Program Area: Education

High School Reform

Issue Brief: High School Reform

Lessons Learned from Forum Series on High School Reform

Briefs

01/25/08: Improving the Transition from Middle Grades to High Schools: The Role of Early Warning Indicators with Robert Balfanz, Associate Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University; Elaine Allensworth, Co-Director for Statistical Analysis, Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago; Craig Jerald, Independent Consultant, Break the Curve Consulting (Forum Brief)
09/21/2007
: Exemplary CTE Districts and Programs with Gary Hoachlander, Executive Director, ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, Michael Hanlon, Founder, Health Careers Academy at Palmdale High School, California, Michael Owens, Associate Secretary, Adult Education and Workforce Development, Delaware Department of Education, Patrick Savini, Superintendent, Sussex Technical School District, Delaware (Forum Brief)
07/20/2007: The Role of Career and Technical Education in High School Reform: Linking Secondary and Postsecondary Education through CTE with Dr. Laurel Adler, Superintendent, East San Gabriel Regional Occupational Program, West Codiva, CA and Mark Whitlock, CEO, Central Education Center, Coweta County, GA (Forum Brief and webcast)
06/22/2007: The Role of Career and Technical Education in High School Reform: State Efforts to Integrate CTE with Rigorous Standards with Patrick Ainsworth, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary, Postsecondary & Adult Education, California Department of Education, Kathy Oliver, Assistant State Superintendent, Maryland Department of Education, and Alex Harris, Senior Policy Analyst, National Governors Association (Forum Brief and webcast)

05/10/2007: The Role of Career and Technical Education in High School Reform: Career and Technical Education Responding to Industry Needs with Phyllis Eisen, Vice President, The Manufacturing Institute and Executive Director, The Center for Workforce Success, Duane Crum, California State Director, Project Lead the Way (forum Brief and webcast)

03/8/2007: Philadelphia’s Project U-Turn, Citywide Efforts to Address the Dropout Problem with Paul Vallas, Chief Executive Officer, School District of Philadelphia, Ruth Curran Neild, Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University, Courtney Collins-Shapiro, Director, Multiple Pathways to Graduation, School District of Philadelphia, Laura Shubilla, President of the Philadelphia Youth Network. (forum Brief)
01/26/2007: Results from A National Study of Mathematics in Career and Technical Education with Jim Stone, Prinicpal Researcher, University of Minnesota, Joe Fullerton, Program Development Specialist, Lenape Technical School, Ford City, PA, and Jeff Linko, Teacher, Lenape Technical School, Ford City, PA. (Forum)
10/27/2006: New Century High Schools Initiative with Bob Hughes, President, New Visions for Public Schools, Ronald Chaluisan, Vice President of Programs, New Visions for Public Schools, and Elizabeth Reisner, Principal, Policy Studies Associates (Forum brief)
09/29/2006: Secondary-Postsecondary Learning Options: Best Practices in the Field with Ron Kindell, Director, Miami Valley Tech Prep Consortium, Chery Wagonlander, Principal, Mott Middle College High School, and Jennifer Brown Lerner, Program Associate, American Youth Policy Forum (FORUM Brief)
09/08/2006
: Dropout Reconnection as a Local Economic Development Strategy with Andrew O. Moore, Senior Consultant, National League of Cities, Deborah Feldman, Administrator, Montgomery County, Ohio, and Karen Sitnick, Director, Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Baltimore, Maryland. (Forum brief)
06/23/2006
: Middle Grades Reform: Breaking Ranks in the Middle and Schools to Watch with John Nori, Director, School Leadership Services, National Association of Secondary Schools Principals, Irv Howard, Director, California Schools to Watch, Linda Hopping, Co-Chair, Georgia Lighthouse Schools to Watch (Forum brief)
05/19/2006: Career and Technical Education's Role in High School Reform with the Association for Career and Technical Education (Forum brief)
05/15/2006: Schools for a New Society Roundtable Discussion with Rochelle Nichols-Solomon, Director, Schools for a New Society Technical Assistance Program. Academy of Educational Development, Donnie Evans, Superintendent, Providence Public Schools, Mary Harrison, Executive Director, Rhode Island Children's Crusade, Jesse Register, Superintendent, Hamilton County Department of Education, Dan Challener, Public Education Foundation, Chattanooga, and Mindy Hernandez, Carneige Corporation of New York (Forum brief)
04/07/2006: How Do High School Students Get Academic, Leadership, Work Skills, and Still Manage to Serve the Community? With students and faculty from Howenstine High School, Tucson, Arizona (Forum brief)
03/31/2006: Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth: Two Public High School Principals Talk about How They Re-engage Dropouts (Release of Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth) with James Anderson, Principal, Horizonte Instruction and Training Center, William Tracy, Principal, Daylight/Twilight High School, Trenton, Nancy Martin, Senior Program Associate, American Youth Policy Forum, and Samuel Halperin, Senior Fellow, American Youth Policy Forum (forum brief)
03/17/2006: The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through College with Cliff Adelman, Senior Research Analyst, Department of Education (forum brief)
03/10/2006: Rhode Island High School Diploma System: Lessons Learned from Implementation with Joe DiMartino, President, Center for Secondary School Redesign, Andrea Castaneda, Development Officer, Providence Public Schools, and Joe Maruszczak, Principal, Ponaganset High School (Forum brief)
01/13/2006: Charter Schools Providing Academically-Based Workforce Development for Out-of-School Youth: with Ann Higdon, president and founder of Improved Solutions of Urban Systems ISUS and Phil Matero, Deputy Director of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps. (Forum brief)
10/28/2005

