TEXAS HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WORK

High Schools That Work (HSTW) is an effort-based school improvement initiative founded on the conviction that most students can master rigorous academic and career/technical studies if school leaders and teachers create an environment that motivates students to make the effort to succeed. HSTW is the nation’s first large-scale effort to engage state, district and school leaders in partnerships with teachers, students, parents and the community to raise student achievement in high school and middle school grades. HSTW seeks to advance the mathematics, science, communications, problem-solving and technical achievement of students by providing a framework of goals, key practices and key conditions for accelerating learning and setting higher standards. In creating this environment, more students will recognize that high school matters to their future and more students will become independent learners able to set future educational and career goals and choose courses to take to achieve those goals.
High Schools That Work is based on the belief that everyone in the education hierarchy must work together to align policies, resources, initiatives and accountability efforts to support schools in adopting and implementing comprehensive school-improvement designs.

KEY PRACTICES
High Schools That Work has identified the following as key practices that impact student achievement. The following are the HSTW key practices that provide direction and meaning to comprehensive school improvement and student learning:

  • High Expectations - Motivate more students to meet high expectations by integrating high expectations into classroom practices and giving students frequent feedback.
  • Program of Study - Require each student to complete an upgraded academic core and a concentration.
  • Academic Studies - Teach more students the essential concepts of the college-preparatory curriculum by encouraging them to apply academic content and skills to real-world problems and projects. Schools leaders need to:
  • Align core academic courses to essential state and national standards that prepare youth for post secondary studies and careers.
  • Align student assignments, student work and classroom assessments to at least the proficient-level standards as measured by NAEP-reference exam and state assessments.
  • Career/Technical Studies - provide more students access to intellectually challenging career/technical studies in high-demand fields that emphasize the higher-level mathematics, science, literacy and problem-solving skills needed in the workplace and in further education.
  • Develop standards, conditions and agreements for awarding post-secondary credit in high-demand career/technical fields to high school students.
  • Require senior projects with academic, technical and performance standards.
  • Provide students opportunities to work toward a recognized employer certification.
  • Work-based Learning - Enable students and their parents to choose from programs that integrate challenging high school studies and work-based learning and are planned by educators, employers and students.
  • Teachers Working Together - Provide reams of teachers from several disciplines the time and support to work together to help students succeed in challenging academic and career/technical studies. Integrate reading, writing and speaking as strategies for learning in to all parts of the curriculum and integrate mathematics into science and career technical classrooms.
  • Students Actively Engaged - Engage students in academic and career/technical classrooms in rigorous and challenging proficient-level assignments using research-based instructional strategies and technology.
  • Guidance - Involve students and their parents in a guidance and advisement system that develops positive relationships and ensures completion of an accelerated program of study.
  • Extra Help - Provide a structured system of extra help to assist students in completing accelerated programs of study with high-level academic and technical content. Schools leaders need to:
  • Support all students to become independent learners by building into their learning experiences opportunities to practice habits of successful learners such as study and literacy skills, time management and learning with others.
  • Give students easy access to opportunities to meet course standards and graduate with their peers.
  • Support teachers in forming nurturing academic relationships with students aimed at improving students' work and achievement.
  • Plan catch-up learning experiences for entering ninth-graders who are not prepared to succeed in college-preparatory courses.
  • Work with post secondary institutions to identify 11th graders not ready for post secondary study. Develop special courses for senior year to get these students prepared.
  • Culture of Continuous Improvement - Use student assessment and program evaluation data to continuously improve school culture, organization, management, curriculum and instructions to advance student learning.


CONDITIONS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
Key conditions to raise student achievement

