Trevor Greene, the 2013 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of the Year, empowers staff members and students to be the best teachers and learners they can be and provides the community resources to support them. In this article, Greene, principal of Toppenish High School in Washington, shares his biggest motivator as a school leader and…

The American educational system is no fairy tale. Students who think that it takes nothing more than a wish upon a star to make their educational dreams come true are sure to be disappointed. The authors agree with Professor Rosenbaum: In order to realize their educational dreams, students must invest considerable effort. Rather than encouraging…

In the new century, calls to promote "college readiness" among high school students have accelerated to a degree that would have astonished even the privileged and powerful colleges of the past. The most conspicuous evidence for such acceleration is the increasing popularity among schools, students, and colleges alike of dual-credit programs,…

Asked to review the four articles that appear in this special issue of "Educational Psychologist," these authors discuss the articles in alphabetical order, describe their major arguments, analyze strengths and weaknesses from their perspective, and provide some considerations. The analysis section about each article brings their…

One important literacy practice is the ability to formulate effective arguments to convince others of the validity of one's position. In this commentary, the authors discuss the literacy practices involved in formulating arguments as well as the challenges involved in helping students acquire these practices. In contrast to more traditional…

The author discusses fundamental misunderstandings about Advanced Placement (AP)courses, which are intended to provide high-school students with an academic college experience, typically at the level of an introductory college course. Popular misconceptions include: (1) AP is about memorization and does not require students to think critically;…

Too often, teachers in public schools do not have the time to get to know their students or tailor their instruction to students' interests. As a result, many students lose interest in school. The Met School, a public high school in Providence, Rhode Island, is designed to help students enjoy school while learning real-world skills. Castleman and…

State-mandated systems of comprehensive examinations to be taken prior to high school graduation would focus the attention of students in high school, motivate them to higher levels of performance, provide guidance to teachers as to the appropriate material to be covered, and reduce antieducational pressures within peer groups, all of whose…

Recent literature debates the effectiveness of the senior year, stating that it is an unproductive and unrealistic time for many students--either because they are, by that point in their school careers, disengaged and waiting to graduate, or because they are so stressed from taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and writing college essays that they…

Crutcher, an advocate for children above all else, revisits a few of the most urgent issues facing teachers--Censorship, "No Child Left Without Life Threatening Test Anxiety," Zero Tolerance, to name a few--and an encouraging word about addressing them. He believes teachers "have the toughest job in our culture," and urges them to "rise up . . .…

In this article, the author discusses the issue of high school reform in American high schools. According to him, there are a number of reasons, but chief among them is that a consensus haven't been reached on what high schools are supposed to do. He states that America can claim it has some of the best high schools in the world, and it does. But…

Jason Stephens traces the growth of cheating over three decades, noting a disconnect between expressed shock and research that has shown over and over that most students do cheat, at least some of the time. Some students cheat for simple, pragmatic reasons: to get high grades and because they do not have time to do the work carefully. However, the…

Young people in the United States today are much more likely to be involved in volunteer work of an apolitical sort than in politics. As part of a study on political engagement, the author and other colleagues surveyed students at a diversity of colleges and universities and asked them why they and many of their peers are so much more likely to…

In this article, the author describes how Mr. Morris Lerner taught his class and shares what he learns from the science teacher. The author says Mr. Lerner greatly influenced his life and was the greatest teacher he ever had. Mr. Lerner taught the basic principles of technology education before most folks could spell the term--and that has made…

This article presents the author's views on the present situation of American high schools. The current American high school system fails in satisfying the demands placed upon it by all sectors of American society in all classes, regions and ethnicities. He further points out several problems. Along with it, he discusses some academic adjustments…