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High Schools: Expanding the Promise of No Child Left Behind - Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Time: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
The first round of No Child Left Behind reforms focused on younger students. Now we must extend
the benefits of high standards and accountability to our high schools.
—Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education
As students go back to school this fall, the evidence is showing that the No Child Left Behind Act has already brought real and positive changes for our nation’s students. The recent release of the Nation’s 2004 Report Card showed a marked improvement for nine- and 13-year-olds in both reading and math. The report also noted clear evidence that the achievement gap, which has persisted for decades in the younger years between minorities and whites, has shrunk to its smallest size in history. With growing evidence that No Child Left Behind is working and helping to raise the achievement of younger students of every race and background, it is now time to expand its promise to America’s high schools.
The high school diploma symbolically marks the moment American youths enter adulthood. Yet, today, many students, particularly minority and disadvantaged youths, leave high school unprepared, often lacking the basic skills they need to get a high-wage job or to pursue postsecondary education and training. To succeed in a global economy shaped by technology and international competition, all high school students, regardless of their post-graduation plans, must acquire a high level of academic knowledge and skills during high school. With test scores in reading, math and science stagnant since the 1970s, our challenge is to expand the law’s core principles of high standards and accountability to the upper grades, and in the process, to produce graduates ready to meet the skill demands of the 21st-century marketplace.
The September broadcast of Education News Parents Can Use will feature special back-to-school tips from Secretary Margaret Spellings and the 2005 National Teacher of the Year, Jason Kamras, and will include a panel of educators, policymakers, business and community leaders exploring key issues such as:
- How do U.S. high schools need to change to meet the demands of the 21st century?
- How has No Child Left Behind impacted the academic performance of our country’s younger students, and how can its principles be expanded to our nation’s high schools?
- What high school strategies are showing measurable results in positively affecting the achievement gap?
- What are the most effective models of high school reform?
- What should parents be doing to ensure their middle and high school aged children are prepared to succeed in the new school year?
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