In many states, high-achieving high school students have long had the ability to skip their senior year. Such policies enable motivated young people who fulfill graduation requirements to move on to college or a career--saving time and money for their families and society. A growing number of states are going further, with financial rewards for…

In spring 2009, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) continued its research on the impact of test-based federal and state accountability policies by conducting case studies of six high schools in six different districts within Washington State. The purpose was to learn more about the curricular and instructional changes that administrators and…

This report builds on information prepared for and presented at the June 2001 meeting of the National Alliance on the American High School (the Alliance). It focuses on one layer of the education system, state policy, which was selected for study because major changes in practice are hard to establish and even harder to sustain when state policies…

This report describes the Body of Evidence approach taken in Wyoming to implement standards-based graduation. The Body of Evidence plan calls for more than a single test to justify issuing a high school diploma. Graduation requirement rules, known as Chapter 31 rules, establish the requirements for a diploma. The body of evidence is to be…

This manual explains what graduated driver licensing (GDL) is and why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes it is so important for every jurisdiction to take steps towards its implementation. Section I introduces the need by defining the teen driving problem: inexperience, risk-taking behavior and immaturity, and greater risk…

This paper examines the responses of four high schools to new accountability policies in two states, New York and Vermont. In each state, one school that was better positioned with respect to the policy and one that was a target of the policy were studied. New York's policy attaches high stakes for students though the Regents high school exit…

Guidelines are provided to assist New Jersey local school districts in improving and strengthening their graduation policies in accordance with the new law and regulations. Basic skills proficiency requirements have been enacted in Chapter 241, Laws of 1979. This law requires that students successfully pass tests in reading, writing and…

State legislation launched the California Partnership Academies (CPAs) in 1984. Now operating in more than 200 comprehensive high schools, CPAs have been used as a model for high school reform in California and elsewhere. Academies typically feature multi-age learning groups, team teaching and career-based instruction. Teachers help students…

Individuals who have not completed high school now have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma without returning to the classroom. This document presents a brief description of high school equivalency diploma programs, which are directed at the adult dropout. Pertinent information about the various equivalency diploma programs is presented…

In 1983, the California State Legislature passed Senate Bill 947 which authorized a statewide Youth Suicide Prevention School Program, including provisions for staff training, parent awareness, and a classroom curriculum. This document contains the four guides of the Youth Suicide Prevention School Program. The first guide, the Implementation and…

This set of briefing materials is designed to provide policymakers at the federal and state levels, journalists, and others with a quick overview of youth apprenticeship in the United States today. Chapter 1 describes what youth apprenticeship is. A map showing the beginnings of a nationwide youth apprenticeship system is provided. Chapter 2 on…

The reason that the school dropout crisis is now referred to as a "silent epidemic" is because, when we weren't paying attention, the graduation rate in our country slipped to a level that threatens the very health and well-being of our society. Each year, almost one-third of all public high school students--and nearly one-half of all…

This handbook was developed to assist local education agency personnel in establishing and administering high school apprenticeship programs, especially in North Carolina. The guide is organized in seven chapters that cover the following topics: (1) what apprenticeship is; (2) how a registered apprenticeship program works; (3) why employers choose…

The Jobs for Florida's Graduates (JFG) program targets high school students and provides services to help these students graduate and to continue their education or find meaningful employment within one year of graduation. School managers and "job specialists" serve as mentors, identify at-risk high school students, and provide them with…

Between 1983 and 1985, the Florida Legislature enacted legislation that increased the credits required for high school graduation and redefined the closely related length and configuration of the school day. Members of the Superintendent's Task Force on the Seventh Period/Extended School Day, members and staff of the legislature's education and…