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Secondary School Improvement

Research and promising practices indicate that key factors in secondary school success include the following:

• Bridging programs that assist students as they transition from middle school to high school and from high school to college and the workplace.
• Learning environments that are safe and supportive through strategies such as the creation of small learning communities and linking at-risk students with adult mentors.
• Learning opportunities that are both rigorous and relevant for all students.
• Instruction that leads to reduced achievement gaps and addresses the needs of at-risk students, including English language learners and students with special needs, through interventions, such as differentiated instruction and a school-wide literacy development focus.

The wide variety of Web-based resources on high school improvement include research findings, reform initiatives and interventions, and promising practices from high schools around the nation. The following websites can serve as a starting point as you explore secondary school improvement.

Achieve, Inc.. Achieve, Inc. was created by the nation’s governors and business leaders to help states raise standards and achievement so that all students graduate ready for college, work, and citizenship.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: High School Improvement and Best Practices. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is focused on raising the high school graduation rate and helping all students graduate as strong citizens ready for college and work.

Education Commission of the States (ECS). The ECS seeks to inform policymakers regarding state high school systems by gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information about current and emerging issues, trends, and innovations in state educational high school policy and system designs.

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). The NASSP’s mission is to promote excellence in middle school and high school leadership. The various Breaking Ranks documents and tools engage principals, teacher leaders, and the entire school community in reforming secondary schools.

Breaking Ranks for High School

Breaking Ranks for Middle School

National High School Alliance (NHSA). The NHSA is a partnership of organizations that represent diverse perspectives but share a commitment to high academic achievement, closing the achievement gap, and promoting civic and personal growth in youth in our high schools and communities.

National High School Center (NHSC). The NHSC, one of the national content centers within the U.S. Department of Education-funded Comprehensive Center Program, provides tools and products on the latest practices and information on high school topics and high school improvement.

Preparing America’s Future High School Initiative. This U.S. Department of Education Initiative builds on the belief that all students must be held to high standards, but not all students learn in the same way. This website highlights research and noteworthy practices.

Pathways to College Network. Pathways to College Network. Pathways to College Network is an alliance of organizations committed to using research-based knowledge to improve postsecondary education access and success for the nation’s underserved students.