Rethinking the American High School Sample Chapter
This chapter walks the reader through the current state of high schools across the country and how we got here.
Over the past 35 years, there has been constant pressure to increase accountability in American high schools from the media an politicians, many preaching “magic bullet” solutions that haven’t made any lasting impacts on student learning. Anyone who has spent time in a high school knows that there is no singular answer to how to prepare high school students for their future. Instead, the only answer available is the nuanced, thoughtful, and effective use of the multitude of resources that all schools and districts have at their disposal.
In Rethinking the American High School, Will Dwyer and Chuck Hiscock detail an improvement framework to stop operating in a frenetic state of crisis and how to find a true north to guide a school’s philosophical, instructional, and structural decisions. The book outlines four lenses to view your high school through, how to find leverage points for improvement, and ways to align all the pieces together so that everyone in your school has a shared vision. The authors share stories, strategies, and activities that high school principals and staff can use to make a lasting difference in their school.
In this book high school teachers and administrators will:
Learn how to find their school’s focus, shared values, needs, strengths and priorities.
Develop ways to structure leadership to provide the most impact on student achievement
Understand how curriculum decisions impact learning gaps and ways to improve learning for ALL students.
Discover instructional practices to meet long-term school goals.
Learn how to build a culture to improve teacher collective efficacy and student perseverance.
Explore ways to collaborate with feeder middle schools to improve student transitions.
High school teachers and leaders have heard enough about what is wrong with American high schools. It’s time to take action and capitalize on every school’s unique strengths. Rethinking the American High School will show you how to do it.
