Our Publications
The National High School Center provides tools and products on the latest practices and information on high school topics and high school improvement. Below, you will be able to access reports, briefs, fact sheets, guides, and brochures centered around a variety of current high school issues. Please also visit our Topics for High School Improvement Web page that categorizes resources by high school improvement topic area.
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 Preparing High School Students for Successful Transitions to Postsecondary Education and EmploymentThis issue brief highlights lessons from selected policies and programs designed to improve students’ preparation for postsecondary pathways. The publication summarizes core characteristics of popular interventions in a user-friendly chart, poses overarching implementation questions and challenges, and includes considerations for students with disabilities. (August 2008) |
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Striking the Balance: Career Academies Combine Academic Rigor and Workplace Relevance This snapshot takes a closer look at implementation of the Career Academy model, an innovative approach to infuse life relevancy and critical thinking skills into the academic curriculum, in a high school in Oakland, California. Painting a picture of one high school’s experience, the resource documents the mechanics of the program, how it prepares students for college, and the challenges encountered along the way. (August 2008) |
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Evaluating the Impact of Interventions That Promote Successful Transitions from High School This research brief examines the challenges and opportunities presented in evaluating whether an intervention achieves defined goals of increasing students’ educational attainment, employment, and earnings after high school. (August 2008) |
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Eight Elements of High School Improvement: A Mapping Framework The National High School Center’s goal is to encourage researchers, policymakers, and practitioners at all levels to engage in comprehensive, systemic efforts to maximize attainment for all high school students, with a focus on those students who have been historically underserved. To this end, we have developed a framework that consists of eight core elements and provides a lens for mapping school, district, and state high school improvement efforts. (July 2008) |
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Developing Early Warning Systems to Identify Potential High School Dropouts The following two resources are intended to support educators at all levels of the public school system in building data systems that identify probable high school dropouts before they leave school.
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National High School Center Brochure This brochure provides an informative and concise overview of the National High School Center. |
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Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs With Appropriate Interventions This report outlines steps that schools can take to identify at-risk students and provide the necessary support systems and relevant interventions to assist students in obtaining a high school diploma. Further, the report discusses the use of early warning data systems to target interventions for groups and individual students, offers a variety of best practice approaches undertaken by higher-performing high schools, and presents effective programs that are currently being implemented to stem the dropout problem. (October 2007) |
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State-Level High School Improvement Systems Checklist This checklist is designed to help states at various stages develop their system of support to reach struggling high schools. The checklist can be used to assess where your state is in terms of the elements of using existing support and guidance mechanisms, and reconfiguring and/or creating new structures to leverage system change for high school improvement. The elements listed in the checklist may be helpful in establishing or refining your state’s education planning and implementation process. (June 2007) |
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Transitioning Out of High School: A Quick Stats Fact Sheet This fact sheet provides statistics describing the current status of high school graduates' readiness for life after high school. It highlights some of the challenges and opportunities facing high school students after graduation as well as some of the consequences and implications for America’s underprepared graduates. (October 2007) |
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High School Dropout: A Quick Stats Fact Sheet This fact sheet highlights the problem of dropout prevention facing America’s high schools today. It provides information on the students most likely to drop out, and examines the impact of dropouts on crime, the economy, personal incomes, and employment. (September 2007) |
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State Approaches to More Reliable and Uniform Dropout and Graduation Data This issue brief outlines the immediate need for more accurate dropout and graduation data, while providing a snapshot of work currently underway. By drawing on two prominent methods for calculating graduation rates: the National Governors Association’s endorsed longitudinal approach and the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR), this brief outlines how data are needed to track dropout trends and patterns, as well as how to direct resources and more effective strategies to ensure more students receive a high school diploma. This brief concludes by offering take-aways for states. (August 2007) |
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Meeting the Needs of Significantly Struggling Learners in High School: A Look at Approaches to Tiered Intervention This report, authored by Helen Duffy of the National High School Center at the American Institutes for Research, provides an in-depth look at the implementation and structural issues, as well as the needed support required to successfully institute Response to Intervention (RTI) at the secondary school level. It defines the RTI models, explores benefits and challenges faced at the high school level, shares a snapshot of implementation at the high school level, and outlines the necessary resources needed to support this work. (August 2007) |
