High School InitiativesAcademic Excellence :

Governor Tim Pawlenty is leading national and state efforts to improve the high school experience by providing more rigor and relevance in coursework, and providing more meaningful relationships for students. This is the goal of the Minnesota Department of Education High School Initiative, administered by the Division of Academic Standards and High School Improvement.

Why High School Improvement?  The department provides data to administrators, teachers and others interested in high school improvement and promotes and facilitates discussions on this effort. Information on this page includes an overview and summary of the National Governors Association Honor States Grant that Minnesota received to support high school redesign efforts and a summary of the Governor's Roundtable Discussion on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Links below also include data snapshots and slide presentations related to Minnesota’s High School Initiative that have been presented to various audiences in the past. See Related Links for national organizations involved in data-driven high school improvement.

Dropout Prevention, Retention and Graduation Initiative.  The Minnesota Department of Education is working to ensure that more students graduate. A recent Alliance for Excellent Education study, "The High Cost of High School Dropouts: What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools," documented the state-by-state impact of high school dropouts. Read the study. 

Systemic High School Redesign: Building a Minnesota Model is a multi-year initiative with a variety of supports for high school redesign. Delano, Fridley, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle and Spring Lake Park are the pilot sites for this program. These high schools were selected because of their work on rigorous and relevant course taking for all students; personalized learning environments; multiple pathways to postsecondary training or college; high quality teacher and principal leadership; and student assessment and program evaluation data used to continuously improve school climate, organization, management, curricula and instruction.  View redesign model.

Attention Principals:  Please visit High School Contacts and complete our short request for information so we may add your school's information to our electronic mailing list. Thank you for your cooperation.

Contact Sally Wherry, Supervisor of High School Initiatives, at 651-582-8768, if you would like more information about current data and programs related to high schools in Minnesota.

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