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October 30, 1996
Education Daily
Page 7
Editor's note: Following is the fifth in a 10-part series examining high schools the Education Depart-
ment says are well designed to help students find the right academic and career paths.
St. Louis's 'Gateway' Links Academics, Industry Skills
The Gateway Institute of Technology in St.
medical business, nursing and biomedical
Louis has done its homework, and it's paying
technology. But the academy outgrew its
off for its students.
facility, and the health career schools couldn't
offer a full range of courses, Tieber said.
Before the secondary school opened in 1992,
its officials scoped out local industries to de-
The state's voluntary desegregation program
termine which were expected to grow, so the
allowed the three schools to merge their
school could develop relevant courses.
resources.
They considered Emerson Corp., Monsanto
Building A Better School
and McDonnell Douglas, all heavy-duty sci-
The goal was to "take the best of these three
ence and engineering firms with major head-
worlds and put together a school that ad-
quarters in the city.
dressed high-quality math and science educa-
tion, with a focus on preparing young people
They took into account the major medical col-
for careers that required that kind of math
leges within walking distance of the school:
and science background," said Tieber.
Washington University, the Barnes-Jewish
Medical Center, St. Louis University and the
Giving students hands-on experience through
University of Missouri at St. Louis.
internships was another goal, she said.
School and city officials decided the new
The number of large engineering and medi-
school-a merger of three high schools under
cal employers in the area prompted city and
a court order to hasten school desegregation
school officials to create four career majors at
-would focus on science and technology.
the school: engineering technology; agricul-
ture, biology and medical/health sciences; ap-
That Extra Step
plied physical sciences; and computer science
The school also did its homework on how to
and math.
entice local companies to help students gain
work experience in their chosen careers. It
More than 90 percent of last year's seniors
provided references to businesses leery of be-
went on to postsecondary schools that offer at
coming partners, letting them ask about how
least an associate's degree, Tieber said.
the program has worked at other companies.
Freshmen sign up for general courses in tech-
For some of the career programs, the school
nology careers, allowing them to sample the
publishes for businesses a booklet that lists
majors offered.
the courses students must complete and skills
they must attain before they start field work.
They are assigned to a "house," a group of 85
The goal is to demonstrate to businesses that
to 95 students, with English, social studies,
students will be qualified to work for them.
math and biology teachers. Freshmen's low-
est level of math is algebra, but many start in
The booklet also includes information on lia-
geometry, the next level.
bility insurance, which schools usually pro-
vide for students on the job.
"We don't care what they had before they
come here, they are ready for algebra" when
The school initially was an academy of math
they enroll, Tieber said, adding that no one
and science, serving as a college prep school,
graduates without taking college algebra, an-
said Principal Susan Tieber.
alytical geometry and trigonometry.
There were two health career high schools in
Local industries determined that "students
the area, quasi-vocational schools that pre-
really needed to have a strong foundation in
(more)
pared students for paramedical training,
Page 8
Education Daily
October 30, 1996
St. Louis's 'Gateway' Links Academics, Industry Skills (Cont.)
mathematics and sciences to be successful in
unit are set up like a medical research labora-
these fields," Tieber said.
tory, said Odessa Clark-Owens, a health spec-
ialist who runs the school's biomedical labs
As sophomores, students take physics or
program.
chemistry, and everyone takes computer pro-
gramming. Halfway through the year, they
Juniors learn basic laboratory skills, such as
pick a major and begin to focus on it.
using balances, mixers and other essential
laboratory equipment. They are introduced
As juniors and seniors, students are placed in
to clinical laboratory testing, such as urinaly-
smaller groups-from 10 to 15 students-and
sis and hematology.
they take advanced courses, such as manufac-
turing engineering and industrial chemistry.
The health unit is divided into sub-units: di-
agnostic medicine, pre-nursing, rehabilitation
During the academic year, the smaller career
and emergency medicine. There is an addi-
"teams" rotate through career-specific cours-
tional unit on using computers in these fields.
es. For example, students majoring in physi-
cal science learn to work in a laboratory, us-
Each of the approximately 100 students must
ing math and science in research.
move through all five units in rotations in
their junior year.
Ten weeks are spent in a computer lab, where
students learn word processing and how to
Seniors take advanced courses in biomedi-
use spreadsheets and databases. Students
cine, such as slicing genes, understanding
also design a product, make it and market it.
how free-floating DNA exists inside bacteria,
transferring portions of one gene to another,
Students in the industrial technology unit use
immunology and forensics.
computers and rotate through courses focus-
ing on stress analysis, three-dimensional ani-
For more information, contact Susan Tieber,
mation, desktop publishing and robotics.
Principal, Gateway Institute of Technology,
5101 McRee, St. Louis, Mo. 63110,
Classes at the biology and medical/sciences
(314)776-3300. -Matthew Dembicki
Ethics Part Of Students' Career Preparation
A healthy dose of history gives seniors at
The course "enlarges [students'] reasoning ca-
the Gateway Institute of Technology in
pacity," said Rich Rosenow, who runs the pro-
St. Louis a basis for debating modern ethical
gram with Pfefferkorn. There is no right or
dilemmas.
wrong answer "as long as they back up their
opinion with some sound reasoning."
"They develop an understanding of how ethi-
cal standards have developed over the years
The teachers take a middle-of-the-road ap-
by studying the early philosophers and how
proach in discussing the issues, allowing both
value systems are derived," said Principal
sides of an issue to be heard. Students listen
Susan Tieber.
to advocates and opponents on abortion,
organ transplants, allocating scarce medical
After examining ethical dilemmas from the
resources, euthanasia, genetic engineering
Sumerians of Mesopotamia to the present,
and environmental issues.
students apply what they've learned in dis-
cussing modern medical, industrial and per-
Students majoring in health-related, biologi-
sonal ethics, said Michael Pfefferkorn, one of
cal or environmental science must take the
two teachers who designed the course.
course, but nearly all the 176 seniors have en-
rolled in it. -Matthew Dembicki
November 5, 1996
BILL --
THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS. MAY I PASS THEM ALONG TO TRISH?
HERE'S A NEW VERSION.
--PATSY
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
November 1, 1996
NEW AMERICA HIGH SCHOOLS
FY 1998 Budget Initiative
PURPOSE
The New American High Schools Initiative will raise student achievement in participating high
schools and strengthen the school-based component of school-to-work systems by providing
concentrated support to high schools to implement whole school improvement and restructuring
plans. This effort will compliment the Administration's urban initiative targeted to school
districts in K through 12 systems. Urban high schools pose particularly challenging problems
requiring additional support. If previous reform efforts serve as a guide, districts tend to focus
first on reforming elementary and middle schools and typically devote little attention to high
schools.
Schools and districts that commit to the initiative will agree to: (1) set challenging goals
and benchmarks for academic skills achievement for all students and for preparing all
students for college and careers, (2) measure student progress on a regular basis, (3) pursue
strategies for teaching, learning and management that result in high levels of achievement
for all students, (4) follow the progress of students who leave the school, and (5) collect and
publish data on a common core of performance indicators.
