To engage all learners, schools must offer career-pathway courses that combine academics and deeper learning. Gene Bottoms, until recently head of the Southern Regional Education Board, describes a transformation he believes must happen in US high schools--adopting curriculums that include intellectual rigor in career and technical education (CTE)…

In an interview, educator and psychologist Thomas Armstrong says that schools need to do a better job of speaking to--rather than resisting or crushing--adolescents' neurological development. "Essentially, the curriculum in high school needs to be more affective," he argues. "It needs to be more engaging in terms of humor, vitality,…

After bringing hidden inequities to light, a high-performing school district set out to reverse course. The district adopted two key practices to center issues of equity: the development of a district-specific metric, the Opportunity Index, and deep analysis of deceleration patterns in course taking among certain groups. These practices, alongside…

Expectations for high-level academic writing, especially in the Common Core era, have never been higher. Middle school and high school students are being asked to do close readings of complex texts and then respond in writing using academic discourse. This is a challenging task for many students, but perhaps none as great as for English language…

The authors, pioneers in detracking and in shrinking achievement gaps, pose a question: Is it possible to have all students in a large high school successfully complete a challenging curriculum that gives them practice in the habits and skills necessary for success in college? The answer, they say, "is a resounding yes." This article…

High school is boring, writes the author, in part because lock-step diploma requirements crowd out personalized and engaged learning. It is also boring because current content standards are based on traditional, subject-area notions of curriculum instead of on the essential question, What do students need to be well prepared for their adult lives?…

Noting the current push for rigor in secondary school curriculums (the lead member of the "new three Rs" of rigor, relevance, and relationships), Washor and Mojkowksi take a closer look at the prevailing conception of rigor. They argue that a narrowly defining a rigorous curriculum as one with more advanced courses and more factual content…

Describes organization, curriculum, and challenges of operating the World Languages and International Studies Academy, an international-studies program (school within a school) in an Elgin, Illinois, high school. (PKP)

Summarizes the main findings of the Advisory Panel on SAT Score Decline, which investigated possible explanations for the continuing decline of scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and concluded that since 1970 the decline is largely the result of changes in the high school curriculum. (JG)

A detailed survey of secondary schools in Illinois found a superfluity of course titles, low enrollments in foreign languages, and fewer academic than other courses. (Author)

Describes a special mini-course day at Iron Mountain Senior High School in which students had a wide variety from which to choose. (GB)

Argues that a key question underlying competency-based education concerns what kinds of knowledge and skills are of significant social importance to society, and suggests that society's fundamental interests are in the education of politically and economically competent citizens. (Author/JG)

A commitment to either traditional or innovative education practice virtually defines the professional identities of most educators, writes Ferrero. Traditional practices emphasize basic skills, ability grouping, subject-matter disciplines, academic mastery, standardized testing, and a canonical curriculum; innovative practices focus on…

McGavock, H.S. in Nashville boasts specialized curriculum programs for careers, programs relevant to socioeconomic backgrounds, and community school programs achieved through team planning, team organization and team evaluation. (AF)