“Can U.S. high schools be saved? Answering this question with a qualified ‘yes,’ Becky Smerdon and Kathryn Borman in this new, thoughtfully organized volume explore six of the major U.S. high school reforms that have been implemented in the past few years. Highlighting the challenges, successes, and failures, Smerdon and Borman supply a prescription for educators and policymakers as they contemplate the next steps for improving our schools.”
—Barbara Schneider, John A. Hannah Chair in Education and Sociology, Michigan State University
“With high school reform at the top of the education policy agenda, Becky Smerdon and Kathryn Borman provide a much-needed summary of the strengths and limitations of leading strategies for improving our lowest performing schools. Building on a platform of small schools and accountability, each chapter provides nuanced insights into the daunting challenges of improving the curricular and instructional core, supporting good teachers, and driving reform initiatives with formative and summative data on student outcomes. Policymakers and practitioners should find this a valuable resource as they plan and implement the next generation of high school improvement strategies.”
—James J. Kemple, Executive Director, The Research Alliance for New York City Schools at New York University
