Closing the Expectations Gap 2007 - Achieve

ConclusionThe world that today’s high school students will encounter is vastly different from theone their parents faced. The economy has changed, along with the skills young peopleneed to be successful. Yet as demands in postsecondary institutions and the workplacehave grown, the expectations for high school graduates have not kept pace. The resultis that the American high school diploma has lost its currency.At the second anniversary of the 2005National Education Summit on HighSchools, it is encouraging that statesare taking action to close the expectationsgap and restore value to the highschool diploma. During the past twoyears, states have made substantialprogress in some areas, but overall,much work remains.Momentum is strongest in standardsand data systems. Most states haverecognized that those areas need to bestrengthened first because they createthe foundation for the rest of the policies.A growing number of states alsohave raised graduation requirementsfor all students, including some thathave had to work through a complexset of local control issues. Less progresshas been made in putting rigoroushigh school assessments in place anddeveloping systems in which highschools are accountable for preparingstudents for college and work.Given the complexity of this policyagenda and the multiyear effort it willtake to implement fully, state leadersmust maintain a sense of urgency. Ifstates are to succeed, this is what itwill take:Gubernatorial LeadershipFor the past five years, No Child LeftBehind has had an impact on standardsand accountability reforms inelementary and middle schools. At thehigh school level, governors haveclaimed the leadership mantle. Thestates that have made the mostprogress almost always have had thegovernor leading the charge. If statesare going to continue to makeprogress, governors must continue tomake this a top policy priority. Notonly do they need to push for theright legislation, but they also need touse the bully pulpit to educate parents,educators and the public on theurgent need for higher standards.Raising standards is always met withsome degree of apprehension and cynicism.Governors and other state leadershave a responsibility to bring keystakeholders into the conversation andenlist their support. Business leaders— longtime champions for standardsbasedreform — are critical allies.They have a unique ability to helpstudents, parents, educators and thepublic understand the demands of theglobal economy.The Ability To Move onMultiple FrontsDeveloping and implementing goodpolicies takes time. Traditionally,states have taken them on one by one,starting with standards and then movingto assessments, curriculum and,finally, accountability. As sensible asthis progression may be, states willneed to find ways to move multiplepieces of the policy agenda simultaneouslyif they are going to respond tothe growing pressures of the widerworld. For example, states in the processof aligning high school standards withcollege and workplace demands ortackling the implementation of newgraduation course requirements shouldbe working on parallel tracks to putnew high school assessments in placeand to factor college- and work-readyexpectations into their high schoolaccountability systems.Addressing ChallengesTo implement the new expectationsstates are setting for high school studentssuccessfully, states must takegreater responsibility for providingteacher and student supports. It iscritical for states to ensure that teachersClosing the Expectations Gap 2007 25