# Presentation: 917302

## What Works And Is Hopeful

- Grover J. (Russ) Whitehurst, Ph.D.
- Director
- Institute of Education Sciences
- United States Department of Education

**About High School Improvement**

**Archived Information**

## Historical Perspective

- 1957 Soviets launch Sputnik
- 1959 James Conant’s *The American High School Today*
- decries localism and small size
- Schools should serve the national interests and promote meritocracy
- 1983 A Nation at Risk (failure to teach math and science equivalent to disarmament)
- High-school graduation requirements should be strengthened
- Schools and colleges should adopt higher and measurable standards for academic performance.
- The amount of time students devote to learning should be significantly increased.
- The teaching profession should be strengthened by raising standards for training, entry, and professional growth
- 1994 Goals 2000, Educate America Act
- 2001 No Child Left Behind
- By the year 2000, the high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent.
- By the year 2000, all students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter including English, mathematics, science

## How are we doing?

- Problems
- Math and science
- Dropouts (timely completion)
- College preparation (ACT)
- Progress
- College Enrollment
- More rigorous standards

## Problems

## TIMSS Math 1995

## NAEP Math 2000 Proficiency

## Dropouts: event rate (NCES)

## Timely Graduation

## Students Ready for College (ACT)

## Progress

## College Enrollment

## Trends in Math Course Taking

## What Works: How do we know?

- The counterfactual
- The outcomes participants would have experienced had they not participated in a program
- A comparison of 2 or more conditions
- Small high schools work (counterfactual = what would have happened to students if they had gone to large HS)
- Selection Bias
- Participants differ across conditions at the time of selection on outcome-related characteristics

## Selection bias: School size

## Selection bias: NAEP

## Selection bias: Course Taking

## Randomized Trials: The gold standard

- The essence
- An education program or practice that is thought to work
- Two or more conditions that differ in exposure to the program or practice
- Random assignment to conditions
- Tests for differences in outcomes
- Randomization eliminates selection bias

## Rare Randomized Trials HS

- Career Academies
- Upward Bound
- Dropout prevention

## Career Academies: Characteristics

- Small Learning Communities to promote interpersonal supports
- Career theme to combine academic curriculum with career-related courses
- Employer partnerships to support career awareness and development activities and work-based learning

## Career Acad: Academic Outcomes

## Career Acad: Employment

## Career Acad: Male Employment

## Career Acad: Implications

- Employer partnerships and career theme may be critical to employment outcomes
- Smaller learning communities do not enhance academic outcomes
- Males are better served by the program

## Dropout Programs: Characteristics

- Counseling
- Smaller school settings
- Alternative schools
- Schools within schools
- Spend more
- Regular schools: Restructured vs. Targeted

## Dropout Programs: Impacts

- GED programs increased percentage of students receiving GED or diploma from 24% (control) to 39% (prevention program)
- Alternative high schools had no effect on completion or dropout rate
- Restructured schools appeared to have no effects

## Dropout Programs: Implications

- For high school students, the short path is best (GED)
- Restructured schools and alternative schools and schools within schools appear to be ineffective

## Upward Bound Characteristics

- Upward Bound is ED program to help disadvantaged HS students prepare to enter and succeed in college.  (44 thousand students in 563 projects around the country)
- Services include instruction, tutoring, and counseling during school year and a summer program

## Upward Bound: Impacts

- Overall impacts were nonexistent or very small, e.g., no overall difference in high school graduation or college enrollment
- Large impact on enrollees with the lowest educational aspirations (and boys)
- course-taking (17% increase in total credits)
- high school graduation (13% difference)
- college enrollment (12% difference in 4 yr college)

## Upward Bound: Implications

- Focus on those with lowest aspirations
- Focus on boys
- Effects for highly at-risk high school students can be obtained without major restructuring of schools

## Promising Programs & Influences

- Standards and accountability
- California competency exams
- MCAS
- Teacher preparation and professional development in math and science

## CA Standards-Based Reforms

## MA Competency Test

## Slide 33

## Evidence Still Out

- Comprehensive school reform models
- Smaller schools
- District-wide reform
- Remedial tutoring and instruction
- Vocational focus
- Charters and vouchers

## Suggestions

- High school reform needs specificity and focus on problems and particular solutions
- Dropouts
- College preparation
- College entry and success
- Vocational success
- Preparation for citizenship