ARKANSAS BEST PRACTICES - HIGH SCHOOLS
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High School Best Practices Study
The goal of the 2007 Arkansas High School Best Practices study was to identify practices in Arkansas high schools that improve student achievement. Once best practices are identified, the intent is that they can be utilized by other schools in their efforts to increase achievement. Practices were examined at the district, school, and classroom level, though the school level was the primary focus of the study.
Though high schools were the main focus of the 2007 Arkansas High Schools Best Practices study, middle schools were also included in the study in order to follow-up with the Arkansas Middle School Best Practices study. In 2005, the Arkansas Middle School Best Practices study examined 15 middle schools. In 2007, the Arkansas High School Best Practices study involved an additional 6 middle schools and 10 high schools. Using guidelines established by the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA), thirteen high schools were identified as potential participants, and ten of these schools agreed to be part of the study.
More information on the NCEA school selection process can be found at http://www.nc4ea.org/files/NCEA%20HP%20Selection%20Criteria.pdf. Eight of the ten high schools were designated as high-performing and two were designated as average-performing. After the high-performing schools were identified, the average-performing schools were selected to match the high-performing schools with regard to size, income level, ethnicity, and limited English proficiency population. Geographic location was also considered.
Site visits were conducted at each school. Teachers, school administrators, and district personnel were interviewed to identify best practices. To learn more about the methodology used in the Best Practices study, click here.
More information about Just for the Kids and the national Best Practices Study can be found at http://www.just4kids.org/en/research_policy/best_practices/framework.cfm.