  • A Clear, Functional Mission Statement: Schools need a clear, functional mission statement to prepare high school students for success in post secondary education and the workplace.
  • Strong Leadership: Each district and school needs strong and committed leaders to improve, align and benchmark curriculums to high standards, to improve quality of instruction and to raise student achievement. Each school site should have a leadership team consisting of the principal, the assistant principal and teacher leaders.
  • Plan for Continuous Improvement: District and school leaders need to create an organizational structure and process that ensures continuous improvement on what to teach, how to teach it, what students are expected to learn, how to assess what they have learned, and how they relate to each other, to the students and to the home and community.
  • Qualified Teachers: Teachers must have in-depth knowledge of their subject areas and of teaching strategies appropriate to students' grade levels. A school superintendent and a school board that will allow the high school to adopt a flexible schedule that enables students to earn more credits.
  • Commitment to Goals: School leaders and teachers are committed to achieving the HSTW Goals and Key PRactices. School boards are committed to having all students complete a demanding academic core and either an academic or career/technical concentration.
  • Flexible Scheduling: School superintendents and school boards permit high schools to adopt flexible schedules enabling students to earn more credits.
  • Support for Professional Development: District and school leaders provide teachers with instructional materials, planning time and professional development for implementing new curriculums and research-based instructional methods.
accelerating student achievement

KEY CONDITIONS FOR ACCELERATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

  • An organizational structure and process through which the faculty can develop action plans for implementing the HSTW goals and key practices.
  • A school principal with strong and effective leadership who supports, encourages, and actively participates with the faculty in implementing the HSTW goals and key practices.
  • A school division superintendent and school board who support the faculty and school administration in carrying out the HSTW goals and key practices.
  • Leadership from the principal to involve parents and the community in the design and implementation of the school's improvement process.
  • Leadership from the division superintendent to involve employers, parents, community representatives, and post secondary institutions in the design and implementation of a program to prepare students for both post secondary education and employment.
  • A commitment from the division superintendent and school board to enable high school staff to work with feeder middle school staff to coordinate and articulate curriculum/instruction and program planning in preparing middle school students for high school.
  • A commitment from the division superintendent and school board to provide financial support for instructional materials, time for teachers to meet and plan, and the staff development needed to implement the HSTW goals and key practices.
  • A commitment from the division superintendent and school board to include computer/technology skills as components of every student's education.

HSTW Services to Support Transformation/Turnaround Info

DATA AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS

HSTW Data Chart Site Tool Info
2010 HSTW Data Walk-All Texas Sites Info
Establishing Benchmarks and Measuring Progress at HSTW Sites Info
2008 Texas Student Follow up Data Report

WAYS TO FUND

Americas Reinvestment and Recovery Act (AARA)
School Improvement (1003g) Grants and SREB Support Info

Ways HSTW/MMGW Support Districts and Schools to Meet Requirement of the School Improvement Grant Info

Current High Schools That Work Sites
Austin HS-El Paso ISD website
Bowie HS-El Paso ISD website
Burges HS-El Paso ISD website
Irvin HS-El Paso ISD website
Jefferson HS-El Paso ISD website
Victoria East HS-Victoria ISD website
Victoria West HS-Victoria ISD website
Poteet HS-Poteet ISD website
South Houston HS-Pasadena ISD website
Paducah HS-Paducah ISD website
Cigarroa HS-Laredo ISD website
Kermit HS-Kermit ISD website
Graham HS-Graham ISD website
La Villa HS-La Villa ISD website
South Grand Prairie HS-Grand Prairie ISD website
West Orange-Stark HS-West Orange-Cove CISD website
Sam Rayburn HS-Pasadena ISD website
The Summit-Pasadena ISD website
Burton Secondary-Burton ISD website
Memorial HS-Pasadena ISD website
Birdville HS-Birdville ISD website
Haltom HS-Birdville ISD website
Richland HS-Birdville ISD website
Galena Park HS-Galena Park ISD website
Lubbock-Cooper HS-Lubbock ISD website
Mabank HS-Mabank ISD website
Los Fresnos HS-Los Fresnos ISD website
High School for Law Enforcement-Houston ISD website
Mount Plesant HS-Mount Pleasant ISD website
Cypress Creek HS-Cypress-Fairbanks ISD website
Goodrich HS-Goodrich ISD website
Washington HS-Houston ISD website
Lee HS-Midland ISD website
Midland HS-Midland ISD website
O'Donnell HS-O'Donnall ISD website
Americas HS-Socorro ISD website
Socorro HS-Socorro ISD website
El Dorado HS-Socorro ISD website
Tornillo HS-Tornillo ISD website
West Oso HS-West Oso ISD website
Irving HS-Irving ISD website

 

 

 

Memorandum of Understanding for Participation in High Schools That Work (click here)

 

Texas Education Agency Texas High School Project High Schools That WorkRegion XIII