CUNY College Now with John Garvey, Associate Dean for Collaborative Programs, City University of New York, Tracy Meade, Deputy Director of Collaborative Programs, City University of New York, and Jennifer Lee, Director of College Now and Collaborative Programs, Baruch College. (forum Brief)
10/21/2005: Coordinated Efforts Focused on Workforce Development for Out of School Youth in Portland with Carole Smith, Director of Alternative Education, Portland Public Schools, Linda Huddle, Director, Alternative Programs/PCC Prep, Portland Community College, and Andrew Mason, Executive Director, Open Meadow Alternative Schools (forum Brief)
9/23/2005
: First Things First: An Effective High School Reform Model with Jim Connell, Founder and President, Institute for Research and Reform in Education and Janet Quint, Senior Associate, MDRC . (Forum Brief)
7/15/2005: On Course for Success: A Close Look at Selected High School Courses that Prepare all Students for College with Stephanie G. Robinson, Principal Partner, Education Trust, Mary Stein, Manager of Elementary and Secondary School Programs, ACT, Norman Grange, Assistant Principal, Lewis Cass Technical High School, and Diane Maisel, Assistant Principal, Murphy High School. (Forum Brief)
6/17/2005: Talent Development High School Model: Findings from MDRC Evaluation, with James Kemple, Senior Research Associate and Corinne Herlihy, Research Associate, MDRC; Jim McPartland, Project Director, Talent Development, Johns Hopkins University; Lois Mondesire, Principal and Laura Schulz, Talent Development Organizational Facilitator, Strawberry Mansion High School, Philadelphia, PA. (Forum Brief)
4/29/2005: A CALL TO ACTION: Transforming High School for All Youth, with Joe DiMartino, Director, Student Centered Learning, LAB at Brown University; Naomi Housman, Director, National High School Alliance; Colleen Callahan, Rhode Island Board of Regents; Michael Bell, Assistant Superintendent, Miami Dade Public Schools; and Lucy Fernandez, Principal, South Texas High School for Health Professions. (Forum Brief)
3/11/2005: Restoring the Balance between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools with Sarah Pearson, Program Associate, American Youth Policy Forum; Gene Carter, Executive Director and CEO, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Shelley H. Billig, Vice President, RMC Research; Barbara Greenspan Shaiman, Founder and Executive Director, Champions of Caring, Ann Marie Marranzini, English Teacher, University City High School, Philadelphia, PA; and Shanae Bentley, Senior, University City High School, Philadelphia, PA. (Press Release)
7/16/2004: States and Districts Can Make Progress and Close the Achievement Gap. Research Reveals Clear Results in School Improvement in Schools Using America’s Choice School Design, The No Child Left Behind Act encourages schools to seek out school improvement plans that have been scientifically proven to raise student achievement. This forum looks at one such plan: the America's Choice School Design. (Forum Brief)
7/1/2004: Four “Ex-Feds” Discuss Federal Education, Considering the increasingly important role that the federal government plays in education, it is important to consider the successes, failures, and possible futures of federal education policy. Accordingly, the American Youth Policy Forum gathered a panel of four senior veterans of federal education policymaking to share their insight. (Forum Brief)
2/4/2004: Schools for a New Society: Systemic High School Reform in Three Cities, with Constancia Warren, Senior Program Officer and Director, Urban High School Initiative, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Rochelle Nichols Solomon, Academy for Educational Development; Jesse Register, Superintendent, Hamilton County Department of Education, Dan Challener, President, Public Education Foundation, and Cheri Dedmon, Principal, East Ridge High School, all from Chattanooga, TN; Melody Johnson, Superintendent, Providence Public Schools, Mary Sylvia Harrison, President and Executive Director, Rhode Island Children's Crusade for Higher Education, David Andrews, Director for High Schools, and Cheryl Gomes, Principal, Classical High School, all from Providence, RI; Richard Owen, Associate Superintendent, High School Improvement, Sacramento City Unified School District, Deanna Hanson, CEO, LEED-Sacramento, and Kelly Young, Professional Development Consultant, all from Sacramento, CA. (Forum Brief)
