Specialized Schools

Tight crop of leaders or educators talking with diverse colleagues.
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School & District Management What the Research Says The Changing Picture of School Leadership, in Charts
A look at how the school leadership workforce is evolving.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 14, 2022
1 min read
Gerilyn Rodriguez, 18, poses at Miami Carol City Park in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Aug. 19, 2022. After struggling with remote learning during the pandemic and dropping out of school, Rodriguez is now a student at Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies.
Gerilyn Rodriguez, 18, struggled with remote learning during the pandemic and dropped out of high school. A "graduation advocate" persuaded her to enroll in Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies in Miami, Fla.
Josh Ritchie for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Teenager Balances Family Care, Work, and Credit Recovery on a Path to Graduation
Remote learning didn't start Gerilyn Rodriguez's academic problems, but it accelerated them.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
3 min read
Nakaya Domina pictured at her home in Las Vegas, Nev., on Aug. 12, 2022. After dropping out of school during the pandemic, she returned to a credit recovery program, where her "graduation candidate advocate" has helped her stay engaged. She expects to graduate this summer, and will then enter a postsecondary program in digital marketing.
Nakaya Domina dropped out of her public high school in Las Vegas in 2019 but managed to graduate this year with the help of a "graduation advocate" and a dropout recovery program.
Bridget Bennett for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness What It Took to Get This Teenager Back on Track to Graduate
Nakaya Domina had been disengaging from school for years before she left Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas in 2019.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
3 min read
Blaine Franzel, 17, and his mother, Angel Franzel, pictured at their home in Stuart, Fla., on Aug. 15, 2022. After struggling during remote learning and dropping out of public school, Franzel is now thriving at an alternative school where he is learning about aviation.
Blaine Franzel, 17, and his mother, Angel Franzel, live in Stuart, Fla. After struggling during remote learning and dropping out of public school, Franzel is now thriving at an alternative school where he is learning about aviation.
Josh Ritchie for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Anxiety and Isolation Kept Him Out of School. How an Alternative Program Helped
After years of worsening anxiety that kept him from school, Blaine Franzel’s prospects for high school graduation are looking up.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
3 min read
LaTosha Walker knocks on the door of a home where a student lives that has dropped out of school due to attendance records to talk to them about enrollment in Lowcountry Acceleration Academy in North Charleston on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.
LaTosha Walker, an enrollment coach for Lowcountry Acceleration Academy, knocks on the door of the home of a student who dropped out of school in Charleston, S.C.
Henry Taylor for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness 'Graduation Counselors' Go Door-to Door to Find Missing Students
On tree-lined streets and trailer parks, workers knock on doors to offer students a second chance at graduation.
Eesha Pendharkar, August 29, 2022
6 min read
Teacher Dawn Mathis works with student Rylee Humphries, 16, during an after school program at Mountain Education Charter High School in Woodstock, Ga. The Mountain Education Charter High School system has a program that pairs struggling students with adults who have faced similar challenges.
Teacher Dawn Mathis works with student Rylee Humphries, 16, during an after school program at Mountain Education Charter High School in Woodstock, Ga. The 18-campus school, which serves returning dropouts and other at-risk students, has expanded since the pandemic due to rising student need.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Dropouts Now Face a Steeper Climb to Earn a Diploma Post-Pandemic
Recovery programs say they have seen more students, further behind, than in prior years.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
7 min read
Image of artificial intelligence.
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Classroom Technology Artificial Intelligence Is All Around Us. So This District Designed Its Own AI Curriculum
A new high school in Georgia will give students a critical window into how AI is reshaping nearly every corner of the economy.
Alyson Klein, August 15, 2022
9 min read
Lateshia Woodley, the superintendent of student support for the Kansas City public schools, speaks with Jareon Brown, 17, and other students in Southeast High School's restorative-justice class.
Lateshia Woodley, the assistant superintendent of student support for the Kansas City public schools, speaks with Jareon Brown, 17, and other students in Southeast High School's restorative-justice class.
Julie Denesha for Education Week
Student Well-Being Leader To Learn From How Putting Students’ Welfare First Can Transform a District
For Lateshia Woodley, a relentless focus on supporting students facing trauma comes from her own lived experience.
Eesha Pendharkar, February 16, 2022
9 min read
Student attending class from a remote location.
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School Choice & Charters Full-Time Virtual Schools: Still Growing, Still Struggling, Still Resisting Oversight
Nearly 500,000 students now attend full-time online and blended schools, says a new report from the National Education Policy Center.
Benjamin Herold, May 6, 2021
6 min read
Junior Rochelle Borden, 17, (right) walks with her boyfriend, Archie Grant, 17, (left) to her art class at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago. The pair have been dating for two years.
Junior Rochelle Borden, 17, (right) walks with her boyfriend, Archie Grant, 17, (left) to her art class at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago. The pair have been dating for two years.
Taylor Glascock for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Photos One Student’s Day at an Elite Public High School
Chicago's selective enrollment high schools come closer to reflecting the diversity of the community.
Education Week Photo Staff, May 7, 2019
1 min read
Teacher Samantha Griffith works with Kevin Vazquez at Christel House, a dropout-recovery charter school in Indianapolis.
Teacher Samantha Griffith works with Kevin Vazquez at Christel House, a dropout-recovery charter school in Indianapolis.
AJ Mast for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness In Many Charter High Schools, Graduation Odds Are Slim
Nearly a quarter of all charter high schools are graduating less than half of their students, according to an Education Week analysis of federal data.
Arianna Prothero & Alex Harwin, February 26, 2019
9 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Calculating Grad Rates for Charter Schools: It's Complicated
Federal data paint a grim picture of the charter school sector's ability to graduate its students. But comparing charter high schools' graduating power with that of all other public high schools is tricky.
Arianna Prothero & Alex Harwin, February 26, 2019
3 min read
Curriculum Leader To Learn From Elevating the Arts to Improve Student Achievement
"I believe this is the exit [from poverty] through the arts,"says fine arts instructional specialist Christie-Jo Adams of her efforts to use arts integration to help turn around three struggling schools.
Alyson Klein, February 20, 2019
8 min read
Accountability Alternative High Schools: A Call for Better Accountability
States must figure out new, fairer ways of holding alternative high schools accountable for graduation, a new study argues.
Catherine Gewertz, June 15, 2018
6 min read