Research reports
April 2008 — 2007 Year in Review
This year-in-review publication highlights the key achievements in 2007 for the State Scholars Initiative (SSI). Highlights include SSI successes in new member states, continuing success in SSI veteran states, the latest data on SSI’s impact on business community participants and integration with state and national education policy initiatives and a look ahead to SSI’s National Summit on Academic Rigor and Relevance and student data collection efforts. | DOWNLOAD REPORT» (2mb PDF)
February 2008 — Year Two State Scholars Initiative Evaluation Report
This is the Year Two evaluation report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) for the period October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007, which is the second year of State Scholars Initiative program administration under the auspices of WICHE. The report focuses on SSI student level outcome data gathered from 47 districts in ten State Scholars Initiative states: Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming, and pilot perception data. The appendix for the report may be found at: Year Two Evaluation Report Appendices (1.8MB PDF) | DOWNLOAD REPORT» (38 kb PDF)
January 2008 — Annual Evaluation Report and Preliminary Findings for SSI Project Goal One (NIU, 2008)
This evaluation addresses how the 22 active state-level business-education partnerships involved in the national State Scholars Initiative (SSI) administered by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) are using business-education partnerships to influence high school student course-taking. Because the evaluation design has changed significantly over this period to respond to emerging program needs and opportunities, additional interview and survey data from the SSI state directors and business partners were collected and incorporated into this report. Although the findings are complete for the reporting period, they are presented as “preliminary” for purposes of continued discussion and analysis.| DOWNLOAD REPORT» (974kb)
September 2007— More Student Success: A Systemic Solution
The State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) released More Student Success: A Systemic Solution, as part of a continuing, collaborative effort to increase educational attainment in the United States. The book provides many details and examples to help policymakers and educators make choices and more effectively play their individual roles. SSI director, Terese Rainwater, cowrote an article with Andrea Venezia for this publication. | DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT» (1mb PDF) | DOWNLOAD HIGHLIGHTS BROCHURE»
June 2007— Ready for What? Preparing Students for College, Careers, and Life After High School
This report, Ready for What? Preparing Students for College, Careers, and Life After High School, draws on two national databases to examine the distribution of jobs nationally and within each state, as well as the related education and pay levels. | LINK TO REPORT» | DOWNLOAD PDF» (405KB)
April 2007— ACT National Curriculum Survey® 2005–2006
ACT conducts the only nationwide curriculum survey that empirically identifies current instructional practices and postsecondary expectations in order to develop tests that measure critical skills and knowledge. | DOWNLOAD PDF» (405KB)
April 2007— Aligning Postsecondary Expectations and High School Practice: The Gap Defined | Policy Implications of the ACT National Curriculum Survey® Results 2005–2006
In this report, the key findings of the survey are highlighted, followed by the implications of the ACT National Curriculum Survey results for education policy and practice. The final section presents action steps suggested by the results. | DOWNLOAD PDF» (174KB)
April 2007— Closing the Expectations Gap 2007
Survey of efforts to align high school standards Published by Achieve, Inc., Closing the Expectations Gap 2007: An Annual 50-State Progress Report on the Alignment of High School Policies with the Demands of College and Work is a recent survey updating the efforts of all 50 states to align their high school standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability systems with the demands of college and work. The survey finds that at least 48 states are now actively engaged in reform efforts of some kind. | DOWNLOAD PDF» (350KB)
March 2007— Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core Curriculum
U.S. high school core courses too often lack the rigor they need to adequately prepare students for college-level work, according to a new report from ACT, Inc. Recent ACT findings suggest that even students who take the recommended college preparatory curriculum in high school are often ill-prepared to handle college material. The newly released report, titled Rigor at Risk, also suggests that many students lose academic momentum during their last two years of high school. | DOWNLOAD PDF» (347KB)
January 2007— State Scholars Initiative 2006 Year in Review
This year-in-review publication highlights some of SSI’s key achievements in 2005-06, including: SSI’s growth into new States; success in spreading the message about the importance of a rigorous curriculum; and the impact of SSI efforts on individual students and State policies. | DOWNLOAD PDF»(451KB)
January 2007— The High Cost of High School Dropouts: What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools
A recent policy brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that high school dropouts would have been able to earn an additional $309 billion in their lives if they had received a diploma. | DOWNLOAD PDF»(83KB)
January 2007— State Scholars Initiative 2006 Year in Review
This year-in-review publication highlights some of SSI’s key achievements in 2005-06, including: SSI’s growth into new States; success in spreading the message about the importance of a rigorous curriculum; and the impact of SSI efforts on individual students and State policies. | DOWNLOAD PDF»(451KB)
January 2007— The High Cost of High School Dropouts: What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools
A recent policy brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that high school dropouts would have been able to earn an additional $309 billion in their lives if they had received a diploma. | DOWNLOAD PDF»(83KB)
January 2007— The State of American Business 2007
The annual report of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce points out that while the U.S. has a strong economy today, that won’t last unless we address certain challenges; primary among them is improving the education levels of our students, a key to competing in the global marketplace. | READ OR DOWNLOAD THE REPORT»
October 2006— Reclaiming the American Dream
The goal of this report is to identify the supports that appear to make the greatest difference in helping low-income youth enroll in and complete college. Taken together, the findings indicate a clear action agenda for everyone who is committed to improving U.S. schools and the quality of their outcomes for every student. | DOWNLOAD PDF»
June 2006— High School Reform and Work: Facing Labor Market Realities
This information will be useful to policymakers defining and promoting high school reform. | DOWNLOAD PDF»(725KB)
Spring 2006— Are They Really Ready to Work?
