High Schools That Work Initiative (HSTW)

High Schools That Work (HSTW) was originally created in 1987 by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) in partnership with a consortium of eleven states. High Schools That Work has been nationally recognized as the nation's fastest growing, whole school reform initiative with data to show it works. HSTW sites provide a program of study that includes both academic courses and modern career and technical studies to prepare all students for both broad career fields and further education.

HSTW came to SW Ohio in 1998, through the work of William E. Lambert. He utilized School-to-Work funding to support six high school sites in investigating the model. A team from each of these sites wrote a unique HSTW model blueprint that would enable them to implement the model in their high school or career-technical center.

The HSTW initiative is a comprehensive approach to high performance schools that complements and supports the educational goals of Ohio. As a research and assessment-based reform initiative, HSTW sites are guided by a framework of goals, key practices, and key conditions to improve school instruction and student achievement. The HSTW vision requires its schools to rethink the way they deliver learning, so that all children are successful. The initiative provides targeted professional development, networking with high performing sites, and regular feedback from expert professionals. A comprehensive assessment allows staffs to track their progress.

TEN KEY PRACTICES OF HSTW

• Higher Expectations - Setting higher standards, getting more students to meet them.
• Vocational Studies - Increasing access to intellectually challenging technical studies, with a major emphasis on using high-level mathematics, science, language arts, and problem solving skills in the modern workplace and in preparation for continued learning.
• Academic Studies - Increasing access to academic studies that teach the essential concepts from the college preparatory curriculum by encouraging students to use academic content and skills to address real world projects and problems.
• Program of Study - Having students complete a challenging program of study with an upgraded academic core and a major.
• Work based Learning - Giving students and their parents the choice of a system that integrates school-based learning. The system should span high school and post-secondary studies and should be planned by educators, employers and employees.
• Teachers Working Together - Having and organization, structure and schedule giving academic and technical teachers the time to plan and deliver integrated instruction aimed at teaching high-level academic and technical content.
• Students actively Engaged - Having every student involved in rigorous and challenging learning.
• Guidance - Involving each student and his/her parent in a guidance and advising system that ensures the completion of an accelerated program of study with an in-depth academic or vocational-technical major.
• Extra Help - Providing a structured system of extra help and extra time to enable students who may lack adequate preparation to complete an accelerated program of study that includes high-level academic and technical content.
• Keeping Score - Using student assessment and program evaluation data to improve continuously the school climate, organization, management curricula and instruction to advance student learning and to recognize students who meet both curriculum and performance goals.

FIVE KEY CONDITIONS OF HSTW

• An organizational structure and process ensuring continuous involvement of faculty and school administrators in planning strategies to achieve the key practices.
• A school principal with strong and effective leadership who supports, encourages, and actively participates with the faculty in implementing the key practices.
• A system superintendent and school board members who support the school administrators and teachers in carrying out the key practices. This commitment includes financial support for instructional materials, time for teachers to meet and plan together, and six to eight days per year of staff development on using the key practices to improve student learning.
• Leadership from the school superintendent and school board to involve employers and post-secondary institutions in the design and implementation of a school-based and work-based program to prepare students for employment and post-secondary education.
• A commitment from the school board to support the school in replacing the general track with a more demanding academic core and either an academic or vocational-technical major.