The initiative will advance the development of school-to-work systems by focusing efforts
on restructuring high schools.
Participating high schools will model a variety of whole school reform strategies for
improving student outcomes and become learning laboratories for other schools in the
district.
The initiative will demonstrate how local, state, and federal resources can be redirected to
promote whole school reform.
THE OUTCOMES
The project will maintain a clear focus on improving student outcomes. Districts will commit to,
document, and agree to publish progress reports on achieving these six-year goals:
Draft: November 5, 1996
Page 1
Increase to at least 75 percent the proportion of students completing a challenging core of
academic courses (i.e., algebra I & II, geometry, biology, physics, chemistry,
communications and writing, computer and technology application) using a variety of
instructional strategies.
Increase to at least 75 percent the proportion of students capable of achieving a score of 300
or better on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or equivalent
assessment instruments.
Provide internships, work-based learning and/or community service learning opportunities
for all students.
Increase to 50 percent the number of students passing at least one advance-placement test
and/or receiving an honors diploma (in states where available).
Increase postsecondary enrollment, retention, and completion of a certificate or degree
program. (outcomes will need to be measured beyond the 6 year grant period.)
Reduce drop-out rates by at least 50 percent.
Ensure that 75% of the graduates who want to enter employment or the military upon
graduation have jobs or enter military service.
THE STRATEGIES
The Office of Vocational and Adult Education in cooperation with other offices in the
Department, will administer nationally competitive research and development grants or
cooperative agreements with approximately 25-50 school districts. Districts will identify at
least one high school accessible to all students within the district that has begun a reform
process to be the primary recipient of these funds. It is anticipated that a significant number
of districts involved in this effort will also be part of school-to-work partnerships and the
Administration's Urban Initiative.
Six year grants with second- through sixth-year grants dependent on outcomes of prior
years' efforts. Grants will gradually increase in years 2, 3 and 4 as implementation
advances. In years 5 and 6, grants will decrease as start-up investment costs go down.
Districts must commit to utilizing their own resources to sustain reforms and to support
implementation in other schools.
Appropriation of $30 million for FY 1998. Out-year funds would be: $50 million for FY
1999; $100 million in 2000; $75 million in FY 2001; $50 million in FY 2002; $25 million
in FY 2003.
Draft: November 5, 1996
Page 2
High schools that want to ensure all their students graduate and all graduates have the academic
and other skills needed to succeed in college and careers must undertake management, teaching
and learning, and progress measurement strategies that as a whole contribute to theme objectives.
They must ensure that all school personnel and stakeholders have an understanding of the
problems the school is trying to address. They must design jobs so that all personnel and
stakeholders have both the incentive and opportunity to contribute to solutions. They must
provide personnel and stakeholders with the training needed to pursue solutions. They must
measure and report progress on a regular basis. (Levy and Murnane, also Senge, Schargel,
Drucker)
The school board, superintendent, principal and teachers must commit to supporting the effort.
The school and district will develop a plan, commit to adopting student outcomes and publish
reports on progress toward achieving goals. They will commit to utilizing other federal, State
and local resources toward whole school reform in the target school and to initiating reform
efforts in other high schools (if there is more than one) in the district. Grantees will implement
strategies that promote student achievement. Based on studies of high schools that have
implemented whole school reforms to improve student achievement, strategies might include:
Integration of academic and technical education (curriculum, teaching and learning).
Linkages between high schools and postsecondary institutions to articulate course work and
enable high school students to take courses for credit at the postsecondary institutions.
Supportive learning environments, or learning clusters, within schools.
Significant adult involvement with students, including adult mentors.
Sustained and intensive high quality professional development aligned to challenging
academic and technical standards.
Career awareness, career exploration and counseling, including instruction in all aspects of
the industry or career major.
Community service, internships, work-based and other applied learning opportunities linked
to school-based learning and project-based learning.
Evaluation of reform effectiveness:
There will be an independent evaluation of school performance, producing
reliable information on achievement of program goals and student achievement.
The evaluation will include an examination of key student outcomes documented
by all grantees. The evaluation will also include case studies of the process each
school used to achieve reforms and include information on goal setting, costs,
successes and failues.
The findings on promising practices, institutional change, and student outcomes
will be disseminated to inform the development of Title I school-wide projects in
Draft: November 5, 1996
Page 3
high schools, the development of the school-based component of school-to-work
systems, and other local, state and national high school reform efforts.
WHY
Almost half of the students graduating from the nation's high 5 schools today do not
possess even the basic skills needed to successfully complete a college education or to
move up a career ladder in an entry level job. On the 1992 NAEP reading test, only two
out of five 17 year olds scored 300 or more, while three out of five 17 year olds scored 300
or more on the math test. According to research by Levy and Murnane., these are the
minimum skills needed by an applicant for a production associates job in a modern
automobile plant or insurance company in the U.S. today. While 62 percent of high school
graduates in 1994 went on to college, only 25 percent received a four-year degree and only 5
percent received an associate's degree.
To date, school restructuring efforts have focused on the elementary and middle
grades, not on high schools.
A recent student of National Science Foundation State Strategic Initiatives (SSI)
projects found that the lowest level of reform efforts are occurring in high schools.
For example, California funded elementary school reform projects in science and
middle school projects in math, but allocated no funds to high schools. (Policy
Study Associates, forthcoming)
In a 1994 study on the impact on student achievement of high school
restructuring, only 46 percent of 820 schools studied reported they had undertaken
at least three of the 12 reform practices considered significant departures from
conventional practices, such as creating schools within-school or interdisciplinary
teaching teams. (Issues In Restructuring Schools, Fall, 1994)
A nationwide search conducted by the National Center for Research in Vocational
Education (NCRVE) uncovered only 31 high schools that had undertaken whole
school reform efforts. (NCRVE, 1996)
The Consortia for Policy Research in Education has estimated that at the current
rate of reform only 20 percent of high schools will have incorporated reforms by
the year 2000. (Tom Corcoran, co-director, presentation at NW Lab Reform
Conference, Portland, OR, October 1996)
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) stated in its
recent report, Breaking Ranks, that "high schools continue to go about their
business In ways that sometimes bear startling resemblance to the flawed
Draft: November 5, 1996
Page 4
practices of the past The cause of reform is hobbled by the inclination of
education institutions to resist substantial change." (Breaking Ranks, p. 4)
School-to-work and Goals 2000 provide a framework for reform. A concerted effort is
needed to ensure that school districts can implement these reforms at scale within high
schools. School-to-work has laid a foundation for change by promoting effective business-
school partnerships, substantive work-based learning experiences for high school students
linked to classroom instruction, career majors, and engaging teachers, administrators,
parents, students and community leaders. In addition, the Tech Prep program has promoted
new partnerships between secondary and postsecondary institutions, the development of
career academies and the integration of academic and vocational instruction, and in some
cases even the elimination of the general track. In all but a few instances, however, school-
to-work and Tech Prep have not yet touched large numbers of students or impacted whole
school reform for all students at the high school level.