1/8/2004: California's Public Schools: From First to Worst, A Documentary Premiere with Jounalist John Merrow, Today’s forum screened the national premiere of John Merrow’s and John Tulenko’s dramatic one-hour film documentary, FROM FIRST TO WORST, scheduled to begin airing around the U.S. in February on the Public Broadcasting System. (Forum Brief)
12/12/2003: Creating Equitable High Schools: Strategies to Eliminate Tracking and Ability Grouping, with Kevin G. Welner, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder School of Education, Carol Burris and Delia Garrity, Rockville Free Union School District, Long Island, Ny, and Tom Ledue,Prinicpal, Noble High School, North Berwick, ME (Forum Brief)
7/21/2003: Leading Policy and Practice for Online Teaching and Learning, with John Bailey, Director of Instructional Technology, U S Department of Education; Suellen Reed, State Superintendent, Indiana Department of Education, David Driscoll, Commissioner of Education, Massachusetts Department of Education; Andrew Zucker, Researcher, SRI, and Liz Pape, CEO, Virtual High School. Panelists will identify and discuss policy issues around online standards and quality, economy and sustainability of online education, and online learning models. (Forum Brief)
6/27/2003: Community Schools (Forum)
5/30/2003: Beyond the Pipeline: Getting Principals We Need, Where They Are Needed Most, with Christine DeVita and Richard Laine, Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund, Marguerite Roza, Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington, Susan Gates, Rand Corporation, Michael Casserly, Council of Great City Schools, and Daniel Domenech, Superintendent of Fairfax County, VA Public Schools. (Forum Brief)
3/14/2003: Why Rural Matters 2003: The Continuing Need for Every State to Take Action on Rural Education, with Rachel B. Tompkins, President, and Marty Strange, Policy Director, The Rural Trust; and William J. Mathis, Superintendent of Schools for the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union in Brandon, Vermont. (Forum Brief)
1/17/2003: Educational Reform: Progress and Prospects with Robert Schwartz, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Warren Simmons, Annenberg Institute for School Reform, Brown University, Gene Bottoms, Southern Regional Education Board. (Forum Brief)
11/8/2002: GE Fund College Bound Program Leads to Increased College Access and Retention, with Alan Melchior, Brandeis University, Nicholas Kostan, Superintendent, Lynn Public Schools (MA), and Frank Butts, Principal, John F. Kennedy High School, Richmond, VA. (Forum Brief)
10/18/2002: Florida Virtual School: The Future of Learning?, Virtual instruction is an increasingly common phenomenon: twelve states have established on-line high schools and five others are developing them; 25 states have cyber charter schools, and 32 states have e-learning initiatives underway. (Forum Brief)
10/7/2002: Raising Student Achievement: A Role for Municipal Leaders, National League of Cities, with Audrey M. Hutchinson, Program Director, Education and Afterschool Initiatives, Institute for Youth, Education, and Families at the National League of Cities; Mayor John De Stefano, Jr. of New Haven, Connecticut; and Dr. Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director of the National School Boards Association. (Forum Brief)
7/18/2002: Connecting Kids to Technology: Challenges and Opportunities, cosponsored with the Benton Foundation, the Anne E. Casey Foundation, and the Education Technology Think Tank, with Rep. Major Owens, Tony Wilhelm, Benton Foundation, Felipe M. Floresca, Anne E. Casey Foundation, Ron Skinner, Education Week, and Dr. Ronnie Lowenstein, Education Technology Think Tank. (Forum Brief)
6/28/2002: Services and Programs for Migrant Youth, with Richard Gomez, Jr., Director of Migrant/Bilingual Education, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of Washington; Ann M. Cranston-Gingras, Professor of Special Education and Director of the Center for Migrant Education, University of South Florida. (Forum Brief)
5/13/2002: Comprehensive School Reform and Service Learning: A Potential Partnership? With Shelley H. Billig, Vice President, RMC Corporation, Hudi Podolsky, Executive Director, Coalition of Essential Schools; Greg Farrell, President, Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound; and Susan Kovalik, President, Integrated Thematic Instruction. (Forum Brief)
