

Highlights of Early College High School Enrollments and Outcomes

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By Aimee Evan (guest blogger) Early College High Schools (ECHSs) are intended to bridge high school and college by creating a hybrid school that combines both high school and postsecondary experiences. ECHSs are not programs per se; rather, they are whole school reform models that combine grades 9-12 and postsecondary into one institution.  Most ECHSs are designed to serve students that are underrepresented in higher education—those from low-income families, racial/ethnic minorities, and first generation college students.

Secretary Duncan: New Assessments Prepare Students for College and Careers

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In a speech hosted by Achieve last week, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan repeatedly emphasized the goal of preparing students for colleges and careers.  Secretary Duncan’s speech was primarily about state consortia working together to create common, rigorous assessments, and he mentioned college- and career-readiness 18 times, framing it as a central goal of developing common standards and assessments. 

Slow and Steady in the Race to Reform

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As we’ve posted recently, much of the RTTT, as well as School Improvement Grant, reforms will focus on high schools. A recent report from the Achievement Gap Initiative (AGI) at Harvard University provides some timely lessons about how high schools improve and become exemplary[1].  

The AGI report details the stories of 15 high schools in six states and highlights five steps that these high schools took to become exemplary:

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