The practice of grouping students--such as all freshmen or students with similar career goals--into "small learning communities" or academies within a large high school is proving beneficial to many schools in raising achievement and keeping students in school. Students thrive in a small-school environment where they share the same teachers and…

This report, Focusing on Student Performance Through Accountability, shows that more students, in all groups, are meeting state standards. And parents, communities and education leaders are better informed about student performance than ever before. It shows that large gaps remain in every state. If the state is to reach the No Child Left Behind…

This Challenge to Lead report, Getting Serious About High School Graduation, not only describes the challenges SREB states face in meeting the goal that all young adults have a high school diploma, but it also provides policies and strategies that each state can--and should--use to get serious about high school graduation. It is possible to adjust…

West Virginia's future is contingent on continuing to improve high school and college graduation rates and ensuring that graduates have the knowledge and skills required for 21st-century jobs. The state population is declining, and educational pipeline estimates for 20251 predict a substantial decrease in the population of working and young…

As the largest part of K-12 spending, teacher pay is often the focus of deliberations during legislative sessions. Compensation is an important part of attracting and retaining high-quality teachers. Most teachers continue to be paid based primarily on years of experience and degree level, although some states tie a small portion of compensation…

How will you know if your state is making progress toward having a qualified teacher in every classroom? One indicator of progress in Goals for Education relates to licensure and certification: "Licensure and certification focus on performance and lead to sufficient numbers of teachers with content knowledge and proven teaching skills to improve…

Challenge to Lead calls for every student to earn a high school diploma that prepares him or her for college and a career. One indicator of progress toward this goal is the success rate on high school graduation tests required by states. Comparisons of Southern Regional Education Board, SREB, state policies, however, show that high school tests…

If Southern Regional Education Board, SREB, were to grade states today on the middle grades goal, only a few would earn high marks; most are still struggling, and that goes for most of the rest of the nation as well. That does not mean that student achievement is not improving or that SREB states have not developed some key policies and promising…

The Southern Regional Education Board was the first education organization in the nation to stress that states not only should set goals for education but also should measure progress toward those goals and monitor trends. Now, the SREB Challenge to Lead Goals for Education in the 21st century make a dramatic statement: "SREB states can lead the…

The "Challenge to Lead" goal for early grades students is first about student achievement in reading and mathematics. The goal is that students in the early grades, regardless of their economic status, school location, ethnicity or gender will be as proficient in reading and mathematics as youngsters anywhere in the nation. "Challenge to Lead"…

Goal 9 of twelve Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Challenge to Lead goals is that every school regardless of its student population, location or surrounding economic circumstances has a leader who can work with faculty to increase student learning. This report discusses progress toward this goal since 2002 in the 16 SREB states. It also is…

Is your state making progress toward having a high-quality teacher in every classroom? How will you know? One indicator of progress in the Challenge to Lead goals refers to teacher compensation: "Salaries, benefits and incentives are competitive in the marketplace. They are aimed at recognized expertise, student performance, state needs and taking…

The Southern Regional Education Board adopted Challenge to Lead education goals to focus and hold attention on educational improvement in its 16 states. This report provides an overview of West Virginia's progress toward meeting these important goals. Challenge to Lead asserts: "With almost half of the new jobs created in America in the 1990s,…

The Southern Regional Education Board adopted Challenge to Lead education goals to focus and hold attention on educational improvement in its 16 states. This report provides an overview of Virginia's progress toward meeting these important goals. Challenge to Lead asserts: "With almost half of the new jobs created in America in the 1990s, SREB…

The Southern Regional Education Board adopted Challenge to Lead education goals to focus and hold attention on educational improvement in its 16 states. This report provides an overview of Texas' progress toward meeting these important goals. Challenge to Lead asserts: "With almost half of the new jobs created in America in the 1990s, SREB states…