Too many high schools lack a clear mission focused on teaching and learning. They are
incoherent organizations that fail to focus on challenging curriculum, quality teaching,
improved pedagogy, and accountability for results. The result is graduates and dropouts that
are not equipped for college and careers.
A recent report by the National Association of Secondary School Principals,
Breaking Ranks: Changing an American Institution shows that high schools
continue to be large, bureaucratic smorgasbords offering poorly articulated
courses and incoherent programs of study. They stratify the student body, setting
lower expectations for those in the lower tracks and vocational programs.
Teachers and students do not spend time together or get to know one another. The
curriculum is a jumble of unconnected courses. Absent a clear mission, and
challenged by an increasingly diverse student body, school resources are being
scattered to meet diverse needs, exacerbating the lack of coherence in high
schools.
LINKAGES AND DISSEMINATION
A collaborative technical assistance support service would be created: (1) to ensure grantees
have information on best practices generated by Department activities such as the New
American High Schools, the High Performance Learning Opportunities, the Urban High
School Reform, and OERI research; (2) to identify how funds from other Federal education
programs (such as Titles I, II, IV, VI, VII of the ESEA as amended by the IASA) can
support high school reform; and (3) to disseminate knowledge learned from grantee
experience--as it happens-- through existing networks with States and other local school
districts seeking to reform high schools. Distance learning networks will be utilized to link
reform projects and provide on-going support for reform efforts.
Draft: November 5, 1996
Page 5
The technical assistance and dissemination strategy will employ highly effective methods
used by the Southern Regional Education Board and other successful reform projects. For
example, school personnel will visit other high schools that have successfully implemented
the practices in which they are interested. The grantee sites will host visits from other high
schools interested in trying some of the practices they have adopted.
Draft: November 5, 1996
Page 6
Fiscal year 1998 Budget Initiative
Improving America's High Schools
The Problem
Too many high schools lack a clear mission focused on teaching on learning. They are
incoherent organizations that fail to focus on challenging curriculum, quality teaching, improved
pedagogy, and accountability for results. The result is graduates and dropouts that are not
equipped for college and careers.
Recent reports by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Breaking
Ranks: Changing an American Institution and by NCES, Urban Schools: The Challenge of
Location and Poverty show that high schools continue to be large, bureaucratic smorgasbords
offering poorly articulated courses and incoherent programs of study. They stratify the student
body, setting lower expectations for those in the lower tracks and vocational programs. Teachers
and students do not spend time together or get to know one another. The curriculum is a jumble
of unconnected courses. Schools do not emphasize teaching and learning and staff have no
shared vision of what the school is trying to accomplish. Absent a clear mission and challenged
by an increasing diverse student body, school resources are being scattered to meet diverse
needs, exacerbating the lack of coherence in high schools.
For the past four years, this Administration has argued that policy coherence improves
student outcomes. Most federal education legislation has been or is being recrafted to focus on
high standards for all students. The processes by which coherence is created in each piece of
legislation is different: Goals 2000 provides for program coordination and broad participation in
planning; School-to-Work adds community and employer participation and work-based learning
opportunities; the Improving America's Schools Act focuses on content standards, performance
standards, and assessments; the Perkins Act focuses on improving vocational education; and
special education and bilingual education focus on integrating disabled and LEP students and
services into broad reform plans. Each of these programs seeks to move schools toward a more
coherent mission focused on improved teaching and learning.
States and local education agencies, however, tend to focus reform on elementary schools
and, to a lesser extent, on middle schools. School-wide approaches to reforming high schools
are unusual. Models of successful reform are hard to find. Little technical assistance is available
to those interested in restructuring their high schools. The scarcity of models for effective
whole-school reform at the high school level may in part account for the concentration of
reforms at lower grades -- states, districts and school simply do not know how to significantly
improve high schools. We have found some good models through such efforts as the New
American High Schools conference and OERI-sponsored research. We proposed to adopt a
strategy for high schools that will build on that knowledge.
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 1
Strategy
The American high school is a critical component of the Administration's strategy for
education reform, embodied in the Goals 2000 and the School-to-Work Acts. Both emphasize
that all students should achieve to challenging academic and technical standards to be prepared
for college and the careers of the 21st century. However, the reforms are not systematically
reaching high schools.
We propose a national program of grants to local education agencies to:
Bring focus to the institution of high schools.
Integrate reform efforts.
Leverage federal and state reform dollars and activities into high schools.
Achieve coherence in instructional strategies and curriculum.
Model successful reforms that improve student outcomes.
The grant
A nationally competitive research and development grant to LEAs.
Total approximately $75 million new money for FY 1998.
Size of annual award: significant, perhaps $500,000 and up, varying on the costs of
proposed reform, need, and school enrollment.
Five year grants with second- through fifth-year grants dependent on outcomes of prior
year efforts.
Districts develop coherent education programs leading to all students being prepared for
college and careers.
Grantees bring other federal and state resources together to create a coherent high school
reform strategy.
Grantees assess the achievement of students and schools towards goals over time and
demonstrate progress.
Nationally coordinated research, evaluation, and dissemination documents and
disseminates the lessons learned to other schools and districts.
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 2
The project will maintain a clear focus on achieving student outcomes. Districts will use funds
to make and document progress toward these goals:
All students demonstrate achievement to high academic standards.
All students are prepared to enter, persist, and succeed in postsecondary education.
All students are prepared for the next stage of life: each person needs to earn a living, be
able to participate comfortably in an increasingly technological society, and continue
learning throughout his life.
Strategies must focus on what changes in teaching and learning are necessary to achieve
coherence in high school education. The initiative will support the practices that high school
administrators and teachers united in support of, in the report of the National Association of
Secondary School Principals on the high school of the 21st century: Breaking Rank: Changing
an American Institution. Grants will support the development of:
Curriculum that offers essential knowledge, integrates it, and makes connections to real
life.
Instructional strategies that engage students in their own learning.
A school environment that creates a climate conducive to teaching and learning.
Technology that makes way for electronic learning.
Use of time and space that allows for a flexible education.
Assessments and accountability systems that further individual, collective and
institutional outcomes.
Professional development that helps staff fulfill their potential.
Policies and practices that recognize and build on a diverse population.
Governance that streamlines operations.
Financing policies that ensure sufficiency of resources (including a coherent use of
federal resources).
Ties to higher education that promote coherence.
Relationships with families, community agencies, public officials, and employers that
benefit students.²
Promising practices found in school-to-work systems, standards-based reform, and the
New American High Schools initiative are all consistent with these objectives. Work-based and
community service learning, adult mentors, the integration of academic and vocational
education, applied learning and authentic assessments are example of practices promoted by
these strategies. The attached table identifies practices promoted by Department initiatives that
districts would incorporate into their strategies.
