Pennsylvania High School Project Stresses Rigor, Support

Riding a wave of national concern about high schools, Pennsylvania has expanded a pilot program that seeks to boost academic rigor for high school students and create clearer connections to college and work through a revamped counseling system.

Pennsylvania began Project 720 in the fall of 2004. State officials chose the name—the typical number of days in a student’s high school career—to lend a sense of urgency to the program.

The first year of the pilot included 41 high schools whose districts applied to become part of the program. Seventy-five schools participated in 2005-06. The state’s 2006-07 budget expands annual funding to $8 million, from $4.7 million the previous year. State officials expect the hike to enable as many as 30 more schools to take part in the rapidly...