Carnegie Reporter, Vol. 1, No. 3 | 7 Cities Lead the Movement to Change American High Schools

The image of American high schools as huge gothic buildings populated by thousands of anonymous teenagers who wander its halls unknown by each other or by most of the teachers who work there is about to be redesigned by seven urban school systems that are putting students in the center of the picture: Boston and Worcester Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; Chattanooga, Tennessee; San Diego and Sacramento California; and Houston, Texas. The high school redesign initiative, called Schools for a New Society, has been underway at the Corporation for one year and has been joined by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The seven systems competed to become part of this long-term, $60 million grant program and have undertaken a rigorous one-year planning process involving educators, parents, community leaders and business. Each of the cities created a blueprint, with financial matching funds, that ensures schools prepare all students for a knowledge-based economy. All seven cities reflect four key elements of high school reform: redesign, district-wide reform, community mobilization and youth development.

“An enormous amount of work has been underway in these cities as the school systems turn to business and community leaders to help create schools around themes that will attract students to both the idea of more rigorous learning and the notion of their role as active citizens in society. There is not a ‘one size fits all’ high school redesign plan that will be replicated in each city. Yet, all seven share a focus and commitment that they must change the way they have done business in the past to prepare all students to succeed in a changed world of work and an increasingly diverse democracy,” explains Michele Cahill, senior program officer at Carnegie Corporation of New York, who leads the initiative.

This nationwide high school redesign effort is a major element of the Corporation’s ongoing concern, shared by many other foundations, with improving education, teaching and literacy in the U.S.