4/9/2002: Baldrige Education Award Winners, Harry Hertz, Director, Baldrige National Quality Program, NIST; Richard DeLorenzo, Superintendent, Chugach School District, Anchorage, Alaska; Frank Auriemma, Assistant Superintendent, Pearl River School District, Pearl River, NY; Charles Sorensen, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin. (Forum Brief)
4/5/2002: Can Policy Keep Pace with Changing Practice on Our High Schools? with Mike Cohen, Senior Fellow , The Aspen Institute Program on Education in a Changing Society; Adria Steinberg, Program Director, Jobs for the Future; and Tim Knowles, Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Boston Public Schools (Forum BrieF)
3/22/2002: Equal Access to Postsecondary Education? The Case of Undocumented Alien Students, with Josh Bernstein, National Immigration Law Center; Alejandra Rincon, Emergency Immigrant Education Program, Houston, Texas; and Dan Stein, American Immigration Reform. (Forum Brief)
3/1/2002: Addressing the Causes and Consequences of High Student Mobility: The Role of School Systems and Communities, with Barbara Buell, educator and parent advocate, Chicago Panel for School Policy's Parent Connection; Carlos Azcoitia, Deputy Chief Education Officer, Chicago Public School System; and David Kerbow, Research Associate, Center for School Improvement, University of Chicago. (Forum Brief)
11/16/2001: Community-Based Organization Schools, with Richard Murphy and Jean Thomases, Academy for Educational Development; Daniel Grego, TransCenter for Youth, Milwaukee; Perry Price, Minneapolis Urban League Street Academy, Minneapolis; and Arnaldo Rivas, Former Student, Shalom High School, Milwaukee. (Forum Brief)
11/16/2001: Great Expectations, The E-Rate at Five: New Models and Policies to Maximize the Impact of America's Investments in Educational Technology with Norris Dickard, Senior Associate,Communications Policy Program, Benton Foundation, Margaret Honey, Director, Center for Children and Technology, Andy Gersick, a Researcher at CCT, and Chris Dede, Timothy E. Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University. (Forum Brief)
11/9/2001: First Things First a district wide school reform model, with Jim Connell, President, Institute for Research and Reform in Education, Philadelphia, PA, and Steve Gering, Executive Director for Instruction, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. (Forum Brief)
7/12/2001: Financing and Resource Issues in High School Reform. (Discussion Group)
6/1/2001: Wakefield High School's Technology Program: Educating for the Future, with Dr. Marie Shiels-Djouadi, Principal; Ms. Monica Olivette, Computer Information Systems and Business Education Teacher; and students from Wakefield High School. (Forum Brief)
5/18/2001: Improving Programs for Language Minority Youth in Secondary Schools, with Donna Christian, President, Center for Applied Linguistics; Jorge Ruiz-de-Velasco, author; Michael Fix, author; and Delia Pmpa, Executive Director, National Association for Bilingual Education. (Forum Brief)
5/11/2001: High Schools That Work: State Policies That Support Student Achievement, with Gene Bottoms, Senior Vice President, Southern Regional Education Board. (Forum Brief)
1/30/2001: DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund Release of New Rules, New Roles: Preparing All Young People for a Changing World, with Gene Bottoms, Senior Vice President, Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, GA; Hilary Pennington, President, Jobs for the Future, Boston, MA; David Stern, University of California, Berkeley; Jim Kemple, Senior Research Associate, Manpower Research Demonstration Corporation, New York, NY; Ephraim Weisstein, Vice President, Center for Youth Development and Education, Corporation for Business, Work and Learning, Boston, MA; Dorothy Stoneman, President, YouthBuild, Somerville, MA; and Kathleen Selz, President, National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, Washington, DC. (Report Release)
1/24/2001: The Supports Students Need to Meet High Academic Standards, co-sponsored with DCVoice, with Dr. Asa Hilliard, Georgia State University on the occasion of the release of a new report by DC VOICE entitled, "Half the Solution: A Community Based Research Project on the Supports Students Need to Meet High Academic Standards." (Forum Brief)
