My Role – Educators

Students by lockersConnections to Designing High Schools for Success:
Educators at every level are vital participants in building high schools for success. Educators who are informed of best practices around high school design can become leaders who propel change in their buildings and beyond. Effective practice within high school classrooms can help inform decisions at the building and district levels, and educators can provide a valuable link between multiple stakeholder groups, including students and families. Beginning conversations about effective high school among educators can initiate movements for success from the grassroots level and promote enduring and meaningful change within high schools.

Resources:

America’s Promise is a program founded by General Colin Powell. The organization and web site is focused on developing collaboration and alliances committed to fundamental resources that children need to succeed. These “five promises” have been identified as caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education, and opportunities to help others. www.americaspromise.org/APA.htm

Building Wisconsin's Economic Future: This paper summarizes what businesses and schools can do to work together to build a solid educational foundation and a strong and vital economy by focusing on building a highly educated workforce. State Superintendent Burmaster outlines strategies for schools, students and parents.
PDF Building Wisconsin's Economic Future

The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement: Learning Points Associates resource with web and podcasts and an online searchable database. Newsletters, publications and policy briefs www.centerforcsri.org

Center for High School Excellence:  NCREL/LPA site with a topic search function and a link to “Key 9 Action Guide” – strategies to improve high schools within the NCLB implementation. www.chse.org

Children at Risk of Not Graduating from High School: Each school district in Wisconsin is required to identify and serve students who are at risk of not graduating from high school. Information is provided about the categorical aid program is available for districts with high numbers of dropouts for funding to provide specialized services. There are links to additional resources such as alternative education programs, skills certificate programs, GED, etc. www.dpi.wi.gov/atrisk/atrisk.html

The Education Alliance at Brown University: offers strategic mapping processes and supports for schools and districts like organizational self-assessments and problem-solving processes. Offers resources, publications, strategic models and related links surrounding High School Improvement Planning & Development, Personalization in the Classroom and in the School, Professional Learning Communities, Small Learning Cummunities. www.alliance.brown.edu/ae_secondary.php

Middle Colleges: Governors all over the country are pledging to reform high schools. One way to do this is through the creation and support of middle colleges or early college high schools. Middle colleges are high schools located on college campuses. Early college high schools combine high school and college, and allow students to earn both a high school diploma and college credits.  This is an explanation of the Middle College design from the Education Commission of the States (ECS). www. ecs.org/html/issue.asp?issueID=108&subIssueID=167

National Education Association resources related to dropout issues. Includes research reports, position statements, and numerous practical ideas for teachers, parents, and administrators. www.nea.org/dropout

National High School Alliance framed the work of the Task Force. This is a major partnership effort around high school reform to provide resources, opportunities to discuss best practices and inform policy around each of 5 targeted areas for action.
hsalliance.org

The National High School Center serves as the central source of information and expertise on high school improvement for the Regional Comprehensive Centers (RCCs). The web site includes extensive reports, issue papers, and links to useful resources. www.betterhighschools.org

NCREL Strategies to Improve High Schools: Learning Points Associates (LPA) developed the Quick Key Series to assist educators, policymakers and other stakeholders, in implementing NCLB. This guide addresses strategies to improve high schools. Resources are provided with information related to the issue of preparing students for the workforce of the 21st Century. Links and information available include statewide high school improvement plans, supporting research and practical examples.
PDF dpi.wi.gov/sprntdnt/pdf/lpahandoutquickkey9.pdf

Service-Learning: Service-Learning provides an opportunity for partnerships between academic work and service to the community. Resources are available for service-learning planning, assessing the quality of a service learning experience and links to a study showing service-learning has a strong impact on youth-adult transitions. www.dpi.wi.gov/fscp/slhmpage.html

Wisconsin’s Virtual Schools: The Wisconsin Web Academy was made possible as a result of s. 115.28 (53), Wis. Stats. The legislation requires the Department of Public Instruction to provide equitable access to high-quality online education by offering online courses to school districts, cooperative educational service agencies, charter schools, and private schools located in this state. dpi.wi.gov/imt/onlinevir.html