High Schools

EDC is working with ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Careers, with support from The James Irvine Foundation, to develop a curriculum for career sector academies in California public high schools. This project focuses on the arts, media and entertainment (AME) sector.

CSE, the University of Michigan, and the Center for Applied Special Technology is applying the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) so that science curricula can be customized to serve a wide range of student learning needs.

The Boston Science Partnership is a five-year NSF-funded Math and Science Partnership project designed to improve science teaching and learning in Boston’s middle schools and high schools, to enhance university-level teaching by STEM faculty, and to ensure the university partners’ continued support for and faculty involvement in science education. The Partnership involves the Boston Public Schools, the University of Massachusetts/Boston, and Northeastern University as the principal partners. Harvard Medical School and the College Board participate as supporting partners.

In this five-year project, CSE is developing a comprehensive high school science curriculum called Foundation Science. It comprises two semesters each of chemistry, physics, biology, and earth science. Schools will be able to sequence the courses to suit the structure of their science programs. Stimulating narratives engage students with problems whose solutions lead to an understanding of major scientific concepts. Hands-on investigations supported by scientific literature help students reach those solutions.

This project provides logistical and substantive support to the IMD, TPC, and DR-K12 grantees funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Working collaboratively with the principal investigators and NSF program officers over a five-year period, EDC has coordinated four of five annual Principal Investigators conferences and is establishing a knowledge-transfer network that includes developing print and Web-based resources to ensure ongoing, high-quality dialogue and sharing among grantees.

In collaboration with EDC’s Education, Employment, and Community Programs, ERO promotes and supports the Ford PAS program. Ford PAS includes an interdisciplinary high school curriculum that challenges students academically and develops their problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills. We provide ongoing technical assistance for all schools and partners implementing Ford PAS by hosting an interactive Web site and toll-free hotline, designing and conducting an annual national networking and training conference, and offering professional development activities.

EDC continues to expand its Teenage Health Teaching Modules (THTM), a comprehensive school health curriculum for grades 6 through 12 used in all 50 states and several countries. EDC is updating scientific content and making the modules responsive to the ethnic and cultural diversity of today’s classrooms. New materials include Getting Active and Eating Well and Voices Against Violence. THTM has been identified as a “promising” model program by the U.S. Department of Education.

Most teens work by the time they graduate from high school. Although work can be a positive experience, it also has risks. Every year 100,000 teens are seriously injured on the job. To improve the safety of young workers, the center provides training for the staff of school and community-based job readiness and placement programs, preparing them to teach teens about occupational safety and health. The center also provides seminars, technical assistance, and resources to employers of youth and to other education and employment-related organizations serving youth.

This international education program introduces young people between 13 and 18 years of age to the basic rules and principles of international humanitarian law (IHL). Also known as the Law of Armed Conflict, IHL aims to protect life and human dignity during armed conflict and to reduce and prevent the suffering and destruction that result from war. Developed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in close association with EDC and with the active participation of 20 countries from all parts of the world, EHL offers 30 academic hours of educational activities.

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) supports the national implementation of provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide successful school outcomes for students with disabilities. NDPC-SD serves state and local education agencies, policymakers, researchers, school administrators, teachers, other practitioners, and parents. The Center uses evidence-based research to support state education agencies in developing model dropout prevention programs within their local school districts.