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I N N O V A T O R |
News about high school innovation
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Sept. 28, 2009
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Welcome to INNOVATOR, a bimonthly report on high school change in North Carolina from the North Carolina New Schools Project. INNOVATOR informs practitioners, policy makers, and friends of public education about high school innovation in North Carolina as well as success stories and research from across the nation.
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Granville, Scotland high schools launch technology initiative
Two rural North Carolina high schools aim to graduate 100 percent of their students, employing technology to increase engagement and transform teaching and learning.
Using data to guide and strengthen learning, teaching, online curriculum and one-to-one computing, South Granville and Scotland High Schools embody educational innovation in the state. The schools are the first participants in Redesigned Schools 2.0, a collaborative partnership among SAS, the North Carolina New Schools Project, the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and the two school districts to create highly successful schools that demonstrate effective, technology-enhanced teaching practices. Corporate partners Cisco and Intel are lending support.
Teaching, learning and administration will be transformed by providing teacher and student laptops, SAS Curriculum Pathways online resources, SAS EVAAS for K-12 (Education Value-Added Assessment System) and SAS OnDemand for K-12.
"Thanks to an innovative partnership between the public and private sectors, we have an
opportunity to reinvent K-12 education in North Carolina and become a model for other
states," said State Superintendent June Atkinson.
"These schools and their districts have distinguished themselves as pioneers in their
willingness to create learning environments that will, over time, graduate every student fully prepared for college and work," added Bill Harrison, Chairman of the State Board of Education. The high schools in Granville and Scotland counties were among the first in the state to adopt innovative approaches as small, theme-based schools with high expectations for student achievement and engagement.
More than 150 MacBooks, funded by SAS, have been given to teachers at both schools
along with professional development to help effectively integrate the new technology into the curriculum. Intel is contributing significant resources that will support evaluations and assessments for teachers and students. Cisco is donating product and services to support connectivity in the schools. Redesigned Schools 2.0 is built on the best practices and lessons learned from the successful North Carolina 1:1 Learning Technology Initiative (NCLTI).
"The work of the New Schools Project, SAS, the Friday Institute, Golden LEAF and local districts through the NCLTI pilot demonstration program set a precedent for how leaders in North Carolina must work together to transform schools and to connect them to the emerging economy," said Tony Habit, President of the New Schools Project.
Available at no cost to students and teachers, SAS Curriculum Pathways is an online
resource that provides interactive, engaging, standards-based content in the core academic disciplines of English, mathematics, social studies, science and Spanish for grades 8-12. SAS OnDemand for K-12 empowers administrators to confidently make informed decisions across their school districts. The hosted service pulls together information important to district leaders - such as attendance, enrollment and discipline data - and analyzes it in a secure environment, hosted by SAS.
EVAAS delivers rigorous analyses of student test scores to predict the likelihood of
students reaching critical attainment levels on end-of-grade testing, the SAT and tests
required for high school graduation. Used in 20 states -- statewide in Tennessee, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and North Carolina -- it also assesses the influence of districts, schools and
teachers on student progress rates and enables personalized educational planning at the
student level.
"I'm excited to see what can be accomplished when, for the first time, all of SAS' K-12
offerings are brought together, combined with one-to-one learning and guided by a new
vision of education. It would not be possible without the bold leadership of the
superintendents and the generosity of our partners," said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight.
"This project will help us level the playing field for our students and is another important step toward improved educational outcomes for all," said Rick Stout, superintendent of Scotland County schools.
"We in Granville County Schools are excited by the unlimited possibilities that our partnership will bring to the students, teachers and the community at large," said Timothy Farley, superintendent of Granville County schools. "Ultimately, our students will have the opportunity to compete on an international level for 21st century careers."
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WUNC series highlights high school innovation in Warren
Warren County's efforts to raise student expectations and achievement through high school innovation were highlighted in a recent series on WUNC radio that focused on the challenges rural schools face and strategies for overcoming them.
Reporter Dave DeWitt explored issues of high turnover among teachers, high levels of poverty and the wide gaps that tend to divide schools in many rural counties from the state's more affluent urban and suburban districts. The third segment of the three-part series focused on Warren County's two innovative high schools as a promising solution to those kinds of stubborn problems. The two schools, Warren New Tech High School and Warren Early College High School, are both partners with the North Carolina New Schools Project.
Key indicators of student persistence -- such as attendance and dropout rates -- show that the two schools are succeeding in keeping students on track to graduate. The schools also are helping students achieve. Passing rates for both schools on state end-of-course exams were significantly greater than the Warren County High in 2006-07, the year before either one of the innovative schools was open.
Ryan Hurley, an English teacher at Warren Early College, tells DeWitt that the two schools are helping transform the expectations students have for themselves and that the schools have for students.
"I think New Tech and the Early College have just completely changed the entire climate of Warren County's high school system," Hurley said. "Even teachers at the traditional high school, I think, would also agree that its changed the climate. It gives kids other options. I think other opportunities will help them to see that they can do something more, something different -- different from what their parents or family may have done in the past."
Go here to listen to the entire series along with extended interviews with Hurley, Warren New Tech biology teacher William Hendrickson, Early College Principal Danylu Hundley, State Superintendent June Atkinson, NCNSP President Tony Habit and others.
