High Schools That Work Urban Network

About this grant

This grant will support the next phase of the Southern Regional Education Board’s (SREB) High Schools That Work (HSTW) Urban Network initiative, a nationally recognized high school improvement strategy. The goal of the project is to align district policies and resources to increase the number of urban districts committed to raising student achievement and preparing students for the future. Multiyear funding will enable SREB to implement more fully the HSTW design in at least 11 urban districts to improve student achievement rates in reading, math and science. Project objectives include providing technical assistance and site-specific staff development training to districts and schools to implement the HSTW design; developing teachers’ skills in aligning assignments, student work and classroom assessments to state standards; expanding the middle-grades-to-high-school transition initiative; improving the transition from high school to post-secondary and career opportunities; and increasing research efforts to better understand what works in advancing student achievement in urban districts and schools.Recent accomplishments included an increased number of students completing all parts of the HSTW recommended curriculum; improved reading, math and science scores in the majority of network districts; and planned activities to address the high failure rate of ninth-grade students.