About High Schools That Work


 
The Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB) High Schools That Work (HSTW) is the nation's first large-scale effort to engage state, district and school leaders and teachers in partnerships with students, parents and the community to improve the way all high school students are prepared for work and further education.

HSTW provides a framework of goals, key practices and key conditions for accelerating learning and setting higher standards. It recommends actions that provide direction to schools as they work to improve academic and career-technical instruction at school and the work site. These recommendations meet the criteria for comprehensive school reform.

The HSTW effort is based on the belief that, in the right school environment, most students can learn complex academic and technical concepts. The initiative targets high school students who seldom are challenged to meet higher academic standards.

SREB provides member states and sites with staff development, technical assistance, communications, publications and assessment services. The annual High Schools That Work Summer Staff Development Conference is a focal point for year-round professional development.

High Schools That Work has grown from 28 pilot sites in 13 states to its current size of over 1,200 sites in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The states include Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Back to the WV HSTW Page