Regarding Stephanie Banchero’s Wall Street Journal article“Scores Stagnate at High Schools”, the sky is not falling, but we could use more innovative high school approaches.
While Center on Education Policy’s Jack Jennings sees high schools the “downfall of education reform,” I’ve seen what works: student-centered education approaches such as project-based learning, small schools and early college high schools.
Those high school models supported by our foundation, KnowledgeWorks, have succeeded in Ohio and throughout the U.S. in raising test scores and graduation rates — particularly in high-poverty, underserved communities. Between, 2002 and 2008, our high school transformation work helped 50,000 learners and 2,000 teachers in Ohio. No magic bullet here, just long-term commitment from a broad section of the community and a roadmap. Improved teacher performance, rigorous curriculum and instruction, aligned assessments, students in courses that interest them – all components of success within our models.
Our focus on small high schools (mentioned in the story) worked, and Early College High Schools (ECHS) created a college-going culture for many first-generation college aspirants. Nearly 80 percent of African-American students in transformed schools graduated in 2008 — a 29 percent increase since 2002. In our Early College High Schools – where three out of four students qualify for free or reduced meals at school — 91 percent graduate while 33 percent finish with both a high school diploma and two years of college credit or an associate degree.
These poor ACT scores are a wake-up call for us to rethink how we deliver high school education. Hard work, we know, but achievable.
Chad P. Wick
CEO
KnowledgeWorks
Cincinnati, Ohio
