Our work in our partner districts begin with deeply understanding, through rigorous research, what distinguishes higher and lower performing high schools in the district. We found that the key features of effective high schools were slightly different in our two partner districts. At the same time, these findings were consistent in their focus on the student experience in high schools and the emphasis on the social emotional learning needs of students.

Read more about our findings on effective high schools in Broward:

Rutledge, S., Cohen-Vogel, L., Osborne-Lampkin, L., & Roberts, R. (2015). Understanding Effective High Schools: Evidence for personalization for academic and social learning.  American Educational Research Journal 52(6): 1060-1092.  View paper

Check out the PASL Toolkit!

Read an evaluation of PASL.This article was published in Studies in Educational Evaluation, Vol 75, Rosen, Hong, Rutledge, Cannata, Rotermund, & Leu, pp. 1-9, Copyright Elsevier (2022).

Read more about our findings on effective high schools in Fort Worth:

Cannata, M., Smith, T.M., & Taylor Haynes, K. (2017). Integrating Academic Press and Support by Increasing Student Ownership and Responsibility. AERA Open 3(3): 1-13. View paper

Cannata, M., Redding, C., & Nguyen, T. (2019). Building Student Ownership and Responsibility: Examining Student Outcomes from a Research-Practice Partnership.  Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness. [Version of Record] [Accepted Manuscript]

Read more about what is common in effective high schools across these districts:

Rutledge, S. & Cannata, M. (2016). Identifying and Understanding Effective High Schools: Personalization for Academic and Social Learning and Student Ownership and Responsibility. Phi Delta Kappan 97(6):60-64.  View paper

 

Read more about what we’ve learned about effective high schools:

Cohen-Vogel, L. & Harrison, C. (2013). Leading with Data: Evidence from the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools. Leadership and Policy in Schools 12: 122-145.  [link]

Cohen-Vogel, L., Little, M., & Fierro, C. (2017). Evidence-based staffing in high schools: Using student achievement data in teacher hiring, evaluation and assignment. Leadership and Policy in Schools. [link]

Huff, J., Goldring, E., Preston, C., & Guthrie, J. (2018). Learning-Centered Leadership Practices for Effective High Schools Serving At-Risk Students. Teachers College Record 120(9).   View paper

Nguyen, T., Cannata, M., & Miller, J. (2018). Understanding student behavioral engagement in high schools: The importance of student interaction with peers and teachers. The Journal of Educational Research 111(2): 163-174.  [Version of Record] [Accepted Manuscript]

Preston, C., Goldring, E., Guthrie, J. E., Ramsey, R., & Huff, J. (2016). Conceptualizing Essential Components of Effective High Schools. Leadership and Policy in Schools.  [link]

Sass, T., & Austin, W. (2019). An Analysis of the Effects of Implementing Personalized Learning Connections in Broward County Public Schools. [link]

Smith, T. M., Cannata, M., Cohen-Vogel, L., & Rutledge, S. A. (2016a). Mapping the High School Reform Landscape. New York: Teachers College Record (Yearbook) 118, Issue 13.  [link]

Smith, T. M., Cannata, M., Cohen-Vogel, L., & Rutledge, S. A. (2016b). Design and Implementation of High School Reform: Perspectives from Research and Practice. Teachers College Record (Yearbook) 118(13): pp. 1-18.  [link]

Smith, T. M., Preston, C., Taylor Haynes, K, & Neergaard Booker, L.  (2015). Differences in Instructional Quality between High and Low Value Added Schools in a Large Urban District.  Teachers College Record 117(11): 1-38.  [link]

Tichnor-Wagner, A. & Allen, D. (2016). Accountable for Caring: Cultivating Teachers Who Care in Urban High Schools. Leadership and Policy in Schools 15(4): 406-447. [link]

Tichnor-Wagner, A., Harrison, C., & Cohen-Vogel, L.  (2016). Cultures of learning in effective high schools.  Educational Administration Quarterly 52(4): 602-642.  [link]

Torre Gibney, D., Preston, C., Drake, T., Goldring, E., & Cannata, M. (2017). Bringing Student Responsibility to Life: Avenues to Personalizing High Schools for Student Success. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 22(3): 129-145. [Version of Record] [Accepted Manuscript]

Wachen, J., Harrison, C., & Cohen-Vogel, L. (2018). Data use as instructional reform: Exploring educators’ reports of classroom practice Leadership and Policy in Schools 17(2): 296-325. [link]

Working papers

Cannata, M., Taylor Haynes, K., & Smith, T. M. (2013). Reaching for Rigor: Identifying Practices of Effective High Schools. Nashville, TN: National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools.  View paper

Chapman, G., Wilson, S., & Redding, C. (2013). Summary of Survey Results: High School Principals, Teachers, and Students. Nashville, TN: National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools.

Guthrie, J., Goldring, E., & Harrison, C. (2013). Teacher Accountability as Formative Assessment. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy in New Orleans, LA, March 14-16, 2013.

Harrison, C. (2013). Teachers’ Construction of Expectations and Adaptation of Practice in Response to Academic “Tracks” and Performance Labels. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Francisco, CA, April 28-May 1, 2013. View paper

Iatarola, P.  & Gao, N.  (2015). High School Accountability: Early Evidence from Florida.  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy in Washington, DC, February 26-28, 2015. View paper

Iatarola, P. & Kim, T.H. (2016) Unpacking Dual Enrollment in Broward County Public High Schools. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy in Denver, CO, March 17-19, 2016.

Iatarola, P. & Kim, T.H. (2014).  High school peer and teacher effects – AP exams:  The case of Broward County Public Schools. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management in Albuquerque, NM, November 6-8, 2014.

Iatarola, P., Rutledge, S.  A., Kim, T.  H., & Brown, S.  (2015). Assigning Rigor High School Courses: A Mixed Methods Analysis.  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy in Washington, D. C., February 26-28, 2015.

Kim, T.H. (2016) The Effects of Class Scheduling on Class Size Reduction and Student Achievement. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy in Denver, CO, March 17-19, 2016.

Osborne-Lampkin, L., Rutledge, S. A., & Vineyard, B. (2012). Balancing High-Stakes Accountability Policies in Florida’s Schools. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy in Boston, MA, March, 2012.

Roberts, R., & Rutledge, S., (2013). Understanding Human Agency in Students and School Personnel’s Perceptions of Personalization for Academic and Social Learning. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Francisco, CA, April 28-May 1, 2013. View paper

Rutledge, S. A., Cohen-Vogel, L., & Osborne-Lampkin, L. (2012). Identifying the Characteristics of Effective High Schools: Report from Year One of the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools. Nashville, TN: National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools. View paper

Rutledge, S. A., Iatarola, P., Brown, S., & Kim, T. H. (2014).  High School Pathways: a Mixed Methods Analysis of Student Course-Taking.  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy in San Antonio, TX, March 13-15, 2014.

Rutledge, S.A., Rose Socol, A., Harrison, C., Brown, S. & Preston, C.  (2016). Implementing personalization:  Exploring the implementation and proximal outcomes of an academic and social emotional initiative in three high schools.  Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association conference in Washington, D.C.

Smith, T., Neergaard, L., Preston, C., & Ramsey, R. (2013). Differences in Instructional Quality Between High and Low Value-added Schools. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Francisco, CA, April 28-May 1, 2013.

Socol, A. R., Allen, D., Wang, Q.  (2015). “After I graduate?”: Student Perceptions of College and Career Preparation in Urban High Schools.  Paper accepted for presentation at the Critical Questions in Education Conference.