Policy Forum: High School Reform

There is strong consensus among policymakers that America's high schools must do a better job of preparing students for college and life. Although the standards-based reform movement appears to be generating achievement gains for elementary students, high school achievement continues to stagnate. Recent initiatives from the National Governors Association, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Bush administration, and   numerous states, school districts, and philanthropic   organizations focus on improving high schools. But what should reformers focus on? And what is the evidence that various reform proposals will be effective? This forum will focus on a number of critical questions relating to the role of research in high school reform, including:

• What are the current national trends in high schools reform?
• What is the best available evidence of effectiveness regarding the most prevalent reform interventions?
• What is working? Not working? Where are the current gaps in research?
• What is the best way to stimulate innovation while building an evidence base?
• How does the research relate to current policy and practice? What are the implications for the future?

This forum involved two interactive panels of leading researchers and policy leaders featuring:

Charles Barone, Independent Consultant

Deborah DeLisle, Superintendent, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

JoLynne DeMary, former Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction

David Ferrero, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Craig Jerald, Break the Curve Consulting

Jim Kemple, Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation

James Kohlmoos, National Education Knowledge Industry Association

Valerie Lee, University of Michigan

Martin Orland, Center for Education at the National Academies

Jeffrey Robinson, Baltimore Talent Development High School

Becky Smerdon, American Institutes for Research

Thomas Toch, Education Sector

This forum is part of a series of forums jointly hosted by Education Sector, the National Academies/Center for Education, and National Education Knowledge Industry Association to promote discussion, debate, and sound policymaking around these issues. We are grateful to the KnowledgeWorks Foundation for supporting this project.