The problem that guided this study was the low proportion of students scoring 3 or more on the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition (APELC) exam at one Department of Defense (DoD) school. Moreover, the qualifying ratios were lower than students attending all DoD and U.S. schools. The need for teachers to examine the performance of…

This report provides a summary of the district's gap analyses, Equity Self-Assessment Survey results, current research, and district action steps.

The Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB's) case study series highlights best practices High Schools That Work (HSTW) network schools and districts are implementing to better prepare students for further studies and careers. Lee's Summit West (LSW) High School near Kansas City, Missouri, boasts of a 99 percent graduation rate; 93 percent of…

North Carolina has embarked on an ambitious effort to improve its public schools. Career-and college-ready standards, high-quality assessments, and advanced technology are all part of this effort, and each plays an important role. No part of students' educational experience matters more than the teachers who facilitate their learning. North…

The nation's goal of achieving educational equity has been both elusive and complex. U.S. schools are becoming more, not less, segregated, and the racial isolation of Black and Latino students from White students is a national trend. For two decades, the Rockville Centre School District in New York has engaged in reforms that were designed to…

If a school improvement plan includes input from all stakeholders and focuses on data-driven processes that are linked to teacher appraisal, it can be powerful in leading the school toward the common mission of achieving student success. Linking the school improvement plan to the teacher appraisal process creates a system whereby all individuals…

Public education in Alabama is moving in the right direction and is poised to be a national model for the college and career readiness of its students. Through some of the most challenging financial circumstances, public education in Alabama has continued to show great promise in many areas, including reading, math, and science. The success of…

Nearly 7,000 students drop out of the nation's public high schools each school day, and 3,000 of them are in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states. Altogether, an estimated 1.3 million teenagers in the United States abandon high school each year without earning a diploma. In 1,700 of the nation's high schools, less than 60 percent of…

Data-driven decision-making, targeted staff development, collaborative leadership, and the sheer will of committed staff members have launched Wheaton High School on a promising trajectory. Located in Montgomery County, Maryland, a predominately affluent area that has more than 20 high schools, Wheaton has always received attention, but…

In a more consistent and viable manner than ever before, education in Alabama is moving toward its ultimate goal of providing every student with a quality education, thereby preparing them for work, college, and life after high school. Alabama's graduation rates from 2002 to 2008 increased significantly, tripling the national average increase and…

This article explores the growing popularity of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in U.S. high schools and examines whether AP courses are the solution to the nation's perceived academic gap. Some researchers do not think that AP courses are a panacea for improving science in U.S. schools based on a recent study's finding that AP courses do not…

The Project to Improve Minority Education (PRIME) in Arizona is providing 10,000 students in grades 7-12 with academic enrichment, counseling, tutoring, financial aid counseling, parent education, and college level courses. The program seeks to double the rate of college attendance and triple the rate of students majoring in science, mathematics,…

Advanced placement (AP) tests in the United States are one of the best examples of home-grown high standards, but only a few students participate in them. Increasing student access to AP examinations offers a ready-made approach to high standards that can be expanded easily. (SLD)

A collaborative partnership provides school administrators and university researchers an opportunity to evaluate a school-based initiative. Richards Middle School (RMS) in Columbus, Georgia identified school improvement goals and involved university researchers in a collaborative evaluation with implications for strengthening leadership, training,…

What are the effects of block scheduling? Results of transitioning from traditional to block scheduling are mixed. Some studies indicate no change in achievement results, nor change in teachers' opinions about instructional strategies. Other studies show that block scheduling doesn't work well for Advanced Placement or Music courses, that "hard to…