While still largely unnoticed by practitioners and school boards, the evidence of these schools' success is overwhelming and growing every month. The goal is nothing less than the transformation of our secondary schools. At a select number of the high schools engaged in serious reform, students will be eligible for full college scholarships. Grants to promote redesign efforts throughout school districts and to promote supportive district infrastructure have been made to 10 districts and a Catholic diocese in Washington state, two districts in Rhode Island and six districts in Alaska. Grants were made to eight promising organizations for the development of networks of high achieving, small schools.
Teachers work together to adopt or develop a coherent and effective design.
Guided by trained consultants, the staff develops a comprehensive, multi-year plan. Subsequent grant years are spent implementing this plan. The foundation uses national and local firms to conduct a thorough evaluation including various measures of student achievement, perception surveys, self- reporting, and direct observation. Looking Forward America's high schools have gone neglected for far too long. There is no panacea for improving them, but there is a conclusive body of research that provides good direction.