Doing What Works (DWW), a U.S. Department of Education funded, web-based project, translates research-based practices into usable resources, such as tools and media, to help promote student achievement. A session presented at the 2012 conference of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) in Tampa, Florida, March 8-10 2012, provided approximately 70 high school administrators with a firsthand look at how these resources can help them infuse more…

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“When students are actively involved in their education, they take ownership of their learning.” This concept is what Sheila Harrity, principal, and Mary O’Malley, assistant principal, of Worcester Technical High School (WTHS) in Worcester, Massachusetts, say is the key to ensuring its students achieve success in their postsecondary endeavors. They offered insight into WTHS’s focus on authentic learning to approximately 50 attendees as part of the School Showcase component…

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Looking for new high school-related resources? Here are some pieces that other organizations have recently released:*

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2011 (National Center for Education Statistics). A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It provides the most current detailed statistical information to inform…

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Recent evidence tells us that new teachers are more common today than they have ever been in the past twenty years. For example, 15 years of classroom teaching experience was the norm in 1987-88 but by 2007-08, it was more common for the typical teacher to only have one year of experience in the classroom.[1] It is more important than ever that new teachers receive proper support to…

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On Tuesday, February 28, Dr. Laura C. Brown, Director of Georgia Learning Resources System (GLRS), presented a Webinar titled, “GraduateFIRST: The Dropout Prevention Destination.” During this event, Dr. Brown described Georgia’s GraduateFIRST program, identified ways schools can make improvements, shared tools and resources available to schools, and highlighted the successes of specific schools using the program.

GraduateFIRST has a two-fold mission aimed at (1) increasing graduation rates for students with…

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Bullying and its consequences is not a new topic of discussion in the school climate discussion. A very recent Ohio high school tragedy is alleged to have been the result of bullying. On February 23, Education Week offered an on-demand Webinar entitled “When Cyberbullying Spills into School,” which aimed to address when schools should intervene in cyberbullying. The Webinar featured Nancy Willard, Executive Director for the Center for…

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Michelle Perry and Matthew Hauenstein from the National High School Center’s Early Warning System (EWS) Team recently presented on the Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System (EWIMS) implementation process and EWS Middle Grades and High SchoolTools at the 24^th Annual At-Risk Youth Forum, held February 19-22 in Myrtle Beach, SC.  The Forum, sponsored by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, featured a variety of presenters and attendees from

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