11/14/2000: A Dinner Discussion with David Hornbeck. (Dinner Meeting)
4/28/2000: Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Education, with Peggy Siegel, the Director of Business/Education Initiatives for the National Alliance of Business (NAB), Brenda Clark, Principal of Azalea Elementary School, Doug Smith, Principal of Osceola High School, Star Glock, Staffing Specialist at GTE, and Lisa Deprez, Six Sigma Expert Raytheon. (Forum Brief)
4/14/2000: Small Schools and Learning Communities: The Wave of the Future? with Trish McNeil, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education; Kathleen Cotton, Research Associate, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory; Mike Klonsky, Director, Small Schools Workshop, University of Illinois at Chicago; Marty Strange, Policy Director, Rural School and Community Trust; and Iris Metts, Superintendent, Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland. (Forum Brief)
2/25/2000: Raising the Bar: The Promise of Standards-Based Education Reform, with Marc Tucker, President, National Center on Education and the Economy, and Patricia Harvey, Superintendent of St. Paul, MN speaking on using the New Standards Curriculum to boost student achievement. (Forum Brief)
11/19/1999: ESEA Reauthorization: Where Are We on the Process? (Forum Brief)
11/12/1999: A Close Up View of School Reform: Chicago, Seattle and Philadelphia, with John Merrow. (Forum Brief)
10/22/1999: The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and "Tougher Standards" Alfie Kohn, author. (Forum Brief)
9/17/1999: New American Schools: Getting Better By Design. A Preview of the Annenberg and Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Comprehensive School Reform Video Series. (Forum Brief)
7/30/1999: Standards-Based Reform and Accountability: Analysis of Two States — North Carolina and Texas, with John Barth, National Education Goals Panel and David Grissmer, RAND. (Forum Brief)
7/9/1999: Contextual Learning: What is it? with representatives of CORD. (Forum Brief)
6/25/1999: Immigrant Adolescents with Limited Schooling and Literacy: Developing Responsive Programs, with Donna Christian, Center for Applied Linguistics, JoAnn Crandall and Ann Jaramillo, Project WE TEACH, and Holly Stein, Prince Georges County Public Schools. (Forum Brief)
6/15/1999: Dinner discussion with Superindendent of Fairfax County Schools, Dr. Daniel Domenech. (Dinner Discussion)
4/12/1999: The Reauthorization of ESEA Title I: Key Findings From The Civil Rights Project, with James McPartland of Johns Hopkins University, David Grissmer of RAND, and Gary Orfield of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. (Forum Brief)
3/26/1999: Order in the Classroom — Violence, Discipline and Student Achievement, with Paul Barton, Director of the ETS Policy Information Center. (Forum Brief)
1/8/1999: The El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence: Is It Possible to Turn Big City School Systems Around? with Anne T. Henderson, Institute for Education and Social Policy. (Forum Brief)
12/11/1998: A Revolution in School District Governance: The Chicago Experience, with Dorothy Shipps, Director, Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago. (Forum Brief)
10/16/1998: Is the American High School Obsolete?: A University President's Vision of a New Future for High Schools, with Leon Botstein, President, Bard College. (Forum Brief)
3/12/1998: A Discussion with Dr. Thomas W. Payzant, Superintendent, Boston Public Schools: System-Wide School Reform: A National and Local Perspective. (Dinner Meeting)
1/16/1998: High Schools That Work: Critical Insights on School Reform, with Gene Bottoms, Director, Southern Regional Educational Board, State Vocational Education Consortium. (Forum Brief)
2/28/1997: Teaching the New Basic Skills: Linking Schools, the Economy and Education Reform, with Richard Murnane, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Frank Levy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (Forum Brief)
2/7/1997: Redesigning Schools for Success: An Overview of New American Schools, with John Anderson, President, New American Schools. (Forum Brief)
12/6/1996: Educational Technology as a Mechanism for School Reform, with Linda Quinn, Principal-in-Residence, Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education, and Richard Schwab, Dean, School of Education, Drake University. (Forum Brief)

