September 2006

High School Reform: What Will It Take to Engage Teens?

By Gene R. Carter, Executive Director, ASCD

It's no secret that our nation has a problem keeping kids in school. The graduation rate hovers below 70 percent, jeopardizing the future of millions of young people. What's more, many of the problems facing students are present before they set foot in high school, and a third of dropouts exit school without making it past 9th or 10th grade.

For many students, problems that began in earlier grades—falling behind in reading, failing a grade, unaddressed truancy, growing disengagement—are amplified by increased academic demands and changing social and school dynamics in high school. Although some students are able to find support from their schools, families, and communities, these supports are not universally available, and not all students know how to access the help that does exist.

The social and economic consequences of allowing students to continue to fall through the cracks are significant. Compared to graduates, high school dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, live in poverty, and lead unhealthy lives.

In Educational Leadership (February 2006), researcher Paul Barton compared dropouts looking for a job in the current economy to lost travelers without a map. In 2003, 1.1 million 16- to 19-year-olds did not have a high school diploma and were not enrolled in school. Of that age group, only 40 percent were employed, as were fewer than 60 percent of 20- to 24-year-old dropouts.

According to Education Week's Diplomas Count report, the median earnings for a high school graduate in 2004 were $26,104, compared to only $18,085 for a dropout. Over a lifetime, a person who dropped out at age 18 earns $260,000 less in wages than a high school graduate and contributes $60,000 less in federal and state income taxes.

Identifying when and why students drop out is important, but even more important is the question of how to help them. ASCD recognizes this issue and has made high school reform one of the Association’s top legislative priorities for 2006.

ASCD is exploring how to improve the overall high school experience and spur greater involvement with communities and businesses. We are guided by the knowledge that today's high school needs greater innovation, increased student engagement, and a rich and rigorous curriculum that is more educationally meaningful for students.

Inspiring approaches to increasing student engagement are taking place across the country. Career Academies, for example, connect students in more than 2,000 high schools to career-related courses and experiences inside and outside the classroom in fields such as health, business and finance, and computer technology. Programs such as these not only engage and excite students, but also help ensure the presence of adults who are involved in students' education.

Another program, Communities In Schools, creates partnerships between schools and community agencies, such as health and social agencies, family support groups, institutions of higher education, youth development organizations, and local government and community groups—all organized around a common goal: to create the conditions necessary for all children to learn at high levels.

These are just two of many innovative programs that are striving to connect students to new opportunities, make learning more meaningful, improve student engagement, and strengthen student connections to teachers and other adults inside and outside of school.

With more than 18,000 high schools in the United States, it's clear that a one-size-fits-all approach will fail. What we need now is more innovation, not less. We also need to remember that different approaches work for different students and for different states and districts. The federal government can and should support innovative reform, but that support must also include flexibility and autonomy to ensure states and districts are able to meet their unique local needs.

No simple solution encouraging students to stay in school exists. Educators, policymakers, and community members must ratchet up their efforts to support students during some of the most challenging years of their youth.

• The ASCD Legislative Agenda, including resources on high school reform, is available at www.ascd.org/legislativeagenda.

• To learn more about "Keeping Kids in School," read the Summer 2006 ASCD Infobrief.

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Send an e-mail to Kids@ascd.org.