National High School Alliance

The Learning Community

NATIONAL NETWORK OF CONSTITUENT ORGANIZATIONS E-NEWSLETTER

November 30, 2006

NETWORK RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

NNCO Web Site and Resources
The NNCO web site includes information about each of the Network organizations, resources and publications developed by Network organizations, and resources developed by the National High School Alliance. Please remember to check the web site frequently for updates and publications from the HS Alliance and the Network organizations.
NNCO Web site

October Meeting Summary
The October meeting summary highlights key themes raised during discussion and identifies potential action steps for Network participants.
October Meeting Summary

National Initiative Checklist
This checklist indicates the Honor States' involvement in several national high school reform initiatives. It was developed in response to requests from Network members who wanted to be informed about all of the major initiatives states are involved in before beginning work with a particular state.
National Initiative Checklist

Find Your Newly Elected Education Officials
This page on the National High School Alliance web site contains links to information about key education officials, their terms of office, and the results of the recent elections.
View Web page

Network Member Resources
High School Redesign: Tools for Policymakers
This toolkit contains six briefs written specifically for legislators produced by NCSL. Briefs focus on state legislation and high school reform, NCLB and high school reform, effective research and policy, funding new high school designs, and state strategies for reforming high schools.
High School Redesign: Tools for Policymakers

Transforming Higher Education: National Imperative--State Responsibility
This report, from NCSL's Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education, finds that states and the federal government have neglected their responsibilities to ensure a high-quality college education for all citizens. The Commission offers recommendations to define how legislators can become leaders in this effort.
Transforming Higher Education: National Imperative--State Responsibility

The Secondary School Redesign Web Forum
This web forum, developed by CCSSO's Secondary School Redesign Project, provides a space for high school redesign conversations related to measuring student achievement, facilitating transitions into and out of high school, and defining academic rigor.
Secondary School Redesign Web Forum

Other Resources
Election 2006: What Does This Mean for Education?
In the recent election, many states voted on education-related ballot initiatives and elected new governors and state education leaders. With these changes in the states, and a new party in power in Congress, it is clear that the elections will impact education and high school reform. Education Week features articles on the effects of the election and a blog that highlights other analyses and provides opportunities to comment.
Congress | Governors | Ballot Initatives | State Chiefs & Boards | Blog

ECS Highlights of High School Initiatives Database
This database includes highlights of promising state and district-level high school reform initiatives. To be included in the database, initiatives need to demonstrate that they meet all of the following criteria: serving a substantial population of traditionally underserved students; are stable--most initiatives in this database have been in place for at least three years; are producing results based on data rather than anecdote or perception; are replicable; are fiscally sustainable; and are bold/innovative.
ECS Highlights Database

ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATES

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
Contacts: Angela Hernandez-Marshall, Melissa McCabe
CCSSO is pursuing a dual strategy of convening high-level policy discussions with state policy leaders that will be complemented by on the ground work with State Education Agencies. Current activities include the following:

Advisory meetings of SEA officials and their staff to inform their future state-level work on high school redesign.
A proceedings document from its June Secondary School Redesign Conference. The document will include write ups of every session and web links to further resources.
An online Secondary School Redesign Web Forum - a place for state education agency officials and other high school reform leaders to post their thoughts on defining and supporting academic rigor, facilitating smooth transitions into and out of high school, and measuring student achievement.

National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)
Contact: Carlas McCauley
NASBE is hosting a number of forums to educate State Board members about high school redesign and the NGA/Achieve action agenda, including the following:

An ad hoc committee, consisting of board members from Phase I Honor States. The committee met in October to discuss the work of state boards in high school redesign and to share strategies for accomplishing the goals of the Honor States program.
A December Post-Election Conference to review the progress of high school redesign and identify strategies to ensure continued momentum for high school reform despite changes in the political arena.

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
Contacts: Dick Flanary, Honor Fede
NASSP continues to hold Breaking Ranks trainings in the Honor States, including the following:

A Breaking Ranks II train-the-trainer session in Louisiana (October 23-25, 2006). Louisiana plans to train 30 people.
A Breaking Ranks II train-the-trainer session in Massachusetts from November 13-15, 2006.
A Breaking Ranks II train-the -trainer session in Michigan from November 30-December 2, 2006.

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
Contacts: Sunny Deye, Julie Bell
NCSL is working to inform legislators about the NGA/Achieve Action Agenda and high school redesign more generally. They finished "High School Redesign: Tools for Policymakers" – a toolkit of six briefs written specifically for legislators. The toolkit was mailed to 1500 key legislators and staff.

NCSL has made presentations at a variety of meetings to educate legislators about the NGA/Achieve Action Agenda and related issues, including the following:

Session at 2006 NCSL Annual Meeting called “Keeping Kids in School: Recent Efforts to Improve High School Outcomes," which featured Michael Cohen and legislators in three states (MD, MI and IN).
Session at 2006 Education Finance Seminar called, "Small High Schools: Can We Afford Them."
Session at 2006 NCSL Spring Forum called, "Graduation Rates and Drop Out Prevention."

State Higher Education Executive Officers
Contacts: Paul Lingenfelter, Sharmila Basu Conger
SHEEO is working to educate and engage the higher education community in high school reform through its publications and meetings.

They will co-host a summit for higher education leaders on January 22, along with Achieve, ACE, and NASH, entitled “Advancing College Readiness, Higher Education’s Role in Improving America’s High Schools.” The goal of the meeting is to help higher education leaders set an agenda to clearly define standards for college readiness and translate those standards into curricula and assessments that are broadly adopted and recognized by high schools and colleges.

New publications include the following:

A special supplement to the November issue of ACE’s magazine—The Presidency—on higher education engagement in high school reform. This publication is targeted to presidents of colleges and universities and the supplement includes articles by higher education leaders who have been involved in high school reform.
An op ed piece, in collaboration with Achieve, NASH, and ACE, for the Chronicle of Higher Education, that makes the case for higher education engagement in high school reform and describes ways the higher education community can be engaged. This piece will be published in December.

UPCOMING EVENTS

HS Alliance National Calendar
The National High School Alliance Calendar of High School and Youth Events has recently been updated. Please review and send any relevant events to Sara Goldware at goldwares@iel.org.
View Calendar

If there are any resources you would like to share with the recipients of this newsletter, please send an e-mail to chaitr@iel.org.

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