Latest News | Page 3 of 6 | New England Secondary School Consortium

How Selective Colleges and Universities Evaluate Proficiency-Based High School Transcripts

May 11, 2016

The movement toward proficiency-based learning is gaining momentum at secondary schools across New England and beyond. Proficiency-based learning is the system of instruction, assessment and grading based on demonstration of skills that meet performance standards or “proficiencies.” The goal of proficiency-based learning is to better prepare students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in higher education and 21st century careers.
Read More
“Students Using Their Minds Well”: Extreme Differentiation in the Math Classroom

May 6, 2016

“It’s my job to notice people,” quipped Dawn Crane as she offered a seat to the event photographer who had quietly stepped into the back of the room a few minutes into her presentation.As a Math...
Read More
Getting Creative About Credit: Expanding Opportunities With and For Urban High School Students

May 2, 2016

In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the Blackstone River runs deep. If you visit the city’s downtown, you can’t help but drive alongside the waterway or crisscross it via a bridge or two. It’s everywhere. But as with...
Read More
“Can You Hear Me?!”: The Power of Student Voice

April 26, 2016

The ice breaker seemed simple enough.There were eight pictures of students placed throughout the room along with quotes from them on the importance of having their voice heard. Participants were asked to stand near the student whose quote...
Read More
When Kids Lead Their Parent-Teacher Conferences

April 6, 2016

Pushing up the cuffs of his plaid shirt and adjusting his glasses, the ninth-grader Colton Gaudette looks across the small classroom conference table. “Welcome to my student-led conference,” he says. “Thank you for inviting me,” answers his mother, Terry Gaudette, sitting next to Colton’s adviser and biology teacher.
Read More
Not Your Grandpa’s Voc Ed: Rigorous Career and Technical Education in Henry County, Georgia

April 5, 2016

When many of us think of “career and technical education,” we likely recall dusty wood shops, half-finished projects, and cantankerous teachers with untamed hair and maybe a missing finger or three. Or we might envision a...
Read More
Harwood Students, Faculty Work to Make School Better

April 5, 2016

Members of student government, the Harwood Leadership Team and a group called Youth and Adults Transforming Schools Together attended a two-day High School Redesign in Action conference in Norwood, Mass., which focused on measures schools could take to improve teaching and learning in the 21st century.
Read More
The Power of Inclusive Conversations that Bridge Divides and Unite Communities

March 23, 2016

“Yes it will be messy, yes it will take time, and yes there will be tension, but that tells you you’re having a real conversation.” —Bruce Mallory, New Hampshire Listens In today’s divisive political environment, our...
Read More
The New England Secondary School Consortium Recognizes Champions at Annual Conference

March 22, 2016

Norwood, MA — The New England Secondary School Consortium’s state and regional Champion Awards honor the unique contributions of New England leaders working to raise graduation rates, lower dropout rates, and send more students on to college...
Read More
When Restorative Justice in Schools Works

December 30, 2015

When the freshman Hope Parent left her cellphone unattended at Pittsfield Middle High School, last year, her classmate Brandon Bojarsky saw his chance for a little fun. Grabbing the device off a windowsill in their Spanish class, he quickly shot off a few obnoxious text messages to people in her contact list—including one to Hope’s mother.
Read More