SCALING UP:
Reform Lessons for Urban
Comprehensive High
Schools
Celine Coggins, Ph.D.
THE CHALLENGE:
Taking the successes of higher
performing high schools to
scale
Why Attention to Scale Matters
10%
58%
32%
Students in
Schools with
Enrollments
>2500
Students in
Schools with
Enrollments
1000-2499
Students in
Schools with
Enrollments
<1000
Why Attention to Scale Matters
20,000
18,000
16,000
14,000
Students in Schools with
Enrollments >1000
Students in Schools with
Enrollment <1000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
Springfield
Quincy
New Bedford
Lynn
Lowell
Lawrence
Fall River
Brockton
Worcester
Boston
0
REPORT STRUCTURE
INTERRELATED REFORMS
• Setting and meeting high expectations for all students
• Personalizing the learning environment
• Building teacher capacity
RESEARCH ON EACH
• Case study of an urban high school
• Lessons that matter for comprehensive urban high schools
• Action agenda for schools, district and states
PERSONALIZATION
Goal: Improve student engagement and motivation
through the adoption of personalized learning
strategies and structures
TEACHER CAPACITY
Goal: Establish a school-wide focus that emphasizes
teacher learning and data-driven decision-making
HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL
Goal: Ensure all students develop the skills they need to
succeed in college and work
PERSONALIZATION
•
Personalized schools set the conditions for
improved achievement
•
One size does not fit all
•
Curriculum and PD must be a part of
personalization
•
Personalization must fit with standards
•
Personalization strategies must ensure equity
TEACHER CAPACITY
• Greatest determinant of student achievement
• Teacher knowledge of academic content is
paramount
• PD must be ongoing and meet specific school goals
• Teachers need to be able to use data in making
decisions
• Effective collaborative teaching cultures take time
• Outsider experts AND teachers should be involved
in PD delivery
HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL
• Most high schools “in need of improvement” are
urban, comprehensive
• Teachers may not respond to accountability as
intended
• Focus on instruction can unify a large faculty
• Intensive intervention may be necessary—unclear
which strategies work best
• External partners valuable— but qualified partners
may be hard to find
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS…
• Leadership is a common denominator in successful
reform efforts
• Renew policy focus on large urban high schools
• Build on current investments (Gates, Carnegie, NGA)
• Coordinate goals and agenda across levels of the
system