Trip Reports

03/12/2008- 03/13/2008: State Policy Trip to Providence, Rhode Island: Proficiency-based High School Diploma System. Highlights from this trip include meetings with Robert Flanders, Chair of the Board of Regents; Peter McWalters, Commissioner of Education; Jack Warner, Commissioner of Higher Education; and Janet Durfee-Hidalgo, Education Policy Advisor of Governor Donald Carcieri, as well as other state and district education leaders. In addition, the group visited high schools around the state to see how the diploma system has been implemented at the school level. (Trip Report)
11/7/2007- 11/9/2007

: State Policy Trip to Little Rock, AR, November 7-9, 2007: Expanding Advanced Placement Participation and Building Public Will. Highlights from this trip include meetings with T. Kenneth James, AR Commissioner of Education; Senator Jim Argue, Chair of the AR Senate Education Committee; Kathryn Hazelett, Governor Mike Beebe's Education Policy Advisor; Steve Floyd, Director of the AR Department of Higher Education; as well as other policy and education experts at the state level. In addition, we visited the historic Little Rock Central High School and the Wilbur Mills University Study School. (Trip Report)
10/18/2007- 10/19/2007: State Policy Trip to Miami, Florida, October 18-19, 2007: Career Pathways and K-12 Education. Highlights from this trip include meeting with Rudy Crew, Superintendent of Miami-Dade Country Public Schools, as well as other policy and education experts at the state and local levels. In addition, we visited Miami Edison Senior High School, MacArthur South Senior High School, and Robert Morgan Educational Center. (Trip Report)

1/24/2007- 1/26/2007: State Policy Trip to Georgia, January 24-26, 2007: College and Work-ready Standards. Highlights from this trip include meetings with Governor Sonny Perdue and State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox, representatives from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, Georgia Department of Education, the University System of Georgia, and the business community, as well as visits to the Central Educational Center, Gateway to College at Georgia Perimeter College, Morgan Country High School, and the Early College High School. (trip report)
11/15/2006- 11/16/2006: State Policy Trip to Indiana, November 15-16, 2006: Supporting Students At Risk of Dropping Out and Increasing Course Rigor. Highlights from this trip include meetings with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed, state legislators, representatives from the Governor’s Office, Department of Public Instruction, higher education, and the business community, as well as visits to the Lawrence Early College High School for Science and Technologies and Shelbyville High School. (trip report)

10/5/2006- 10/6/2006: State Policy Trip to North Carolina, October 5-6, 2006: STEM and Early College. Highlights from this trip include visits to the School of Health and Life Sciences, Information Technology High School, and Robeson Early College High School, as well as meetings with state legislators and representatives from the Governor’s Office, Department of Public Instruction, Community College System, and the business community (trip report)

5/25/2006- 5/26/2006: State Policy Trip to New York City, May 25-26, 2006: Dual Enrollment and Multiple Pathways to Graduation. Highlights from this trip include visits to South Brooklyn Community High School, The Bronx Academy of Letters, and Middle College High School at LaGuardia Community College, as well as meetings with Joel Klein, NYC Chancellor of Education, and Sheila Evans-Tranumn, Associate Commissioner of Education. (TRIP REPORT)

