School improvement can be a complex, messy business. At its most basic, school improvement is change--change that might require people to abandon long-held beliefs and practices, shift roles, and learn new skills. Kilgore and Reynolds (2011) suggested that successful change requires that people change their perceptions as well as their actions.…

Over the past several years, high school graduation rates in the United States have come under intense public scrutiny fueled by a renewed interest in high school reform as well as higher public school accountability requirements. At this time, two issues dominate the debate over high school graduation rates: First, there is a need for a common…

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2003), in 2002-03, the number of students with disabilities between the ages of 6 and 21 who were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 5,946,202. About 80% of students with disabilities were educated in general education and resource room settings. In contrast, only…

This report outlines a comprehensive series of recommendations for federal policies and programs related to high schools to improve the quality of high school education and academic achievement for all students. It is based on National Association of Secondary School Principals' (NASSP's) publication entitled "Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for…