Adopted for NASSP purposes for high schools, page 2.
²From NASSP recommendations.
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 3
Technical assistance and dissemination
A collective technical assistance support service would be created through the
Comprehensive Technical Assistance Centers (CTACs), labs, and OSERS technical assistance
centers (1) to ensure grantees have information on best practices generated by Department
Activities such as the new American High Schools, the High Performance Learning
Opportunities, the Urban High School Reform, and OERI research; (2) to identifying how funds
from other Federal education programs (such as Titles I, II, IV, VI, VII of the ESEA as amended
by the IASA) can support high school reform; and (3) disseminate knowledge learned from
grantee experience--as it happens-- through existing networks with States and other local school
districts seeking to reform high schools
The technical assistance and dissemination strategy will employ a highly effective
method used by the Southern Regional Education Board and other reform projects: school
personnel will visit other high schools that have successfully implemented practices in which
they are interested. The grantee sites will also host visits from other high schools interested in
trying some of the practices they have adopted.
Evaluation and dissemination
Each grantee would create a system to document its reforms and students outcomes tht is
an integral part of its state and local accountability system. Key student outcomes documented
by all grantees will inform the national dissemination efforts. The findings on promising
practices, institutional change, and student outcomes would be disseminated to inform the
development of Title I school-wide projects in high schools, the development of the school-
based component of school-to-work systems, and other high school reform efforts.
Why now?
The new initiative will fit into the Department's strategy for education reform in a
number of ways:
It will generate new ideas and create more practical examples for how existing federal,
state, and local funds can be used to create a coherent teaching and learning environment
in high schools. The models will improve the implementation of Title I school-wide
projects, bilingual education school- and district-wide grants, safe and drug-free schools,
Eisenhower, and the proposed Perkins and IDEA programs in high schools.
It will leverage the implementation of Goals 2000 standards-based reforms in high
schools.
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 4
To support the implementation of School-to-Work, the models will help high schools
become the school-based component of these systems through integration of work-based
and applied learning into the regular education program.
It will encourage the applications of integration strategies to high schools, for example,
the incorporation of vocational education into consolidated plans.
It builds off the Department's New American High School Conference, which brought
national attention to the potential of this model of school reform and demonstrated its
promise. There are now 65 national education organization that have pledged their
support for the New American High School initiative.
It will create high school laboratories for the application of strategies generated by
national research and demonstrations, such as OVAE's Urban High Schools Initiative
and OERI's High Performance learning Communities.
Issues for further development
As we move forward, we propose further investigation into a number of issues. The
specifics of the initiative would be developed in close consultation with the National Association
of Secondary School Principals, to ensure it is supportive of the recommendations in "Breaking
Ranks" and other representatives of teachers, school administrators, students, and parents. The
specifics will also be developed based on further research into the success and failure of previous
high school reform initiatives, including NSF projects, Coalition of Essential Schools, state-lead
reforms, Southern Regional Education Board, the Department's Dropout Demonstration
program. Some issues under discussion are
Targeting: should all LEAs be eligible, to generate diverse models from all regions and
all size districts; targeted to areas of high poverty in the most need; and/or targeted to
areas where leveraging would be most effective, such as Title I school-wide projects or
enterprise zones/communities.
Capacity: should grants go to leading-edge districts to generate the most advanced
models or those that may be farther behind but have the most to gain?
Commitment: how can the Department ensure proposals are developed by districts and
schools and that parents, teachers, schools, and communities want to pursue the proposed
reforms.
All students: How can the Department ensure that strategies are applied to the whole
school and all students, not an achievement track or program within the school, and that
they support other reform efforts, especially standards-based reforms already underway.
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 5
Special needs students: the special needs of students with disabilities, limited-English
proficient, and educational disadvantages are often overlooked in reform efforts. What
provisions of the grant should be use to ensure that these students benefit from reforms
while discouraging separate programs and practices for these groups.
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 6
Resources supporting high schools
FY 1998
Program & Office
Targeted reforms to be developed in high schools;
Resources;
Current targeting.
estimates for
high schools
Supports high schools
Title I
Standards-based reforms aimed at ensuring
$7.5 billion;
Compensatory
disadvantaged children can achieve to high
?% of funds;
1/3 of high
Education
standards. Includes issues of professional
schools;
(OESE)
development and parental involvement.
about 1/10 may
Concentrated efforts at the elementary levels.
have school-
wide projects.
Perkins Vocational
Integration of academic and vocational education
$1.02 billion;
Education
and teaching all aspects of the industry students
64% secondary
($797 million);
(OVAE)
plan to enter; business involvement through
84% of districts
technical committees.
w/high schools
States choose how much to invest in secondary
(% of high
education vis-a-vis postsecondary.
schools not
known)
Tech-Prep
Consortia of secondary and postsecondary schools
$118 million;
(OVAE)
develop linked programs of technical education
41% of sub-
allocated funds;
resulting in postsecondary degrees; high standards
about ½ of
for academic and technical education, career
districts
counseling, and articulation of programs and
participate in the
953 consortia
courses.
Eisenhower
Professional development linked to reform
$720 million;
strategies. States and local grantees chose whether
%HS not
professional
available;
development
to use the professional development grant for high
(OESE)
schools.
Innovative education
Very broad authority that schools often use for
No request
program strategies
routine activities rather than reform.
state grants (OESE)
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 7
Bilingual education
Integration of services for limited English
$156 million;
instructional services
proficient students within the overall school
%HS not avail.
(OBELMA)
academic program, to ensure that those students
200-300 LEA
benefit from the broader education reforms taking
grants have
place. Five-year comprehensive school grants and
secondary
system-wide improvement grants support systemic
component
reform-- some of which occurs in high schools.
Special Education
Professional development and technical assistance
$3.259 billion
grants to states
to make instruction and services directed at
enhancing participation in the same curriculum as
all students. Amount in high schools not available.
Comprehensive
Provides assistance to LEAs in integrating federal
$55 million
regional technical
programs and implementing systemic reforms. No
assistance centers
current activities targeted only at high schools.
(OESE)
Centers would provide dissemination of promising
practices to grantee schools and disseminate their
evaluation findings.
Supports systems
School-to-Work
Educational and career opportunities for all
$400 million
(OVAE with DOL)
students; a framework for business and educational
(ED + DOL)
partnerships; mentors; work-based and applied
learning; helps students make the connection
between what they learn in school and the "real"
world; connects school-based and work-based
learning; high academic and technical standards.
Goals 2000
Standards-based reform at the state level and the
$750 million;
(OESE)
local implementation of those reforms. It targets
$ to high schools
not available
elementary and secondary school improvements.
The new initiative would support high school
efforts to ensure that academic standards
established by states for Goals 2000 would be met
or exceeded by every student.