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Report offers new economic data on educational attainment
The global recession is raising the stakes on postsecondary education, according to a new report that offers yet more evidence for the need for all students to graduate from high school prepared for college, careers and life.
In its 2009 edition of Education at a Glance, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) says that the income gap continues to grow between people with college degrees and those without them. The report from the international organization also says that gains in educational attainment will aid economic recovery.
Higher concentrations of people with postsecondary education results in clear benefits for government budgets and the overall economy, according to the OECD report. The average net public return across OECD countries from a male with a college degree is almost $52,000, the report says, nearly twice the average amount of money that was initially invested.
And for an individual, the income benefits -- weighed against the cost of education -- also are vast:
- A male student who completes a university degree can look forward to a gross earnings premium over his lifetime of more than $186,000 on average across OECD countries, compared with someone who only completes high school.
- The highest earnings advantages are in the United States, where a male graduate can expect to earn more than $367,000 extra over his lifetime; a female graduate, more than $229,000.
The report also includes these findings:
- The number of people with university degrees or other postsecondary qualifications has risen in OECD countries by 4.5 percent a year between 1998 and 2006.
- In most countries, the number of people who leave school as early as laws allow is falling, but the United States is one of a half dozen OECD nations where those numbers continue to rise. The other countries with increasing numbers of dropouts are Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland and Turkey.
- Students who drop out are likely to spend a long time out of work. In most countries, more than half of low-qualified unemployed 25-34 year olds are long-term unemployed.
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How-to guide aims to help schools improve college access
A new guide from the U.S. Department of Education offers schools and districts a number of research-based recommendations for helping students prepare and apply for college.
Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do is intended as a tool for increasing access to higher education, particularly among students from low-income families and those who might be the first in their families to attend college.
The guide provides a series of recommended steps for increasing college access, with practices supported by research, and with each offering strategies for implementation along with potential roadblocks and solutions. In all, information is provided around five key recommendations:
- Offer courses and curricula that prepare students for college-level work, and ensure that students understand what constitutes a college-ready curriculum by 9th grade
- Utilize assessment measures throughout high school so that students are aware of how prepared they are for college, and assist them in overcoming deficiencies as they are identified
- Surround students with adults and peers who build and support their college-going aspirations
- Engage and assist students in completing critical steps for college entry
- Increase families' financial awareness, and help students apply for financial aid
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States shifting accountability towards college readiness
As North Carolina continues a far-reaching effort to revise the state's accountability system to ensure all students are well prepared for college and careers, other states are working toward a similar goal. Recent press reports focused on two seen as holding promise. Texas education leaders are incorporating a comprehensive set of readiness standards into the state's accountability system, according to a recent report in Education Week, after leaders in K-12 and higher education collaborated to align their expectations. One education expert quoted in the report said that Texas is farther along than any state in adopting the most comprehensive policies to enhance college readiness. The document, Texas College and Career Readiness Standards, is intended to outline what students must master to succeed in entry-level college courses. Under the key content area of writing, for example, students are expected to demonstrate clear focus and organization, logical development of ideas while also understanding the importance of revision as key to effective writing. The report explains that the Texas college-ready standards were prompted partly by the state legislature, which now requires that schools be held accountable both for passing rates on end-of-course exams and percentages of students who score at a higher level considered college ready. Those levels are established jointly by leaders of K-12 and higher education, and the tests can be used to exempt students from remedial courses in the state's public colleges and universities. The development of the standards was the result of an approach that engaged all the players, the report explains. "Experts say Texas boasts more elements of a systemwide effort to align high school with college -- either in place of in development -- including state laws, standards, assessments and professional development." In Florida, according to a report in The Palm Beach Post, high schools are now being measured based on the proportion of students who can enter community college without remediation, pass industry-certification exams, attain college credit and graduate in four years. Schools improve their standing under the revised accountability system based on the percentage of students taking challenging classes, such as AP courses, or technical courses which include a certification exam. The report said the revised accountability approach for high schools is affecting the behavior of high schools in Palm Beach County. " 'It's a system that has high expectations for not only the district and schools but also for teachers and students,' " Jeffrey Hernandez, Palm Beach County schools chief academic officer told the newspaper. " 'It's a system that has an end goal in mind that allows us to grow each year.' " North Carolina's education leaders will resume their discussion Wednesday about changes to the state's accountability system. Members of the State Board of Education will be asked during a meeting of their Globally Competitive Students committee to consider a number of potential issues, including the question of measuring post-secondary readiness. Back to top |
Become a fan of NCNSP on Facebook; join the discussion
North Carolina New Schools Project now has its own Facebook page.
If you are a Facebook user already, become a fan today and contribute to the
conversation. If not, you can follow the page without joining Facebook,
but you won't be able to post your comments or content. Either way, please take a look here. Back to top
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INNOVATOR is produced
by the North Carolina New Schools Project, an initiative of the Office of the
Governor and the Education Cabinet with the support of the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation and other businesses and foundations. For story suggestions or to opt out of receiving
this e-mail report, please send an e-mail to innovator@newschoolsproject.org or call Todd
Silberman at (919) 277-3760.
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