3/12/2006- 3/14/2006: State Policy Trip to Boston, MA, March 12-14, 2006: Extended-day Policies and Turning Around Low-
Performing Schools. Highlights include visits to the Boston Day and Evening Academy, Boston Community Leadership Academy, Another Course to College, and three small schools at the South Boston Education Complex, and meetings with Superintendent Thomas Payzant, and Massachusetts Commissioner of Education David Driscoll (trip report)
2/15/2006- 2/17/2006: State Policy Trip to San Diego, CA, February 15-17, 2006: College-ready Curriculum and High Tech High. Highlights include visits to High Tech High, Madison Senior High School, School of International Business, the San Diego MET, and meetings with Superintendent Carl Cohn and Deputy Superintendent Geno Flores, and California State Deputy Superintendent Sue Stickel (trip report)
5/31/2005- 6/1/2005: Site Visit to Boston, MA , with visits to Another Course to College, Boston Community Leadership Academy, Hyde Square Task Force, Boston Collegiate Charter School, and Boston Day and Evening Academy and meetings with Superintendent Payzant and the partners in the high school reform efforts. (Trip Report)
12/2/2003 - 12/3/2003: High School Reform in Cleveland, Ohio, This visit was organized to allow participants to learn about the efforts of a large urban school district that is engaged in converting its comprehensive high schools into small learning communities, creating new small schools, and to learn about other programs that support student achievement and entry into postsecondary education or work. (Trip Report)
5/21/2003 - 5/24/2003: High School Reform in San Diego, CA, with visits to High Tech High School, Mission Bay High School, Garfield Alternative High School, and Southwest High School, and meetings with officials from the San Diego City Schools, Patrick Ainsworth, Director, High School Leadership Division, CA State Department of Education, and Doris Alvarez, Principal, Preuss Charter School. (Trip Report)
4/29/2003: Civics in Action: DC Students Changing the Course of Public Policy at the Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School, with Charles Haynes of First Amendment Schools Project and Irasema Salcido, Principal, Cesar Chavez Public Policy High School. (Trip Report)
3/17/2003 - 3/19/2003: Education, Community and Workforce Development in Rural Mississippi, Field Trip to the Delta Region of Mississippi (Trip Report)
12/3/2002 - 12/5/2002: Building and Strengthening Linkages between Traditional and Nontraditional Education Systems in Austin, TX. The study mission was jointly sponsored by the American Youth Policy Forum and the National Youth Employment Coalition. Members of the Austin Group, a volunteer group of organizations, agencies and individuals dedicated to providing quality educational options and resources for vulnerable youth, also participated. (Trip Report)
11/18/2002 - 11/19/2002: Comprehensive High School Reform and Extended Learning in New York City. Visits to several comprehensive high schools implementing educational reform programs and to high school-level after-school programs. (Field Trip)
5/13/2002 - 5/14/2002: High School Redesign and Innovation, Providence, Rhode Island, with visits to The Big Picture Company regarding The Met, the Rhode Island Children's Crusade for Higher Education, Providence School District, Central High School, Mt. Pleasant High School, and the Arts/Literacy Project at Brown University. (Trip Report)
4/24/2002 - 4/26/2002: Interventions for Youth in the School- and Out-of-School Hours in Denver, Colorado, focusing on Colorado's Small Schools Initiative and high school reform, including a visit to Manual High School; and community schools and extended learning opportunities, with a visit to Cole Middle School, the site of a Beacon Neighborhood Center; adolescent youth programming, and visits to The Spot, downtown Denver's award-winning, nonprofit, drop-in youth center, and YouthBiz, a Youth Opportunity Grant site. (Trip Report)
12/3/2001: Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Greenbelt, MD, New American High School Academy Leadership. (Trip Report)
10/18/2001 - 10/19/2001: A View of Exemplary Practices in Two Virginia Cities — A Nationally Recognized High School in Newport News and Youth Development and Comprehensive Youth Programming in Hampton featuring insights into Hampton’s commitment to comprehensive programming for youth with a focus on youth as assets, and visits to Jones Middle School, the Newtown Learning Center, youth-serving agencies, Menchville High School (a 1999-2000 U.S. Department of Education New American High School, Newport News), and a meeting with Hampton City government leaders. (Trip Report)
6/4/2001 - 6/5/2001: School and Community Reforms for Student Achievement in Boston, Massachusetts, with visits to Fenway High School (pilot school), Brighton High School (small career clusters), the Diploma Plus program at Boston Adult Technical Academy, and a Boston Excels full-service community school at Ellis Elementary School. (Trip Report)
12/4/2000 - 12/5/2000: A Look at Service-Learning in South Carolina, with visits to Spring Valley High School and Wren High School. (Trip Report)
12/6/1999 - 12/7/1999: High School Reform Efforts in Chicago, with visits to a New American High Schools and an Education-to-Careers school. (Trip Report)
5/17/1999: Visit to the District of Columbia Charter Schools. (Trip Report)
5/6/1999 - 5/7/1999: Secondary School Reform in New York City. (Trip Report)
4/16/1998 - 4/17/1998: Urban Education Reform: The Boston Experience, with visits to Jeremiah Burke High School, Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Carney Hospital, Bunker Hill Community College and University School at Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (Trip Report)
6/8/1995 - 6/9/1995: Field Trip : New Visions for School and Community, in The Bronx and Brooklyn, New York, programs that bring together elementary, middle and high schools with employers, offer career awareness, community service and work-site learning tied to academic credits for young people and jobs and training for young adults. (Trip Report)
3/23/1995 - 3/24/1995: Field Trip: Reforms in Urban Education, Youth Development, Community Service and School-to-Career Transition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including visits to the Fitness and Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Academies; Health Tech 2000; the YouthBuild Program; a West Philadelphia Partnership Improvement Corporation community service site, Shaw Middle School; and meeting with Superintendent of Schools David Hornbeck. (Trip Report)

