New energy focused on high school reform.

Dear Colleagues:

Phonics was making a comeback just after most of the students who are now in high school learned to read. Those same students missed out on the benefits of class size reduction, although they weren't able to avoid the High School Exit Exam.

The school reform beacon is now shining on high schools. Leaders within ACSA and policymakers at the state and federal levels are working to better prepare students for life after high school. So while today's high school students may have been left behind by past reforms, they are beginning to reap the benefits of the energy now being devoted to high school improvement. Many students have been placed in small learning communities that are able to provide more personalized attention. As educators strive to connect learning to the real world, the high school curriculum is becoming more relevant. And because we understand that students--whether or not they are going on to college--need to be prepared for the world of work, schools are doing a better job of helping students meet the demands of the 21st century.

Through partnerships with business and industry, collaborations with higher education and connections with other educators, our school leaders are working to create high schools that help students make the transitions required of young adults. The challenge, as Sara Taggart points out in her article on page 28, is creating whole systems of good high schools.

Leaders of the exemplary high schools that were part of a study reported on by Willard Daggett and Raymond McNulty in this issue "have accepted the reality that today's students will need a different set of skills from their predecessors to enjoy success in adult roles," they write, "and that schools need to reinvent themselves to prepare students" to meet future demands. The old "tried and true" curriculum and methodology "was intended for an education system whose mission was to select and sort students, not to move all students to high levels of proficiency." Successful schools "teach students how to apply high levels of cognitive knowledge to real-world unpredictable situations."

The contributors to this issue of Leadership magazine are pioneers in the effort to bring high school students to new levels of proficiency, and they share their knowledge of research-based best practices with us this month. Take a break from the devastating budget news to read these stories of real leaders making a real difference. And be sure to tune in later this month, when ACSA's Secondary Education Council releases its white paper on high school reform.

Sincerely,

Sandra Carsten

ACSA President