This edition's topic:
TAKING ON THE TOUGH ISSUES
Contents:
•
Taking
on the Tough Issues (Commentary)
• Secondary
Schools and Beyond (Special Section)
• News from
the Field
• Things
to Watch
• Reader
Survey: Your #1 High School Concern
TAKING ON THE TOUGH ISSUES
As
leaders, most of us know that sinking feeling when a tough problem
crosses our desk. We know we need to address it and that delaying
will only make it worse, but we also know that marshalling the
organizational and personal resources, shepherding the process
to resolution, and dealing with the consequences will be difficult--and
will exact a price. The price may include fewer resources for
other activities, time away from our families, political fallout,
unwelcomed changes in the way the organization works, or emotional
wear and tear. The temptation to side-step the issue or pass
it on to someone else is strong, and sometimes we are unable
to resist.
No
Child Left Behind (NCLB) is one of those tough problems, and
an amazingly complex one at that. Jane Hannaway and Chris Swanson
of the Urban Institute describe the situation as follows: "This
paradoxical combination of local standards and universal sanctions
leaves no opportunity for conflict and confusion behind. Understanding
the problems this paradox causes is essential for getting reform
on track. To some, the ability to hold in mind two contradictory
notions at the same time is a sign of genius. But in public
policy this contrariness invites ... problems."
One
of the problems according to Gerald Tirozzi, executive director
of the National Association of Secondary School Principals,
is that "NCLB, just as the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA) before it, provides the bulk of its federal resources
to elementary schools, but provides little support to secondary
schools to improve teacher instruction and student achievement,
or to bring those students who have fallen behind up to grade
level." In other words, as Tirozzi is fond of saying, "the
'S' needs to be put back into the Elementary and Secondary Schools
Act (ESEA)."
Prior
to NCLB, several states had implemented extensive school reform
measures. These reforms are beginning to show results at the
elementary and middle school levels, but high schools are still
failing students. According to the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), approximately half a million students left
high school between the 10th and 12th grades without successfully
completing a high school program during the 1990s. Approximately
half the large high schools in the 35 largest central cities
graduate fewer than 50% of their ninth graders, and related
studies suggest that the majority of these students dropped
out, were expelled, or were incarcerated. Among the students
who do graduate from high school, reading and math skills decrease
during the course of high school, and half to two-thirds of
the students who go on to two-year and four-year colleges are
forced to take remedial, non-credit bearing courses because
of their poor preparation. It is obvious that considerable work
needs to be done to address the failure of high schools to adequately
prepare students for high school graduation, college, and workforce
participation.
High
school reform is definitely one of those tough problems that
leaders must face, sinking feeling or not -- and it appears
that they are rising to the occasion. For example, IEL is directly
addressing the high school challenge as part of its commitment
to improve education through positive and visionary change.
Several projects in which we are involved are designed to advance
and bring national visibility to the work being done to improve
the preparedness of high school-aged youth for post-secondary
education and work. Together, these projects provide education
leaders with useful networks and information to support a cohesive
approach to the current challenges faced by American secondary
schools.
There
were, in fact, so many activities, reports, and articles focusing
on secondary schools this fall that we created a special section
on that topic below, beginning with the IEL-based resources.
In
the last issue of IELC, we reflected on how far we have traveled
on the road to equal education, how long it has taken, and how
far we have yet to go. NCLB is another attempt to move us further
along that road by requiring that states document their efforts
and successes in closing the achievement gap. We knew up front
that difficult decisions would have to be made and that our
vision of high expectations and positive outcomes for all students
would guide us in implementing the law. As we approach the holiday
season, our gift to you is this issue of IELC which provides
some resources for addressing those knotty leadership problems
and some new routes for the road ahead.
SECONDARY
SCHOOLS AND BEYOND
The
National High School Alliance (HS Alliance) is a partnership
of over forty organizations representing a diverse cross-section
of perspectives and approaches. Its goal is to close the achievement
gap, and promote civic and personal growth among all youth in
our high schools and communities. How? -- by a shared commitment
of the partners to bring their combined resources, knowledge,
and capacity to bear on reshaping policies, practices, and involving
the public in achieving its goal. As noted in the last issue
of IELC, the HS Alliance will soon launch a new Web site (http://www.hsalliance.org)
featuring the High School Alliance's work, as well as the work
of each partner organization. One of the highlights of the site
is its National Calendar of high school related events, as well
as an on-line Learning Community where partners and others can
access ongoing dialogue and current developments in improving
America's high schools. Visitors can also access the HS Alliance
report, "All Over the Map," a scan of state policies
to improve high schools. The site will feature the Catalog of
Research on Secondary School Reform (CoRSSR), which tracks emerging
research for the purpose of identifying, sharing, and disseminating
information focused on questions of implementation, effectiveness,
and policy. This research will address one or more of the key
attributes of small schools as designated by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation (the funder): common focus, high expectations,
personalization, climate of respect and responsibility, and
time to collaborate. For further information or to contribute
to the catalog, please contact Shayna Klopott klopotts@iel.org
or Nina Frant, frantn@iel.org.