The study includes results from both an in-depth survey conducted during April and May 2006 and interviews with a sampling of a dozen HR and other senior executives. | DOWNLOAD PDF»(3MB!!)
March 2006— The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts
The purpose of this report by Civic Enterprises is to approach the dropout problem from a perspective that has not been much considered in past studies– that of the students themselves. | DOWNLOAD PDF»
March 2006— Powerful Forces Draw Academe Into the Fray
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that economic fears and the high-school-reform movement have colleges under pressure to help improve the education of children. This article includes an interview with SSI Program Director Terese Rainwater. | READ MORE»
February 2006— Closing the Expectations Gap
According to this report by Achieve, Inc., states are making progress toward better connecting the standards and requirements of their public high school systems with the expectations and needs of local colleges and employers. | READ MORE»
February 2006— The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College
This Department of Education study finds students with rigorous academics in high school more likely to complete bachelor’s degree. | READ MORE»
November 2005— U.S. Education Levels Expected to Decline Sharply When Baby Boomers Retire
Addressing inequalities in higher education opportunity will require persistent and meaningful efforts by states in order to put in place the policies and resources to advance the education of all their residents (Newsletter of Alliance for Excellent Education). | DOWNLOAD PDF»
November 2005— Toward a More Literate Nation
On November 7, the Alliance for Excellent Education hosted a full-day symposium to discuss the challenges involved in creating a focus on high-quality adolescent literacy instruction at the secondary school level and getting all teachers to buy into the process. | DOWNLOAD PDF»
September 2005— Advancing High School Reform in the States
A report produced by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and KnowledgeWorks Foundation identifies the policies states have enacted that align with and support NASSP’s federal legislative recommendations for reforming the nation’s high schools. | DOWNLOAD PDF»
August 2005— News from ACT: Average National ACT Score Unchanged in 2005; Students Graduate from High School Ready or Not
This news release and accompanying documents report information about students in the high school graduating class of 2005 who took the ACT Assessment. | DOWNLOAD PDF»
August 2005— ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, Retention, and First-Year College GPA: What’s the Connection?
This brief explores the connections between attainment of ACT’s college readiness benchmarks and college retention and first-year college GPA. | DOWNLOAD PDF»
May/June 2004— A Core Curriculum for All Students
The only way to ensure that all high school students graduate ready to succeed in college and careers is to require the same high-quality college preparatory curriculum for all students. Although this strategy runs the risk of limiting the proliferation of creative-learning programs at the high school level, Patte Barth and Kati Haycock argue that the benefits of this new, common, high-standards curriculum, particularly for low-achieving students in poorly performing schools, outweigh the risks of reducing program options for older adolescents. | READ MORE»
May 2004— The Education Watch 2004 State Summary Reports
The Education Trust released an extensive 50-state analysis documenting the fact that many of our nation's schools are providing children with an unequal education. The report recommends four high-impact strategies, including "Ensuring that all students are placed in rigorous courses in middle and high school." | READ THE FULL REPORT»
February 2004— A Shared Agenda: A Leadership Challenge to Improve College Access and Success
A February 2004 report from the Pathways to College Network cites six general principles to guide educators and other stakeholders in efforts to improve college access and success. | READ MORE»
October 2003— Ready for Tomorrow: Helping All Students Achieve Secondary and Postsecondary Success
A report released in October 2003 by the National Governors Association and Jobs for the Future includes examples of elementary and secondary programs that improved postsecondary attainment. | DOWNLOAD PDF»
September 2003— Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States
In this 2003 report by the Manhattan Institute, Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster estimate the percentage of students in the public high school class of 2001 who possess the minimum qualifications for applying to four-year colleges. | READ MORE»
Winter 2003— A New Core Curriculum for All
In this 2003 report, the Education Trust recommends that all students complete a sequence of rigorous academic high school courses equivalent to the SSI Core Course of Study. | DOWNLOAD PDF»
March 1999— The Failed Promise of the American High School, 1890-1995
David L. Angus and Jeffrey E. Mirel recommend that the United States move steadily toward more rigorous and demanding high school graduation requirements, as well as national content standards. In their final chapter, "Implications for Policy and Practice," they shed light on some current issues of policy and practice in secondary education and offer proposals for reform of the nation's high schools. | READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER»
Summer 1994—High Standards for All?
David L. Angus and Jeffrey E. Mirel wrote in "High Standards for All? The Struggle for Equality in the American High School Curriculum, 1890-1990" (1994) that by setting low expectations and creating a differentiated curriculum for students of supposedly low ability, the United States drove down achievement of all students in the 20th century. | READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE»
