HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WORK PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED FEB. 3

WACO, TEXAS — ESC Region 12 will host a “High Schools That Work” awareness program from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday at ESC Region 12, in Waco. The free program will be presented by Lana Perkins, Texas State Coordinator for High Schools That Work.

For more information, please contact Hazel Rowe, deputy director for Instructional Services at 254/297-1202.

About the High Schools That Work Program
When a school concentrates on helping all students achieve, it can make practices once reserved for "the best and the brightest" the norm for students throughout the school. Launched in 1987 with 28 sites in 13 states, the Southern Regional Education Board's High Schools that Work program has rapidly expanded to include more than 1000 sites in 23 states and is a model program for accelerating student achievement. Using an integrated approach, the program can shift focus in the debate about what's wrong in high schools from placing the blame to fixing the system. High Schools that Work can help us all reject the old arguments -- that students can't learn, that parents won't get involved, and that employers don't insist on quality school and work site learning.

High Schools that Work is not a school-to-work program. High Schools That Work is based on the belief that students in general and vocational programs of study can master complex academic and technical concepts if schools create an environment that encourages students to make the effort to succeed. Member schools implement 10 key practices for integrating academic and vocational education and raising students' achievement in language arts, mathematics, science, and technical areas.

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