The
Theme High School Network (THiSNET) is an online resource (see
the last issue of IELC for more information) designed to connect
theme schools nationwide. The site provides a searchable database
of public and private schools, and support and ideas for the
successful development and implementation of thematically-focused
high schools (http://www.thisnet.org).
In
2002, IEL's Center for Workforce Development and the American
Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) organized two roundtable meetings
on aspects of high school reform critical to helping students
develop the range of skills needed to be successful and that
take into account the varied learning styles, preferences, and
needs of youth today. The summaries of the roundtables, the
background papers, and recommendations from the roundtables
are now available in the publication "Essentials of High
School Reform" at http://www.aypf.org/pubs.htm.
The topics for the roundtables were new forms of assessments
and contextual teaching and learning. Both practices support
and enhance the development of academic competencies, as well
as help students acquire and demonstrate other skill attainment.
Students
with disabilities transitioning from high school have been included
in IEL's work through the National Collaborative on Workforce
and Disability for Youth. The Collaborative Web site (http://www.ncwd-youth.info)
contains a variety of resources for several audiences. Of particular
note is the new High School-High Tech program manual that includes
four design features for effective transition programs.
The
What Kids Can Do Web site reports that more and more discussions
of high school reform are including actual students! To read
some of the student comments on what makes a school worth going
to, how to improve student-teacher relations, and the process
of change, go to http://www.whatkidscando.org/intheirownwords/perspectives.html.
A sample comment: "You may not be able to get everyone
to agree with breaking up the school into smaller pieces, but
you sure better go and talk to EVERYONE before it happens."
Since
our mention of the Bridge Project's report (see the IELC's Mar/Apr
issue and
http://www.stanford.edu/group/bridgeproject/),
two new studies have been released that examine how well high
schools prepare students for college. The first, "Public
High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United
States" by Jay Greene and Greg Forster at the Manhattan
Institute for Policy Research concludes "that by far the
most important reason black and Hispanic students are underrepresented
in college is the failure of the K-12 education system to prepare
them for college, rather than insufficient financial aid or
inadequate affirmative action policies." Get the details
at http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm.
The second report, "Mixed Messages: What State High School
Tests Communicate About Student Readiness for College"
by David Conley at the University of Oregon, focuses on the
alignment of high school exit exams and standards of success
in entry-level university courses. Given that the tests were
not designed to measure college readiness, it is not surprising
that wide variance in alignment was found. Go to http://cepr.uoregon.edu/MixedMessages/index.asp
to view the report.
Jobs
for the Future has published two reports examining the secondary
school-college pipeline. The first, a survey of 1010 Americans
titled "Leaks in the Postsecondary Pipeline: A Survey of
Americans," finds that most people believe that the secondary-postsecondary
systems do not work well together and that coordination needs
to be improved. The report is available at http://www.jff.org/jff/PDFDocuments/LeakSurvey.pdf.
The second, "Higher Education Pipeline: Evaluation of Access
and Attainment," examines a variety of indicators with
a focus on under-represented youth. It is available at http://www.jff.org/jff/PDFDocuments/HigherEdPipeParth.pdf.
A strategy being used in some communities that leaders should
consider for improving high school outcomes and college transition
is covered in a report from the Community College Research Center
at Teachers College, Columbia University. The report titled
"Promoting College Access and Success: A Review of Credit-Based
Transition Programs" takes a look at the effects of credit-based
transition programs (aka dual enrollment to some of us). Less
than half of the literature reviewed included program outcomes,
but it appears that positive outcomes result in measures such
as freshman grade point averages, likelihood of entering college,
and high school performance and graduation rates of at-risk
students. To download the report, go to http://www.tc.columbia.edu/ccrc.