Publications

View PDF	The College Ladder: Linking Secondary and Postsecondary Education for Success for All Students This compendium identifies and describes schools, programs, and policies that link secondary and postsecondary education to help students earn college credit or take college-level courses while in high school. It raises issues for practitioners and policymakers to consider as these program grow and target a wider range of students.
View PDF	Federal, State, and Local Roles Supporting Alternative Education This white paper examines the roles that various levels of government play through legislation, policy, and other initiatives that support quality alternative education programs to reconnect youth to education and the workplace. It raises issues for policymakers at all levels to consider in facilitating the development of expanded alternative education pathways, which reduce the number of students dropping out of school and provide well-lit reentry points for those who leave school before obtaining a diploma.
View PDF	Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth This report documents what committed educators, policymakers, and community leaders across the country are doing to reconnect out-of-school youth to the social and economic mainstream. It provides background on the serious high school dropout problem and describes in-depth what twelve communities are doing to reconnect dropouts to education and employment training. It also includes descriptions of major national program models serving out-of-school youth.
View PDF	The Link between High School Reform and College Success for Low-Income and Minority Youth The report provides an in-depth review of school reform research that presents evidence of college preparation for all students. It examines the predictors of college-going behavior and how they have been addressed within the high school reform movement. The report then draws out the promising practices from existing reform initiatives and makes recommendations.
View PDF	Restoring the Balance between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools The report, released by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), in partnership with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum (ASCD), questions the current focus on core academic subjects at the expense of an equally important role: preparing students to be engaged and effective citizens. The report is the product of collaborative discussion among policymakers, education practitioners, community groups, parents, and youth across the nation. The report offers a seven-step action plan to help schools refocus on the goal of creating both academically proficient and civically engaged students. The report also highlights several programs, including school-community partnerships that promote both quality academics and civic engagement.
View PDF	Transforming the American High School: Lessons Learned and Struggles Ahead From October 2000 – April 2004, AYPF provided a variety of learning experiences for policymakers to help them learn about strategies to create more effective learning environments for youth, particularly disadvantaged youth that lead to increased academic achievement and better preparation for further learning and careers. AYPF conducted this work, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, by organizing speaker forums, field trips, discussion groups, and roundtables and by producing a number of relevant publications for policymakers and practitioners. This report summarizes what we learned from these events.
View PDF Word document	Finance and Resource Issues in High School Reform This report summarizes discussions between education and youth development leaders regarding the need to address financial and resource issues in high school reform. These topics were identified as being serious obstacles to meaningful reform in the 2000 American Youth Policy Forum report, High Schools of the Millennium. Inside, the reader will find participants’ thoughts on how education reformers might address challenges in four distinct areas: 1) allocation and alignment of resources to support standards-based reform and higher expectations for all students, 2) generating resources for the interventions and specialized programs necessary to support the learning of students with special needs, 3) allocating resources to support learning in alternative education settings, and 4) developing funding strategies for dual enrollment programs.
View PDF Word document	Essentials of High School Reform This report speaks to a concern that much attention is being paid to greater academic achievement in core subjects, resulting in little focus on improved academic outcomes that include other valued skills, such as communication, teamwork, analytical, and interpersonal skills, that youth need to be successful. The report contends that high school students also need to learn about potential careers, have a familiarity with the world of work beyond the classroom walls, and develop some occupational competencies. Inside, the reader will find two papers and summaries of roundtables that provide policy recommendations and practical advice on how to structure contextual teaching and learning and alternative assessments activities at the high school level. Included are a multi-faceted approach to educational leadership, professional development, and federal education policy, and descriptions of effective policies, practices, and programs for improving student learning.
View PDF	Shaping the Future of American Youth: Youth Policy in the 21st Century In that spirit, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) decided to celebrate its Tenth Anniversary in January 2003 by inviting 14 of America’s leading experts on youth affairs analysts, activists, advocates, institution-builders to write the essays and commentaries in this volume. These leaders accepted our challenge to step back from the press of their fully committed working days and reconsider the development of their particular field of youth affairs over the past decade, take a leap into the future, and sketch their personal hopes and visions for a positive and creative future for American youth in the decade ahead.
View PDF	Rigor and Relevance: A New Vision for Career and Technical Education With the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act due to be reauthorized in 2003, it is appropriate to ask the question, What should the role of the federal government in Career and Technical Education (CTE) be? To provide one angle on this debate, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) organized a series of discussion groups with a diverse range of individuals to focus on this topic. The discussion groups helped inform this paper, and while not all participants endorse all aspects of this paper, they are hopeful of a serious review of many of its contents during the reauthorization process.
View PDF	RAISING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: A Study of 20 Successful Programs 20 youth programs that succeeded in raising test scores, retention rates, graduation rates and other measures of academic performance. The report analyses the strategies used by the programs for their participants. Summaries of the programs are included.
View PDF	DO YOU KNOW THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT AMERICAN EDUCATION has searched through education news, currently overrun with discouraging statistics and stories, to find facts that show improvements in some areas. Do you know that fewer students are dropping out of school, school crime is declining, more girls are taking high-level mathematics and science courses, and more students with disabilities are being educated in regular classrooms? Learn more good news in the report.
View PDF	HIGH SCHOOLS OF THE MILLENNIUM: Report of the Workgroup High schools are out of date and need to be redesigned to meet the needs of today's youth, claims a new report High Schools of the Millennium: Report of the Workgroup, published by the American Youth Policy Forum. The report argues for a new vision of high school, one that uses all the resources of the community to create smaller learning environments, to engage youth in their striving for high academic achievement, to support them with adult mentors and role models, and to provide them with opportunities to develop their civic, social, and career skills.