Research and development
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 8
Perkins National
Research and development on high school reform,
$27.5 million
Programs
linking secondary and postsecondary,
(OVAE)
dissemination of strategies, technology,
professional development, and accountability. The
Urban High school reform project will identify and
disseminate models of urban high schools that are
successful in whole-school reform. Findings will
inform new initiative.
High performance
A call for studies and strategies & procedures to
learning
initiate and support and sustain high achievement
communities (OERI)
for all students. Will generate prototypes,
demonstrations, and dissemination to other schools.
Findings will inform new initiative.
IDEA Secondary/
Support research and demonstration projects
$24 million
Transition program
designed to improve the secondary/transition
(OSERS)
results for students with disabilities.
Draft: September 30, 1996
Page 9
DEPA IRTMENT OF EDUCATION
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
UNITED
STATES
OF
IMPROVING AMERICA's HIGH SCHOOLS
FY1998 Budget Initiative
The Problem
Too many high schools lack a clear mission focused on teaching and learning. They are
incoherent organizations that fail to focus on challenging curriculum, quality teaching, improved
pedagogy, and accountability for results. The consequence is graduates and dropouts that are not
equipped for college and careers.
Recent reports by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Breaking
Ranks: Changing an American Institution and by NCES, Urban Schools: The Challenge of
Location and Poverty show that high schools continue to be large, bureaucratic smorgasbords
offering poorly articulated courses and incoherent programs of study. They stratify the student
body, setting lower expectations for those in the lower tracks and vocational programs. Teachers
and students do not spend time together or get to know one another. The curriculum is a jumble
of unconnected courses. Schools do not emphasize teaching and learning and staff have no
shared vision of what the school is trying to accomplish. Absent a clear mission, and challenged
by an increasingly diverse student body, school resources are being scattered to meet diverse
needs, exacerbating the lack of coherence in high schools.
For the past four years, this Administration has argued that policy coherence improves
outcomes for all students. Most Federal education legislation has been or is being recrafted to
focus on high standards for all students. The processes by which coherence is created in each
piece of legislation is different: Goals 2000 provides for program coordination and broad
participation in planning; School-to-Work adds community and employer participation and
work-based learning opportunities; the Improving America's Schools Act focuses on content
standards, performance standards, and assessments; the Perkins Act focuses on improving
vocational education; and special education and bilingual education focus on integrating disabled
and limited English-proficient students and services into broad reform plans. Each of these
programs seeks to move schools toward a more coherent mission focused on improved teaching
and learning.
States and local education agencies, however, tend to focus reform on elementary schools
and, to a lesser extent, on middle schools. School-wide approaches to reforming high schools
Draft: October, 1996
Page I
are unusual. Models of successful reform are hard to find. Little technical assistance is available
to those interested in restructuring their high schools. The scarcity of models for effective
whole-school reform at the high school level may in part account for the concentration of
reforms at lower grades -- States, districts and school simply do not know how to significantly
improve high schools. We have identified promising practices through such efforts as the New
American High Schools initiative, the School-to-Work Learning Center, and Department-
sponsored research. We proposed to adopt a strategy for high schools that will build on that
knowledge.
Strategy
The American high school is a critical component of the Administration's strategy for
education reform, embodied in the Goals 2000 and the School-to-Work Acts. Both emphasize
that all students should achieve to challenging academic and technical standards to be prepared
for college and the careers of the 21st century. However, the reforms are not systematically
reaching high schools.
We propose a national program of grants to local education agencies to:
Bring focus to the institution of high schools.
Integrate reform efforts.
Leverage Federal and State reform dollars and activities into high schools.
Achieve coherence in instructional strategies and curriculum.
Model successful reforms that improve student outcomes.
The grant
A nationally competitive research and development grant to or cooperative agreement
with LEAs.
Total approximately $75 million new money for FY 1998.
Size of annual award: significant, perhaps $500,000 and up, varying on the costs of
proposed reform, need, and school enrollment.
Five year grants with second- through fifth-year grants dependent on outcomes of prior
years' efforts.
Districts develop coherent education programs leading to all students being prepared for
college and careers.
Grantees bring other Federal and State resources together to create a coherent high school
reform strategy.
Grantees assess the achievement of students and schools towards goals over time and
demonstrate progress.
Nationally coordinated research, evaluation, and dissemination activities document the
lessons learned and share them with other schools and districts.
Draft: October, 1996
Page 2
The project will maintain a clear focus on achieving student outcomes. Districts will use funds
to make and document progress toward these goals:
All students demonstrate achievement to high academic standards.
All students graduate from high school.
All students are prepared to enter, persist, and succeed in postsecondary education.
All students are prepared for the next stage of life: each person needs to earn a living, be
able to participate comfortably in an increasingly technological society, and continue
learning throughout his life.
Strategies must focus on what changes in teaching and learning are necessary to achieve
coherence in high school education. The initiative will support the practices that high school
administrators and teachers united in support of, in the report of the National Association of
Secondary School Principals on the high school of the 21st century: Breaking Rank: Changing
an American Institution. Grants will support the development of:
Curriculum that offers essential knowledge, integrates it, and makes connections to real
life.
Instructional strategies that engage students in their own learning.
A school environment that creates a climate conducive to teaching and learning.
Technology that makes way for electronic learning.
Use of time and space that allows for a flexible education.
Assessments and accountability systems that further individual, collective and
institutional outcomes.
Professional development that helps staff fulfill their potential.
Policies and practices that recognize and build on a diverse population.
Governance that streamlines operations.
Financing policies that ensure sufficiency of resources (including a coherent use of
Federal resources).
Ties to higher education that promote coherence.
Relationships with families, community agencies, public officials, and employers that
benefit students.²
Promising practices found in school-to-work systems, standards-based reform, and the
New American High Schools initiative are all consistent with these objectives. Work-based and
community service learning, adult mentors, the integration of academic and vocational
education, applied learning and authentic assessments are example of practices promoted by
these strategies. Professional development equipping teachers to assist limited English proficient
I Adopted for NASSP purposes for high schools, page 2.
2 From NASSP recommendations.
Draft: October, 1996
Page 3
students or disabled students is an example of how other Federal programs would made part of a
coherent instructional strategy. The attached table identifies practices promoted by Department
initiatives that districts would incorporate into their strategies.
Technical assistance and dissemination
A collective technical assistance support service would be created through the
Comprehensive Technical Assistance Centers (CTACs), labs, special education technical
assistance centers and the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (1) to ensure
grantees have information on best practices generated by Department activities such as the New
American High Schools, the High Performance Learning Opportunities, the Urban High School
Reform, and OERI research; (2) to identify how funds from other Federal education programs
(such as Titles I, II, IV, VI, VII of the ESEA as amended by the IASA) can support high school
reform; and (3) to disseminate knowledge learned from grantee experience--as it happens--
through existing networks with States and other local school districts seeking to reform high
schools
The technical assistance and dissemination strategy will employ a highly effective
method used by the Southern Regional Education Board and other reform projects: school
personnel will visit other high schools that have successfully implemented the practices in which
they are interested. The grantee sites will host visits from other high schools interested in trying
some of the practices they have adopted.
