School counselors are vital to school reform and improvement efforts, as such, school districts are always searching for ways to actively involve school counselors in their own professional development. Due to the increased mental health and behavioral needs of students, there is an increased demand for more intentional and appropriate…

Students who have dropped out of high school--and those at risk of doing so--are at greater risk of lifelong poverty, involvement with the criminal justice system, dependence on government welfare programs, and even premature death. In the last few years, however, the problems at high schools have compounded, as pandemic-era school closures led to…

Oakland International High School, winner of the 2017 National Community School Award, supports its recently arrived immigrant students by integrating academic, social, mental health, and material supports into the school day and beyond. Its community school model incorporates a Wellness Center, a tiered system of support and engagement, external…

Civil, informed debate is essential for any healthy democracy. This is truer than ever judging from the often uncivil, fact-free public discourse one sees too often on television and social media. But does participation in formal debate training improve educational outcomes? While policy debaters historically have come from high-income public…

Alternative high school programs can be another educational option for students who wish to remain in school but whose needs can not be addressed in regular school classes. There are three elements to a successful program: the students, specific school components, and staff. Atrisk indicators help to identify the students. A low student-to-teacher…

Higher enrollments mean more funding for higher education, as the new model for funding rests on tuition rather than state funding. This paper describes a format for bringing relatively small groups of high school students to campus for an educational workshop, which also serves as a recruiting event. Connecting high school students with college…

While the tactical games (TG) model has been shown to be effective in motivating students and increasing activity levels during physical education (PE) lessons, few PE teachers report using the model. The continued dominance of multi-activity PE programs may be due to the occupational socialization of physical educators. This article describes how…

This demonstration brief provides teaching and learning stories from districts and schools implementing PBIS with an integrated systems focus and is organized across the following areas: (a) the context of the school/district, (b) the changes made in the systems, (c) the impact of the changes made in the systems, and (d) next steps to improve the…

This paper discusses the opportunity for universities and Professional Development Schools (PDSs) to engage with Future Teachers of America (FTA) clubs and similar groups in secondary schools to ensure the future of the profession. Student leaders and their mentor from an active high school FTA club share their perspectives on the benefits of…

In 2017, one of the largest investments in education reform in California's history came to an end. The James Irvine Foundation announced that it was shifting its investment focus from Linked Learning, a college and career readiness high school reform, to other projects (Linked Learning Alliance 2017). Unlike the Gates Foundation's well-publicized…

For adolescents in recovery from a substance use disorder, school is a setting that may result in interactions with peer groups who are actively using alcohol or other drugs. Unfortunately, after treatment, these students may encounter multiple risk factors when returning to the setting where their substance use problems originated. Recovery High…

The Coordinated School Health (CSH) reports describe how the CSH program was implemented at AISD campuses. The report provides district summary information about achieved CSH action goals and information about changes in physical fitness of students at the campus since the previous year.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is an advanced course of study that spans all four years of high school and research finds that participation can boost high school graduation rates for students from low-income families. This fact sheet examines IB's impact in Chicago Public Schools and guides state and district leaders through various…

Over the past decade the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has sought to expand participation in Advanced Placement (AP) courses in order to improve high school outcomes (attendance, achievement, and graduation) and longer-term outcomes (postsecondary enrollment and degree completion). DCPS wants to understand policies and recommendations…

The integration of digital initiatives in middle and secondary level education has significantly transformed the learning landscape at national, state, and local levels. Governments and educational institutions are leveraging technology to enhance accessibility, engagement, and effectiveness in teaching and learning. At the national level,…