The
stepping-stone to high school is middle school. For middle schools
to be successful, the school's organization, curriculum, pedagogy,
and programs must be based upon the developmental readiness,
needs, and interests of young adolescents. "This We Believe:
Successful Schools for Young Adolescents" from the National
Middle School Association outlines 14 key characteristics of
successful schools for young adolescents. To download the executive
summary and order the report and supporting research document
("Research and Resources in Support of This We Believe,")
go to http://www.nmsa.org.
NEWS FROM THE FIELD
Continuing
our reflection on how far we've come since Brown v. Board of
Education, we note that "No Excuses: Closing the Racial
Gap in Learning" by Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom was
released last month by Simon and Schuster. Calling for "drastic
action to overcome this national crisis," the authors dissect
the reasons for the gap, with particular attention to the cultural
component, and examine schools that have been successful in
closing the gap. Unfortunately, this book is not available on-line,
but you can view the table of contents, read the introduction,
and order the book at http://www.simonsays.com/excerpt.cfm?isbn=0743204468&areaid=33.
Warning: Depending on your computer's settings, you may need
a magnifying glass to read the excerpts.
Working
collaboratively with the Lab for Student Success at Temple University,
IEL has launched an exciting new Web site at http://www.e-lead.org.
e-Lead is designed to help school districts get the information
they need quickly to strengthen district-wide professional development
for principals. The Web site offers guidance for designing and
implementing principal professional development programs and
has a searchable database of existing quality programs. A Leadership
Library offers annotated information about a number of leadership
development issues and links to the latest information and resources.
If you'd like to recommend your own or another principal professional
development program for inclusion in the e-Lead database, e-mail
Nicole Suozzi at suozzin@iel.org.
The
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices is
turning its attention to low-performing schools and has published
the first in a series of framing papers. The paper, by Richard
Elmore, is titled "Knowing the Right Things to Do: School
Improvement and Performance-Based Accountability," and
examines two low-performing schools which, despite committed
teachers, engaged students, and orderly, clean environments,
have leveled off in meeting their performance goals. The Process
of School Improvement on pages 12-13 is particularly thought-provoking.
To download the paper, a guide on developing a policy framework
for Governors, and a summary of the themes from the Governors'
Education Policy Advisors Institute last April (one is improving
high schools, and not just low-performing ones), go to http://www.nga.org/center/schools/.
A
new report, "Preparing School Principals: A National Perspective
on Policy and Program Innovations," focuses on two areas
in which state policies and programs can have particular influence
on school leadership: 1) licensure, certification, and accreditation
requirements; and 2) administrator training and professional
development. The report, written by Elizabeth L. Hale and Hunter
N. Moorman of IEL is a joint publication of the Illinois Education
Research Council (IERC) and IEL. It's available in pdf format
at ../../preparingprincipals.pdf.
Hard copies are available from IEL for $5 per copy by e-mail
request to iel@iel.org.
Research
that proves leadership does matter! In "Balanced Leadership:
What 30 Years of Research Tells Us about the Effect of Leadership
on Student Achievement," McREL reports on its analysis
of 70 studies representing over a million students, and over
2800 schools. It concluded that principal leadership is positively
correlated with student achievement and organized its findings
into a balanced leadership framework describing "the knowledge,
skills, strategies, and tools leaders need to positively impact
student achievement." To download the report, go to
http://www.mcrel.org.
"Creating
New Schools: The Strategic Management of Charter Schools"
by Peter Frumkin for the Annie E. Casey Foundation describes
the unique leadership challenges of managing a charter school
and provides a model for improvement. The paper is available
in pdf format at http://www.aecf.org/publications/data/createnewschoolspages.pdf.
AYPF
analyzed over 100 school and youth program evaluations to examine
parental involvement in their children's education, and concludes
that "young people should not be treated as 'islands' by
school and youth programs, separate from the context of their
families." To view the 152-page report "No More Islands:
Family Involvement in 27 School and Youth Programs" go
to http://www.aypf.org/pubs.htm.
Good
news! Education is responsible for the gains in productivity
in the U.S. in the 1990s, and every dollar spent on education
resulted in a net 15% increase in annual income for individual
workers according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development. To download "Education at a Glance: OECD
2002 Indicators," go to http://www.oecd.org.
The
National Center for Educational Statistics has released two
reports on violence and crime in public schools. The first,
"Violence in U.S. Public Schools," an analysis of
violent incidents reported during the 1999-2000 school year
by a representative sample of 2270 public elementary, middle,
high, and combined schools, found seven factors correlated with
increased violence. To download the report, go to http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004314.