Evaluation and dissemination
Each grantee will create a system to document its reforms and student outcomes that is an
integral part of its State and local accountability system. Key student outcomes documented by
all grantees will inform the national dissemination efforts. The findings on promising practices,
institutional change, and student outcomes will be disseminated to inform the development of
Title I (programs for Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards) school-wide
projects in high schools, the development of the school-based component of school-to-work
systems, and other high school reform efforts.
Why now?
The new initiative will fit into the Department's strategy for education reform in a
number of ways:
It will generate new ideas and create more practical examples for how existing Federal,
State, and local funds can be used to create a coherent teaching and learning environment
in high schools. The models will improve the implementation of Title I school-wide
projects, bilingual education school- and district-wide grants, safe and drug-free schools,
Draft: October, 1996
Page 4
Eisenhower professional development, and the proposed vocational education and special
education programs in high schools.
It will leverage the implementation of Goals 2000 standards-based reforms in high
schools.
It will support the implementation of School-to-Work, helping high schools become the
school-based component of these systems through integration of work-based and applied
learning into the regular education program.
It will encourage the applications of integration strategies to high schools, for example,
the incorporation of vocational education into consolidated plans.
It will build off the Department's New American High Schools initiative, which brought
national attention to the potential of this model of school reform and demonstrated its
promise. There are now 65 national education organizations that have pledged their
support for the New American High Schools initiative.
It will create high school laboratories for the application of strategies generated by
national research and demonstrations, such as OVAE's Urban High Schools Initiative
and OERI's High Performance Learning Communities.
Issues for further development
As we move forward, we propose further investigation into a number of issues. The
specifics of the initiative would be developed in close consultation with the National Association
of Secondary School Principals, to ensure it is supportive of the recommendations in Breaking
Ranks and other representatives of teachers, school administrators, students, and parents. The
specifics will also be developed based on further research into the success and failure of previous
high school reform initiatives, including National Science Foundation projects, Coalition of
Essential Schools, State-lead reforms, Southern Regional Education Board, and the
Department's Dropout Demonstration program. Some issues under discussion are
Targeting: Should the competition be open to all local education agencies, to generate
diverse models from all regions and all size districts; targeted to areas of high poverty in
the most need; and/or targeted to areas where leveraging would be most effective, such as
Title I school-wide projects or enterprise zones/communities?
Capacity: Should grants go to leading-edge districts to generate the most advanced
models or to those that may be farther behind but have the most to gain?
Draft: October, 1996
Page 5
Commitment: How can the Department ensure proposals are developed by districts and
schools and that parents, teachers, schools and communities want to pursue the proposed
reforms?
All students: How can the Department ensure that strategies are applied to the whole
school and all students, not an achievement track or program within the school, and that
they support other reform efforts, especially standards-based reforms already underway?
Special needs students: The special needs of students with disabilities, limited-English
proficiency, and educational disadvantages are often overlooked in reform efforts. What
provisions of the grant should be use to ensure that these students benefit from reforms,
while discouraging separate programs and practices for these groups?
Draft: October, 1996
Page 6
Resources supporting high schools
FY 1998
Program & Office
Targeted reforms to be developed in high schools.
Resources;
Current targeting.
estimates for
high schools
Supports high schools
Title I Disadvantaged
Standards-based reforms aimed at ensuring
$7.5 billion;
children
disadvantaged children can achieve to high standards.
% of $ to HS n/a;
(OESE)
Includes issues of professional development and
1/3 of high
parental involvement. Concentrated efforts at the
schools;
elementary levels.
about 1/10 may
have school-wide
projects.
Perkins vocational
Integration of academic and vocational education and
$1.02 billion;
education
teaching all aspects of the industry students plan to
64% secondary
(OVAE)
enter; business involvement through technical
($797 million);
committees.
84% of districts
States choose how much to invest in secondary
w/high schools
education vis-a-vis postsecondary.
(% of high
schools not
known)
Tech-Prep
Consortia of secondary and postsecondary schools
$118 million;
(OVAE)
develop linked programs of technical education
41% of sub-
resulting in postsecondary degrees; high standards for
allocated funds;
academic and technical education, career counseling,
about ½ of
and articulation of programs and courses. Always
districts
includes high schools.
participate in the
953 consortia
Eisenhower
Professional development linked to reform strategies.
$720 million;
professional
States and local grantees chose whether to use the
% of $ to HS n/a;
development (OESE)
professional development grant for high schools.
Innovative education
Very broad authority that schools often use for routine
No request
program strategies
activities rather than reform.
State grants (OESE)
Bilingual education
Integration of services for limited English proficient
$156 million;
instructional services
students within the overall school academic program,
% of $ to HS n/a;
(OBELMA)
to ensure that those students benefit from the broader
education reforms taking place. Five-year
200-300 LEA
comprehensive school grants and system-wide
grants have
improvement grants support systemic reform-- some
secondary
of which occurs in high schools.
component
Draft: October, 1996
Page 7
Special Education
Professional development and technical assistance to
$3.259 billion
grants to States
make instruction and services directed at enhancing
% of $ to HS n/a;
(OSERS)
participation in the same curriculum as all students.
Amount in high schools not available.
Comprehensive
Provides assistance to LEAs in integrating Federal
$55 million
regional technical
programs and implementing systemic reforms. No
assistance centers
current activities targeted only at high schools.
(OESE)
Centers would provide dissemination of promising
practices to grantee schools and disseminate their
evaluation findings.
Supports systems
School-to-Work
Educational and career opportunities for all students;
$400 million
(OVAE with DOL)
a framework for business and educational
(ED + DOL)
partnerships; mentors; work-based and applied
% of $ to HS n/a;
learning; helps students make the connection between
what they learn in school and the "real" world;
connects school-based and work-based learning; high
academic and technical standards.
Goals 2000
Standards-based reform at the State level and the local
$750 million;
(OESE)
implementation of those reforms. It targets
% of $ to HS n/a;
elementary and secondary school improvements. The
new initiative would support high school efforts to
ensure that academic standards established by States
for Goals 2000 would be met or exceeded by every
student.
Draft: October, 1996
Page 8
Research and development
Perkins national
Research and development on high school reform,
$27.5 million
activities
linking secondary and postsecondary, dissemination
(OVAE)
of strategies, technology, professional development,
and accountability. The Urban High School reform
project will identify and disseminate models of urban
high schools that are successful in whole-school
reform. Findings will inform new initiative.
High performance
A call for studies and strategies & procedures to
learning communities
initiate and support and sustain high achievement for
(OERI)
all students. Will generate prototypes,
demonstrations, and dissemination to other schools.
Findings will inform new initiative.
IDEA Secondary/
Support research and demonstration projects designed
$24 million
Transition program
to improve the secondary/transition results for
(OSERS)
students with disabilities.
