The True Cost of High School Dropouts – NYTimes.com

Connecting my post from yesterday, The True Cost of High School Dropouts – NYTimes.com high lights the issues of dropouts. We can find synergies between marrying the linked learning educational reform with addressing the drop out problem.

Keeping Youths in School: An International Perspective

Keeping Youths in School: An International Perspective examines how other school use “linked learning” to lowering the dropout rate. While many of these countries are homogeneous there are valuable insights into how linking learning to careers can help reduce the number student dropouts.

Targeted Support in the Extended Day

Targeted support is needed for students after school as well as during the school day. Association of California School Administrators – January/February 2011 “Target Support” article examines how one school used data and academic interventions to increase the performance of students with special needs during the extended day.

Data

Association of California School Administrators – January/February 2011. Data is used in a variety of ways by a variety of schools. However, some successful practices include a) support from the district, b) extensive data use in multiple ways by schools, c) Principals use data to set and measure expectations, d) creating a culture shift in schools. How do you use data? Are these things happening in your schools?

January/February 2011 Leadership

Karns and McGee describe many of the types of reforms I found in my research as well for improving schools. Steps that include using data, setting goals, and working together as a community. January/February 2011 Leadership.

Plug Us In [licensed for non-commercial use only] / Visual Persuasion

I know when I was in the classroom working on implementing information literacy skills, one thing that we would work on was helping students make effective presentations. Plug Us In [licensed for non-commercial use only] / Visual Persuasion covers some of these topics for making effective presentation while respecting copy right issues.