The second report "Indicators of School Crime and Safety:
2003" provided statistics and information on crime trends
in schools which show that student reports of victimization
have declined over time, some have remained essentially the
same (e.g.. student suicides, hate crimes), and one indicator,
bullying, has increased in frequency. The second report is available
at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004004.
THINGS TO WATCH
Another site designed to help you quickly access the information
you need is the new learning resource, "Community Problem-Solving"
at: http://www.community-problem-solving.net
launched by the Art and Science of Community Problem-Solving
Project at Harvard University. Described as a space where people
and institutions can make new mistakes, not the same old ones,
the site provides free strategy and program tools, discussion
forums, and an interesting creator's log written by Xavier de
Souza Briggs, the site's founder.
The Color
Lines Conference--Segregation and Integration in America's Present
and Future was held at the Harvard Law School on August 30-September
1, 2003. Over 1,000 people attended the conference which was
sponsored by the Civil Rights Project. Issues included changing
demographics, protecting civil rights, trends, promising policies
and practices, and more. A spate of new research will result
from the conference, but in the meantime you can read many of
the papers examining educational issues by going to http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/convenings/colorlines/community.php.
A new Education
Commission of the States database contains information about
state charter laws and policies, including those of DC and Puerto
Rico. To generate state policy profiles, compare policies across
states, and get information on school/student preference, authorizers/sponsors,
funding, waivers, facilities, etc., go to
http://www.ecs.org/ecsmain.asp?page=/html/educationIssues/CharterSchools/CHDB_intro.asp.
A final
note: According to the U.S. Department of Education, the ERIC
Clearinghouses as we know them will cease operation on December
19, 2003. Information from the clearinghouses will be archived
and will be available via a new, single ERIC database when the
new ERIC contractor is selected. Some clearinghouses are planning
to archive their information on other sites, and the Clearinghouse
on Educational Management is planning to take on a new life
as the Clearinghouse on Educational Policy and Management at
http://cepm.uoregon.edu.
The best way to find out what's going on with your favorite
sites is to monitor both the new ERIC Web site,
http://www.eric.ed.gov, and the individual clearinghouse
sites, which are listed at http://www.eric.ed.gov/sites/barak.html#tm.
READER SURVEY: YOUR #1 HIGH
SCHOOL CONCERN
Given the increased attention that high schools are receiving,
please tell us your #1 concern about high schools and your vantage
point. For example, are you the parent of a middle school student,
a high school English teacher, a college professor, a student,
a senior citizen on a fixed income, or a concerned citizen?
We will compile the (anonymous) results and share them with
you, use them to inform future issues of IELC, and pass them
on to the National High School Alliance.
Send
your response to survey@iel.org
with "survey" in the subject line. You can be cryptic
as long as we understand your point. Please remember that IELC
surveys are informal exchanges and are not intended to be "scientifically-based
research." We will collect your responses and use them
to inform future issues of IELC. We will not be able to provide
a personal response to each submission.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Submission
deadline for the next issue: January 2, 2004
* * * * * * * * * * *
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ABOUT IELEADERSHIP CONNECTIONS
IELeadership Connections is a free bi-monthly e-newsletter
focusing on leadership for education. The editors are Mary Podmostko
and Denise Slaughter. Gerardo Medrano is the assistant editor.
Please feel free to share this newsletter with interested parties.
The editors will do their best to provide active links and information
but cannot be responsible for expired links.
To
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or provide feedback, send an e-mail to feedback@iel.org with "IELC"
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This e-newsletter is made possible by grants from The Ford
Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and MetLife Foundation.
ABOUT IEL
For
more than thirty-five years, the Institute for Educational Leadership
(IEL)--a non-profit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington,
DC-has worked to achieve better results for children and youth.
At the heart of IEL's effectiveness is a unique ability to bring
people together to identify and resolve issues across policy,
program, and sector boundaries. As a natural outgrowth of IEL's
work, diverse networks have been created and nurtured.
Today, IEL is working to help individuals and institutions
increase their capacity to work together to improve outcomes
for children and young people. We are building and supporting
a cadre of diverse leaders, strengthening the capacity of education
and related systems, and informing the development and implementation
of policies. IEL supports a national network of over 15,000
policymakers and practitioners, publishes books and reports,
facilitates meetings, produces seminars and conferences, and
disseminates ideas that have an impact on policy at all governance
levels. Please visit our Web site at http://www.iel.org to
learn more about IEL.
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