Description: High schools need a relentless focus on the results that matter for student success in the 21st century according to The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (the Partnership). The Partnership issued a new national report, “Results That Matter: 21st Century Skills and High School Reform,� outlining a compelling framework for 21st century learning that focuses on the results that matter for today’s high school graduates.

Description: This publication examines the predictors of college-going behavior and how they have been addressed within the school reform movement. It identifies, then takes the promising practices from current reform movements (pre-packaged school reform designs) and makes recommendations for addressing the needs of low-income and minority high school students. An analysis of research was done and determined that the greatest predictors of college-going behavior were academic rigor and strong social and academic support at the high school level.

Description: Mr. Barton’s purpose in writing this report is to inform educators and policymakers of the information available to them regarding what employers say is needed to prepare high school graduates to enter the employment workforce equipped with the necessary skills to do an effective job. It begins with background information on hiring, shares what employers say they want high school graduates to know and be able to do. It also provides discussion on important questions such as: (1) How has the occupational structure changed over the past several decades? and, (2) How is it changing with respect to the educational attainment needed to enter occupations? Finally, the report discusses the liklihood of a high school graduate earning a “middle class” wage without a college degree.

Description:

In 2005, the governors of all 50 states signed the Graduation Counts Compact and made an unprecedented commitment to a common method for calculating each state’s high school graduation rate. In addition to agreeing to a common formula for calculating the graduation rate, the governors committed to leading efforts to improve state data collection, reporting, and analysis; reporting additional indicators of outcomes for students; and reporting annually on their progress toward improved high school graduation, completion, and dropout data. This document provides the recapitulation of the purpose for the project. It is also the status report of each state’s annual progress on the improvement of high school graduation, completion, and dropout rate data.

Description: Wolk takes the research done by two Harvard Graduate School of Education senior researchers and creates an easy to read narrative. It highlights the purposes, funding, and anecdotal evidence gleaned from the study of two Early College High Schools during their first two years of operation.
Cited are 9 elements of importance within the Early College High Schools:

1. An Educational Identity
   
2. Continuous Support
   
3. Caring Relationships
   
4. Support for Staff
   
5. Challenging Environment
   
6. Importance of Learning Spaces
   
7. Construction Knowledge
   
8. Personalized Learning
   
9. Widespread and Intense Commitment
   

Description:

This report is an update of a report that was issued in 2008 that addresses the nation's largest cities' and their metropolitan areas' graduation rates.  It ties the latest graduation rates of these cities with the economic ramifications of how this indicator affects the economic outcomes of employment, income, and poverty.  With consensus that a 'crisis' is at hand, elected officials, policymakers, and educators are increasingly acknowledging that the fact that "three in ten students fail to finish high school with a diploma" should be a concern for the economic viability of this country. The current administration's education agenda has high school reform as a key component to improve this nation's position as a world economic leader.