Less than 100 years ago, only 16.8 percent of all 17-year olds in the U.S. had graduated from high school. At the same time, less than 5 percent of those 18-24 years old was enrolled in higher education. The K-12 and higher education systems rapidly expanded over the next century to accommodate larger and larger portions of the population, but…

In 2004, Boston Public Schools reported that more than 8% of its students dropped out of school that year. The city faced a crisis. Thousands of students were failing to earn a high-school diploma, a necessary credential for entrance into postsecondary education and/or the twenty-first century workforce. Factors driving students' decisions to…

The General Educational Development program, or GED, is undergoing the biggest revamping in its 69-year history, driven by mounting recognition that young adults' future success depends on getting more than a high-school-level education. Potent forces have converged to stoke the GED's redesign. A labor market that increasingly seeks some…

There is wide agreement that the well-paying jobs of the future will require postsecondary credentials. But for many students attending community college, developmental (or remedial) classes in reading, composition, and/or mathematics--the courses that students often must complete before they can enroll in courses that confer credit toward a…

This article discusses how school districts in California collaborate with higher education to boost college readiness and access. In Long Beach, educators from all three major institutions of learning--elementary, middle and high schools, the local university and the community college--worked together to align standards and expectations across…

To meet the more rigorous expectations embodied in new college- and career-ready standards, students will need teachers who teach in ways that are distinctly different than how most have been teaching. Students will need, for example, English and science teachers who give students more guided practice in reading nonfiction texts that are more…

This case study describes how Porterville Unified School District (PUSD), a rural school district in California's Central Valley, began to fulfill its vision to transform high school and career education through the implementation of Linked Learning. Linked Learning is a state-wide initiative for redesigning large comprehensive high schools into…

This report highlights the demand for skills in the global economy and the ways in which educators can meet this demand by drawing on both career and technical education and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills' Framework for 21st Century Learning. Twenty-first century skills and career and technical education are essential in every state,…

Asserts that many people who seek education to improve their job skills or upgrade their positions are becoming frustrated with inconvenient learning opportunities, and are pursuing alternatives to traditional higher education. Describes the Workforce Development Continuum initiative, which aims to develop a seamless education and training system…

In response to unprecedented reductions in budget and personnel and changes in technology, Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) developed this agenda for change to update its strategic plan to position the college for the 21st century. First, an overview is provided of PVCC's restructuring effort, highlighting causes and four planning…

This guide is for all school leaders, and pastoral care, support and teaching staff who work with young people who are preparing to move on from secondary schooling to the next stage in their lives. It is also for people who work in partnership with the school to support young people who are going into employment or continuing their learning, for…

This paper identifies six core principles and recommends strategies that will foster high academic achievement, close the achievement gap, and promote civic and personal growth among all high-school-age youth in the high schools and communities. At the center of the framework is the Alliance's belief that the purpose of high school is to ensure…