Draft: October, 1996
Page 9
TAG
ACCR'T'
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
October 31, 1996
IMPROVING AMERICA's HIGH SCHOOLS
FY 1998 Budget Initiative
PURPOSE
The Improving American High Schools Initiative will advance the national school-to-work
opportunities system:
Strong high school programs that are structured to provide an entirely different kind of
educational experience are critical to the implementation of the school-to-work system that
the Administration envisions. The school-based component of school-to-work needs to be a
school-wide approach, not a separate track or program. It requires new structures of time
and space, new curriculum, new relationships with employers and parents, and new levels
expectation for student achievement of academic and technical competencies.
The proposed Improving American High Schools Initiative will strengthen the school-based
component of the school-to-work strategy by providing concentrated support to high
schools to implement whole school improvement and reform plans.
These high schools will model reforms that successfully improve students outcomes. (Chris
-- more on link to STW)
It is an important part of OVAE's strategy to move Perkins Vocational-Technical Education
funds and activities into school-to-work systems.
In the reauthorization of the Perkins Act, ED will encourage the alignment of vocational
education with school-to-work systems.
This grant will promote the transition from federal support of a separate enterprise called
"vocational education" through the Perkins Act to support for the reform of the entire high
phan
school that benefits all students. After the School-to-Work and Goals 2000 grants end, it
Doct
will support the best of educational improvements found in the Perkins Vocational
Education, Goals 2000 and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act.
Draft: October 30, 1996
Page 1
The grantees will serve as living examples of school-based learning opportunities to which
we can point schools and districts wanting to incorporate their vocational education
programs into school-to-work systems.
The project will support the proposed Urban Public Schools Initiative. They will be linked by:
Through research and dissemination, the project will support the growth of high schools that
successfully provide a rewarding school-based learning experience for the school-to-work
transition. The need for this type of reform is evidence by:
A report by the Consortia for Policy Research that only 20 percent of high schools will have
reforms by the year 2000.
New American High Schools conference search conducted by NCRVE uncovered only #
scnools that had successfully implemented such models.
NASSP has issued a call for high schools to reinvent themselves. The report warns "high
schools continue to go about their business in ways that sometimes bear startling
resemblance to the flawed practices of the past The cause of reform is hobbled by the
inclination of education institutions to resist substantial change." (Breaking Ranks, p. 4)
In a study of the impact on student achievement of high school restructuring, researchers
found that about 12 percent of 820 high schools reported engaging in not one of the 30
reform practices studied (including such basic practices as a PTA or increasing graduation
requirements). Only 46 percent of schools reported at least three of the practices considered
significant departures from conventional practices, such as school-within a school or
interdisciplinary teaching teams. (Maybe this doesn't help?) (Issues in Restructuring
Schools, Fall, 1994)
GOALS
The project will maintain a clear focus on achieving student outcomes. Districts will use funds
to make and document progress toward these goals:
Decrease dropout rates.
Increase postsecondary enrollment, retention, and completion.
Draft: October 30, 1996
Page 2
Increase proportions of students completing a challenging core of academics courses (i.e.,
algebra I & II; geometry, chemistry, biology and computer and technology applications).
Increase attainment of advanced-placement credits and honor diplomas (in states where
available).
Ensure all students are prepared with high academic and technical skills necessary for
college and careers.
STRATEGY
Strategies must focus on what changes in teaching and learning are necessary to achieve whole
school reform. Districts will develop reform strategies to meet these objectives; applicants' plans
will incorporate the following practices: [Chris --this is probably too many if they are all
mandatory]
Integration of academic and technical education (curriculum, teaching and learning).
Linkages between high schools and postsecondary institutions.
Community service, internships, work-based and other applied learning opportunities linked
to school-based learning.
Technology applications and distance learning.
Alternative curriculum materials and instructional strategies that create equal access and
expectations for students with disabilities and educationally disadvantaged students.
Project-based learning.
Authentic assessment that is part of the educational experience.
Career awareness, career exploration and counseling, including instruction in all aspects of
an industry or career major.
Abolition of rigid ability track in favor of student-centered instruction for all students,
including limited-English proficient and disabled students.
Supportive learning environments, or learning clusters, within schools.
Significant adult involvement with students, including adult mentors.
Sustained and intensive high quality professional development aligned to challenging
academic and technical standards.
Parent, employer, and community participation.
Grantees will implement these strategies using a range of activities, including staff development
and teacher internships, curriculum development and modification, outreach to the community
and employers, and restructuring space and schedules to support changes in instructional
strategies.
THE PROGRAM
Draft: October 30, 1996
Page 3
A nationally competitive research and development grant to or cooperative agreement with
approximately 25 LEAs [that are urban (?); low-income(?); have some reforms in place (?)
Preference for STW grantees; or Urban Initiative Grantees or EZs?]
Five year grants with second- through fifth-year grants dependent on outcomes of prior
years' efforts. Each district identifies one or two high schools to begin implementation.
Grants increase in amount in year 2 and 3 as plans progress. In year 4 and 5, grants decrease
as capital investment costs go down. Districts begin implementing in other schools in these
years.
Appropriation of $30 million for FY 1998. Out-year funds would be: $50 million for FY
1999; $100 million in 2000; $75 million in FY 2001; $50 million in FY 2002.
Districts develop coherent education programs, incorporating the reform strategies; leading
to all students being prepared for college and careers. Plans bring other Federal and State
resources together to create a coherent strategy.
Grantees assess the achievement of students and schools towards goals over time and
demonstrate progress. Performance accountability built in with specific reporting
requirements. Independent assessment of performance produces reliable information on
achievement of program goals.
Nationally coordinated research, evaluation, and dissemination activities document the
lessons learned and share them with other schools and districts.
Leveraging the benefits through technical assistance, evaluation, and dissemination
A collective technical assistance support service would be created through the
Comprehensive Technical Assistance Centers (CTACs), labs, special education technical
assistance centers and the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (1) to
ensure grantees have information on best practices generated by Department activities such
as the New American High Schools, the High Performance Learning Opportunities, the
Urban High School Reform, and OERI research; (2) to identify how funds from other
Federal education programs (such as Titles I, II, IV, VI, VII of the ESEA as amended by the
IASA) can support high school reform; and (3) to disseminate knowledge learned from
grantee experience--as it happens-- through existing networks with States and other local
school districts seeking to reform high schools
Each grantee will begin to spread the reform model to additional high schools and to feeder
schools during the last few years of the grants. Successful student outcomes will encourage
the adaptation of these practices district-wide.
Draft: October 30, 1996
Page 4
Each grantee will create a system to document its reforms and student outcomes that is an
integral part of its State and local accountability system. Key student outcomes documented
by all grantees will inform the national dissemination efforts. The findings on promising
practices, institutional change, and student outcomes will be disseminated to inform the
development of Title I school-wide projects in high schools, the development of the school-
based component of school-to-work systems, and other high school reform efforts.