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Easing the Transition to High School: Research and Best Practices Designed to Support High School Learning This report is a rolled up version of four National High School Center products that had been previously released as individual pieces related to one of the NHSC focus themes: transitions into high school. Included in this publication are a fact sheet, policy brief, issue brief, and snapshot. (July 2007) |
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Dropout Prevention for Students With Disabilities:
A Critical Issue for State Education Agencies This issue brief provides guidance to states as they respond to requirements presented in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) in the area of dropout prevention for students with disabilities. It also highlights the role of State Performance Plans as starting points for states to develop data collection and monitoring procedures, and supplies states with considerations and recommendations for providing a consistent method of tracking dropout data. (May 2007) |
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State and District-Level Support for Successful Transitions into High School This policy brief examines how some states and districts are currently easing the transition into high school for students. (May 2007) |
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Toward Ensuring a Smooth Transition Into High School This best practices piece is based on key research into high school transition strategies. (May 2007) |
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Managing the Transition to Ninth Grade in a Comprehensive Urban High School This snapshot illustrates how one school is managing to make a positive difference for ninth graders. (May 2007) |
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Quick Stats Fact Sheet: The First Year of High School This fact sheet highlights statistics related to the transition into high school for U.S. students. (March 2007) |
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Findings from the Early College High School Initiative: A Look at Best Practices and Lessons Learned Regarding a Dual Enrollment Program This research brief on the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI), a dual enrollment program developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, examines lessons learned and best practices gleaned from an evaluation specific to the ECHSI, “Early College High School Initiative 2003-2005 Evaluation Report.” These findings help inform those interested in developing or implementing dual enrollment programs as a strategy to accelerate learning and help bridge transitions after graduation. (March 2007) |
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New Hampshire's Multi-Tiered Approach to Dropout Prevention Many states and districts across the country struggle with designing and implementing coherent dropout prevention initiatives that promote academic advancement, especially for special needs students, who drop out at much higher rates than the general student population. New Hampshire has been recognized for its innovative use of data collection and analysis as the key to unlocking the dropout problem. (March 2007) |
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National High School Center Publications This resource contains brief descriptions of current and forthcoming National High School Center resources centered around a variety of current high school issues. |
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States' Progress Toward High School Restructuring As many Title I high schools approach their fifth year of failing to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP), many states and districts are struggling to navigate the new waters of school restructuring as required in such cases as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. The following brief outlines the provisions of the law related to restructuring and includes strategies that states and districts are undertaking to meet their obligations under the law, particularly at the high school level. (January 2007) |
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Emerging Evidence on Improving High School Student Achievement and Graduation Rates: The Effects of Four Popular Improvement Programs The National High School Center released methods for improving low-performing high schools based on some of the most rigorous research currently available in the school reform arena. This research brief identifies lessons learned as well as key practices used to strengthen high schools and is based on evaluations of four widely used high school improvement programs - Career Academies, First Things First, Project GRAD, and Talent Development. (November 2006) |
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Improving Literacy Outcomes for English Language Learners in High School: Considerations for States and Districts in Developing a Coherent Policy Framework This research brief outlines existing barriers regarding teacher expectations, tracking, and placement of English language learners and offers key policies and useful strategies in building capacity and developing learning environments conducive for all students in obtaining academic success. (November 2006) |
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Report on Key Practices and Policies of Consistently Higher Performing High Schools This National High School Center report focuses on successful high schools, highlighting the ways in which many superintendents, principals, and teachers are setting and meeting high expectations for all students. Developed specifically for state leaders, it provides them with suggestions on how they may support initiatives that are linked with accelerated learning. (October 2006) |
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Sustaining Focus on Secondary School Reading: Lessons and Recommendations from the Alabama Reading Initiative The Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) addresses literacy and includes a focus on high school students. This research brief summarizes student and teacher outcomes, lessons learned, and other findings from a recent evaluation of the Alabama Reading Initiative at the secondary school level. (September 2006) |
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NCLB and High Schools This policy brief outlines how NCLB relates to high schools. (August 2006) |
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Quick Stats Fact Sheet: High Schools in the U.S. This fact sheet provides information and references on U.S. high school students and high school requirements. (July 2006) |
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Quick Stats Fact Sheet: High School Students by Region and State This fact sheet outlines the number of high school students per Regional Comprehensive Center and State. (July 2006) |
