One-Third of a Nation: Rising Dropout Rates and Declining Opportunities
(PDF 1.7 mb) By Paul Barton, Policy Evaluation and Research Center, Policy Information Center Educational Testing Service: February 2005
Recent efforts by the President, the nation's governors, and the business world's top CEOs have put high school reform front and center in the education reform movement. A higher level of student achievement is the prime objective, and rightly so. But another major objective should be dealing with the fact that one-third of those who enter our high schools do not graduate. This report is about this one-third of our nation who does not complete high school, about the fact that this situation has gotten worse in most states during the last decade, and about the factors in students' lives that are closely associated with dropping out of school. The report identifies several approaches to increasing student retention that evaluations have shown to have positive results.

Big Buildings, Small Schools: Using a Small Schools Strategy for High School Reform (PDF 500 kb)
By Lili Allen and Adria Steinberg, Jobs for the Future: December 2004
Big Buildings, Small Schools examines a range of strategies being undertaken by districts across the country to plan and launch multiple small schools within the walls of large high schools. It also explores implementation issues that arise concerning school-level autonomies, governance, and leadership of high school reform at the district level, and it delves into the challenges for "central office" leaders of managing a system of learning options that offers a broader range of choices for students and parents.

Prepared Remarks by Bill Gates to the National Governors Association
(PDF 48 kb) By Bill Gates, National Education Summit on High Schools:  February 2005
Calling American high schools "obsolete" and "outdated," Bill Gates urged governors and business leaders to redesign the nation's educational system so all students - regardless of race or income - can graduate prepared for college and work. Gates delivered the keynote address at the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools.

Ready? Set. Go! Getting it Done: Ten Steps to a State Action Agenda
(PDF 516 kb) National Governors Association: 2005
The National Governors Association has identified ten steps governors can take to quickly put states on the path to redesign their high schools. These steps will hopefully lead many states to system-wide reform, so that "Redesigning the American High School" becomes a national reality.

Open to the Public: Speaking Out on "No Child Left Behind" (PDF 492 kb)
Public Education Network Summary of Nine Hearings: May - October 2004
Public Education Network (PEN) held a series of public hearings around the country in mid to late 2004, and conducted an online survey to gauge Americans' reactions to NCLB. The purpose of these hearings was not to hear from government leaders or professional educators entrusted to manage the nation's schools, but to hear from people from every walk of life - parents, students, civic leaders, service providers, and voters - about how NCLB has affected their communities, and what is going well or needs to be improved in the implementation of the law. This report summarizes the hearings and survey.

Locating the Dropout Crises - Which High Schools Produce the Nation's Dropouts?
Where Are They Located? Who Attends Them? (PDF 432 kb)
By Balfanz and Legters, Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University:
June 2004
It is hard to find a critical social or economic issue that does not ultimately intersect with the American High School. It is central to long-term health of the U.S. economy. It is vital to Justice O'Connor's hope that the need for affirmative action will recede within 25 years. It is paramount to meeting the 50-year-old promise of Brown vs. the Board of Education to provide equal educational opportunity to all. It is the missing cornerstone of central city renewal and a potentially powerful tool in reducing crime and promoting positive youth development. This report examines the dropout crises in the US and its relation to our inner city schools.

Community Partnerships: The Living Legacy of Healthy Start
[PDF web 633 kb]
By Lisa Villarreal with Joanne Bookmyer. April 2004