There are no bells at Salt Lake City's Innovations Early College High School, and there are no traditional "classes." Students show up when they like, putting in six and a half hours at school between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Working with a mentor teacher, students set their own goals and move through self-paced online lessons. They can…

In the next decade, more than half of all new American jobs will require some postsecondary education, yet the current college attainment rate for the nation is 39 percent. The challenges appear well before students begin college: one in four public high school students fails to graduate on time, and of those who graduate, one-third need remedial…

Graduation rates are a fundamental indicator of whether or not the nation's public school system is doing what it is intended to do: enroll, engage, and educate youth to be productive members of society. Since almost 90 percent of the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs require some postsecondary education, having a high school diploma and the…

This portfolio project reports on an effort to help Utah school districts prepare students for a smooth and successful transition out of high school and into post-secondary education or the workplace. Through the project, three important school processes were identified: (1) career guidance; (2) long-term planning and goal-setting; and (3)…

Despite the adoption of special state funding formulas that address the needs of small schools, Utah educators have continued to observe an imbalance in academic performance between rural and urban students. This report examines: academic achievement in Utah's small schools; factors related to school size that may influence academic achievement;…

The education of all the children of all the people is an ideal that has received nation-wide acceptance in the United States. Historically, the secondary school is an institution preparatory to specific education for leadership. In old-established societies, admission has been conditioned chiefly by the social rank of the pupil. In America, its…