My Role – Policy Makers

Connections to Designing High Schools for Success:
Policy makers provide critical leadership to ensure that the elements necessary for high school design are put in place at the state, district, building, and classroom level. Policy makers can connect key stakeholder groups, articulate a vision gathered from the field and work behind the scenes to promote a culture of collaboration around high school design. Though policy makers include those who directly work with state and local government, this subgroup includes anyone with an interest in effecting change at the systems level.

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

CCSSO Secondary school redesign: web publications, redesign newsletter, web forum, power points from past conferences. CCSSO_Resources

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

National Conference of State Legislators high school reform: info about high school reform focused narrowly for state legislators. Includes a “Tools for policy makers page” as well as overviews of strategies for high school reform. www.ncsl.org/programs/educ/HSReform.htm

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 Governors’ Association High School Reform: action agenda and recommendations for state leaders. Links to policy documents. NGA Education Best Practices

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.
dpi.wi.gov/sprntdnt/pdf/lpahandoutquickkey9.pdf

New Hampshire’s Follow the Child Plan: Follow The Child is an initiative in New Hampshire was developed to help schools and teachers foster student aspirations to promote student achievement through an emphasis on personalized learning and assessment. Expanding upon the spirit of No Child Left Behind, Follow The Child focuses on measuring growth in the personal, social, physical, and academic facets of each student's life and defining the necessary support systems needed for each student's success. This initiative helps to preserve the individual education of each child as the defining purpose of New Hampshire 's educational system.
www. ed.state.nh.us/education/FTC/FTC_Index.htm

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