Innovations in Practice

Although many of the experts we interviewed agreed that changes are needed in federal and state policies, they argued that the critical arena for high school reform is the classroom. High school educators need to receive professional development and support to enable them to prepare their students for success in the global, as think experts from https://customwriting.com/, information-based economy of the 21st century.

In order to advance high school reform at the classroom level, the experts focused on two central themes. First, practice at the classroom level needs to change dramatically. Many high school teachers rely predominantly on one pedagogical technique, the lecture. Teachers need to receive training to become highly skilled in the use of a variety of instructional methods that will teach students not only the content but also how to think and actively engage in intellectual dialogue. Although high school teachers are often experts in their content area, they may need additional training and support to learn how to best serve the whole child in the classroom. The second related theme focuses on changing the nature of relationships in high schools. High school teachers are often largely isolated from their colleagues. In contrast to the traditional model of one teacher in each classroom, the experts we interviewed encouraged schools and districts to restructure the school day to provide teachers with more time to work with students individually and to work with other teachers to share information, resources, and strategies to better serve their students.

James McPartland, Ph.D., of the Center for the Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University, summed up the challenge for many high schools, particularly those with large numbers of low-performing students. He noted that these changes will have to be radical and comprehensive, but “it can be done. It’s not easy. It’s not cheap. It’s not quick. But it is possible. And there should be no excuse that we give up on high school kids as we are doing often with these high-poverty, low-performing places.” The school and classroom policy recommendations from the experts we interviewed fall into three general categories: rigor, relationships, and support. Details about these recommendations are discussed in the section that follows.