Policy: District

Reinventing the Federal Role in Education: Supporting the Goal of College and Career Readiness for All Students

This issue brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education addresses the need to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to help improve the college and career readiness of all high school students, especially those at the lowest-performing high schools.

Learning for the 21st Century. A Report and Mile Guide for 21st Century Skills

This report from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills examines the essential skills that people will need today and tomorrow. The six key elements of 21st century learning include emphasizing core subjects and learning skills, using 21st century tools to develop learning skills, teaching and learning 21st century content in a 21st century context, and using 21st century assessments that measure 21st century skills.

Meeting Five Critical Challenges of High School Reform: Lessons from Research on Three Reform Models

This report from MDRC looks at how three different high school reform models--Career Academies, First Things First, and Talent Development--addressed five challenges found to be obstacles to successful reform implementation in low-performing high schools. According to this report, the pillars of high school reform are structural changes to improve personalization and instructional improvement. The report offers tangible solutions as well as supporting evidence and various resources.

New Hampshire’s Multi-tiered Approach to Dropout Prevention

Many states and districts across the country struggle with designing and implementing coherent dropout prevention initiatives that promote academic advancement, especially for special needs students, who drop out at much higher rates than the general student population. This snapshot from the National High School Center recognizes New Hampshire for its innovative use of data collection and analysis as the key to unlocking the dropout problem.

States’ Progress Toward High School Restructuring

As many Title I high schools approach their fifth year of failing to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP), many states and districts are struggling to navigate the new waters of school restructuring as required in such cases as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. This brief from the National High School Center outlines the provisions of the law related to restructuring and includes strategies that states and districts are undertaking to meet their obligations under the law, particularly at the high school level.

Improving Literacy Outcomes for English Language Learners in High School: Considerations for States and Districts in Developing a Coherent Policy Framework

This research brief from the National High School Center outlines existing barriers regarding teacher expectations, tracking, and placement of English language learners (ELLs) and offers key policies and useful strategies in building capacity and developing learning environments conducive for all students in obtaining academic success.

A National Study on Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Youth with Disabilities (Technical Report 36)

The researchers of this study administered a survey to state directors of special education or other appropriate representatives from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in an effort to collect data on the variation in state graduation requirements and diploma options for students with and without disabilities, the intended and unintended consequences of exit exams as a requirement for receiving a diploma, and such consequences of using single or multiple diploma options for students with disabilities.

Report on Key Practices and Policies of Consistently Higher Performing High Schools

This National High School Center report focuses on successful high schools, highlighting the ways in which many superintendents, principals, and teachers are setting and meeting high expectations for all students. Developed specifically for state leaders, it provides them with suggestions on how they may support initiatives that are linked with accelerated learning.

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