An emphasis on strong leadership, rigorous courses, and effective instruction can help low-income students succeed in high school and prepare for higher education, concludes a report by the San Francisco-based WestEd, an education research organization.
Commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the report analyzed the similarities between five high-performing high school programs that primarily serve low-income and minority students across the nation. Each program emphasizes college as an attainable goal, provides rigorous college-preparatory courses, establishes a well-defined curriculum for all grades, strengthens academic and social supports during freshman year, and encourages out-of-school youths to return to the classroom.