The technical assistance and dissemination strategy will employ a highly effective method
used by the Southern Regional Education Board and other reform projects: school personnel
will visit other high schools that have successfully implemented the practices in which they
are interested. The grantee sites will host visits from other high schools interested in trying
some of the practices they have adopted.
Attachment--New American High School Initiative
Draft: October 30, 1996
Page 5
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
October 31, 1996
IMPROVING AMERICA's HIGH SCHOOLS
FY 1998 Budget Initiative
PURPOSE
The Improving American High Schools Initiative will strengthen the school-based component of
the school-to-work systems by providing concentrated support to high schools to implement
whole school improvement and reform plans.
Strong high school programs that are structured to provide an entirely different kind of
educational experience are critical to the implementation of the school-to-work system that
the Administration envisions. We have strong evidence that high academic skills are
necessary for success in college and careers. To achieve these high standards for all
students, high schools have to focus their resources on providing strategies (e.g.
interdisciplinary academic courses) to make this happen.
To ensure high academic and technical standards for all students, high school reform efforts
will require a substantial allocation of resources. This initiative is designed to leverage
local, state as well as other federal funding streams to maximize the resources available.
These high schools will model a variety of education reform strategies for improving
student outcomes, and become learning laboratories for other schools in the district.
Provide support to school districts as they transition from school-to-work and Perkins
funding.
WHY
In a study of the impact on student achievement of high school restructuring, researchers
found that about 12 percent of 820 high schools reported engaging in not one of the 30
reform practices studied (including such basic practices as a PTA or increasing graduation
requirements). Only 46 percent of schools reported at least three of the practices considered
significant departures from conventional practices, such as school-within a school or
interdisciplinary teaching teams. (Issues in Restructuring Schools, Fall, 1994)
Draft: October 31, 1996
Page 1
NASSP, a national organization representing secondary school principals, in its most recent
report, Breaking Ranks issued a call for high schools to reinvent themselves.. The report
warns "high schools continue to go about their business in ways that sometimes bear
startling resemblance to the flawed practices of the past. The cause of reform is hobbled
by the inclination of education institutions to resist substantial change." (Breaking Ranks, p.
4)
A recent study of National Science Foundation SSI (State Strategic Initiatives) projects
found that the lowest level of reform efforts are occurring in high schools. For example,
California funded elementary schools reform projects for science and middle schools for
projects in math, but allocated no funds to high schools.
In a presentation made by Tom Corcoran, co-director of the Consortia for Policy Research
in Education, he stated that at the current rate of reform efforts only 20 percent of high
schools will have incorporated reforms by the year 2000. (NW Lab Reform Conference,
10/96, Portland, OR)
The New American High Schools nationwide search conducted by NCRVE to identify
showcase schools uncovered only 31 high schools that had successfully implemented whole
school reform.
THE PROGRAM
The Office of Vocational and Adult Education will administer a nationally competitive
research and development grants or cooperative agreements with approximately 25 school
districts. Districts will identify at least one high school within the district that has begun a
reform process to be the recipient of these funds. It is anticipated that a significant number
of high schools involved in this effort will also be involved in school-to-work partnerships
and the Administration's Urban Initiative.
Five year grants with second- through fifth-year grants dependent on outcomes of prior
years' efforts. Grants will gradually increase in years 2 and 3 as implementation advances.
In years 4 and 5, grants decrease as capital investment costs go down. Districts must
commit to utilizing their own resources to begin implementing in other schools in these
years.
Appropriation of $30 million for FY 1998. Out-year funds would be: $50 million for FY
1999; $100 million in 2000; $75 million in FY 2001; $50 million in FY 2002.
Districts develop coherent education programs, incorporating the reform strategies; leading
to all students being prepared for college and careers. Plans utilize other Federal, State and
Draft: October 31, 1996
Page 2
local resources to create a coherent strategy. Grantees will implement these strategies
using a range of activities, including staff development and teacher internships, curriculum
development and modification, outreach to the community and employers, and other
activities necessary to support changes in instructional strategies.
These strategies could include:
Integration of academic and technical education (curriculum, teaching and learning).
Linkages between high schools and postsecondary institutions.
Community service, internships, work-based and other applied learning opportunities linked
to school-based learning.
Technology applications and distance learning.
Alternative curriculum materials and instructional strategies that create equal access and
expectations for students with disabilities and educationally disadvantaged students.
Project-based learning.
Authentic assessment that is part of the educational experience.
Career awareness, career exploration and counseling, including instruction in all aspects of
an industry or career major.
Abolition of rigid ability track in favor of student-centered instruction for all students,
including limited-English proficient and disabled students.
Supportive learning environments, or learning clusters, within schools.
Significant adult involvement with students, including adult mentors.
Sustained and intensive high quality professional development aligned to challenging
academic and technical standards.
Parent, employer, and community participation.
Evaluation of reform effectiveness:
Grantees will have a formal evaluation process that will show effects (student academic
improvement), costs, conditions of success and unanticipated results. The proposed plan
will show how performance accountability with specific reporting requirements is built in.
An independent assessment of performance, producing reliable information on achievement
of program goals, will be a part of the evaluation process.
Each grantee will create a system to document its reforms and student outcomes that is an
integral part of its State and local accountability system. Key student outcomes documented
by all grantees will inform the national dissemination efforts. The findings on promising
practices, institutional change, and student outcomes will be disseminated to inform the
development of Title I school-wide projects in high schools, the development of the school-
based component of school-to-work systems, and other local, state and national high school
reform efforts.
Draft: October 31, 1996
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EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The project will maintain a clear focus on achieving student outcomes. Districts will use funds
to make and document progress toward these goals:
Decrease dropout rates.
Increase postsecondary enrollment, retention, and completion.
Increase proportions of students completing a challenging core of academics courses (i.e.,
algebra I & II; geometry, chemistry, biology and computer and technology applications).
Increase attainment of advanced-placement credits and honor diplomas (in states where
available).
Ensure all students are prepared with high academic and technical skills necessary for
college and careers.
LINKAGES AND DISSEMINATION
A collaborative technical assistance support service would be created: (1) to ensure
grantees have information on best practices generated by Department activities such as the
New American High Schools, the High Performance Learning Opportunities, the Urban
High School Reform, and OERI research; (2) to identify how funds from other Federal
education programs (such as Titles I, II, IV, VI, VII of the ESEA as amended by the IASA)
can support high school reform; and (3) to disseminate knowledge learned from grantee
experience--as it happens-- through existing networks with States and other local school
districts seeking to reform high schools.
The technical assistance and dissemination strategy will employ a highly effective method
used by the Southern Regional Education Board and other reform projects: school personnel
will visit other high schools that have successfully implemented the practices in which they
are interested. The grantee sites will host visits from other high schools interested in trying
some of the practices they have adopted.
Attachment--New American High School Initiative
Draft: October 31, 1996
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