Alignment

This brief from ACT illustrates that taking core work in high school does not guarantee the student will graduate or be prepared for life after high school. Further, it examines the gap between secondary and postsecondary education in the U.S. The author recommends a focus on successful strategies for eliminating this gap so that all high school graduates learn the essential skills they need to be successful in college and work.

This resource from EPIC discusses the findings from the Texas College and Career Readiness Initiative (TCCRI). The authors highlight the dimension of the TCCRI that is focused on improving alignment between high school and college in Texas.

This study provides descriptive statistics about Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in Tennessee high schools. The study used school-level data, including both regular and special education graduates in more than 300 schools. The report identified a discrepancy between the distribution of students across CTE education areas and the extent to which those areas correspond to high demand high wage occupations.

This report from the National Center on Time & Learning discusses key practices in optimizing increased learning time. The authors surveyed 30 high-performing schools, including 11 high schools, with longer school days and/or years and identified eight “powerful practices” of using increased learning time to improve student performance and engagement. The report provides case study illustrations to show school-level implementation for each of the eight practices.

This study uses a sample of ninth grade students and their parents to determine current educational and career plans, perceptions and concerns. Findings indicate a discrepancy between actual college cost and availability and students’ plans, and alignment between parent and student aspirations.

This report by EPIC reveals that students who are generally proficient in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will likely be ready for a wide range of postsecondary courses. The more CCSS in which they are proficient, the wider the range of postsecondary-level classes they will be ready to undertake.

This practice guide from the U.S. Department of Education examined studies of college access interventions. An expert panel recommended practices for promoting college access including use of college preparatory curriculum, assessment of the development of skills needed for college and surrounding students with adults and peers that reinforce college aspirations. Prepared by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), the guide notes the level of research evidence that demonstrates each recommendation’s effectiveness.

This framework, sponsored by ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, discusses critical elements needed to build district infrastructure for Linked Learning, California’s system of preparing students for college and careers. The author identifies 17 critical elements that district leaders must consider to properly support Linked Learning. These critical elements are organized into three categories: (1) Leadership and Systems Alignment, (2) Pathway Design and Quality, and (3) Operations.

This Alliance for Excellent Education policy brief, targeted toward federal and state policymakers, argues that remedial college courses are economically inefficient. Costs associated with remedial courses include the cost of the course which is often federally funded through grants, and, because students who enroll in remedial courses are much less likely to graduate, loss of lifetime earnings. The brief argues that reforming high school curriculum and teaching and ensuring vertical alignment through college- and career-readiness are essential and much more cost effective.

This issue brief, sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education, discusses using multiple pathways to prepare students for college and career. The author examines the effects of California’s multiple pathways programs on high school students, concluding that multiple pathways can increase high school graduation rates, engagement, achievement, and college and career readiness. The author also provides recommendations that include addressing federal laws, funding stream structures, and policies that inhibit multiple pathway programs.