North Carolina Action Plan for High School Innovation Project

							                              North Carolina Action Plan for
                                 High School Innovation:

                     Project R3: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships



Summary:

Proposed is the creation of a statewide vision and plan for high school reform in North
Carolina that will serve to guide local communities, key stakeholders and statewide policy
makers to:
   1. Define a clear vision and pathway for reform in the state’s highs schools to ensure
       that all students graduate prepared for work, college and citizenship;
   2. Present concrete steps that incorporates best practices to implement this vision; and
   3. Offer benchmarks against which to gauge progress and to inform improvement over
       time.

A communications plan and toolkit will accompany this initiative to ensure that citizens at
every level and in every community possess first hand knowledge of the urgency for high
school reform and promising new directions.


Proposal:

The North Carolina State Board of Education will launch Project R3 to create the first
comprehensive plan to shape the future of the state’s high schools. The final plan will offer
meaningful and practical solutions to the problems confronting the state’s high schools. The
plan will address:
    1. The importance of defining and instilling rigor, relevance and relationships in all high
       schools;
    2. Major reports on high schools and key recommendations for change;
    3. Types of successful high schools which may be suitable for replication in local
       communities; and,
    4. Best practices for consideration by all districts and highs schools.


Outcomes:

The North Carolina Action Plan for High School Innovation will support:

   •   Local districts and communities by providing a clear plan and toolkit as a road map
       for reforms that possess promise based upon research and practical experience. The
       toolkit will support engagement efforts with internal (employees) and external
                                                                 Project R3: North Carolina
                                                         Action Plan for High School Reform

    (community) stakeholders and support alignment among programmatic investments,
    professional development and accountability with comprehensive high school reform
    efforts.

•   Statewide education agency by supporting the reorganization of administrative and
    funding structures and guidelines to support focused and promising strategies for high
    school reform.

•   Education policy makers and elected officials by identifying policy, funding and
    procedural barriers to meaningful and sustainable reform.

•   Foundation and business partners by guiding the alignment of private resources
    and leadership with proven high school reform strategies. The plan will also
    encourage these partners to focus on clearly defined and measurable reform strategies
    that are most deserving of private resources.

•   Professional and parent associations: by providing useful tools to support a
    consensus building approach to high school reform that will overcome inertia and
    confusion.




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                                                                     Project R3: North Carolina
                                                             Action Plan for High School Reform



                  North Carolina Action Plan for High School Innovation

                                   Conceptual Overview




    Step 1:                  Step 2:                  Step 3:                 Step 4:
  Stakeholder             Action Plan &              Statewide                 Local
  Participation          Communications               Launch                  Launch
                               Plan                                         With Toolkit
                            Produced


Action Plan:

Theme:            Frames the overall belief system and assumptions behind the plan

                  R3, Rigor, relevance and relationships

Context:          Summarize major reports and trends regarding the urgency for high school
                  reform

Exemplars:        Present successfully redesigned high schools that provide a range of
                  examples for how communities might reconsider the overall high school
                  experience.

Best Practices: Present a range of programmatic strategies that move schools toward
                meaningful change and that offer demonstrated success supported by
                research.

Action Steps      Present clear steps for educators and community members to address both
                  short-term, programmatic strategies and to define a path for more
                  fundamental redesign in the future.



Timetable:

August                   State Board of Education and State Superintendent charge the NC
                         New Schools Project Board of Advisors to initiate the High School
                         Innovation Action Plan.

                         Department of Public Instruction retreat to refine concept, content.



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                                                               Project R3: North Carolina
                                                       Action Plan for High School Reform


                    Key stakeholders retreat to recommend content for plan and
                    strategies for implementation (DPI, UNC, NCCS, etc.)

                    Communications committee frames plan and need for multi-media

September-October   Commission concludes writing, revisions.
                    Communications

November            Production of print and multi-media materials

December            Action plan and toolkit launched by State Board of Education




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