Berman, Ilene and Gina Biancarosa
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
Reading to Achieve: A Governor's Guide to Adolescent Literacy, 2005
This research highlights five policy recommendations for governors that will improve adolescent literacy skills. It includes raising literacy standards; building and providing support for states, local districts and educators; and effective assessment to measure progress in students’ performance.

The Bridge Project
Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research
Analyzing State and Regional K–16 Policies: A Toolkit for Researchers and Policy Analysts, 2003
This policy toolkit for states and regions is designed to help them develop more aligned and equitable policies, which will help all students prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education.

Cooney, Sondra and Gene Bottoms
Southern Regional Education Board
Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak Link, 2002
This brief contends that exposing middle grades students to more challenging courses while providing them with adult supports and mentoring is fundamental to ensure better high school performance. It argues for more rigorous preparation in middle school to ease students’ transition to college-preparatory courses.

The Education Trust
Gaining Traction, Gaining Ground: How Some High Schools Accelerate Learning for Struggling Students, 2005
The study highlights five characteristics of high schools that have greater-than-expected gains with underperforming students, compared to schools with only average gains. It found that schools that have a clear academic focus, higher expectations, greater supports, higher quality control over teachers and curricula, and effective use of time and resources tended to accelerate underperforming students’ learning at a much greater pace and quality.

The Education Trust
The Power to Change: High Schools that Help All Students Achieve, 2005
A strong belief and expectation that all students can and will learn underlines the theme of this report. Using data from three high schools that have extremely high-minority, low-income student populations but nonetheless helped all students achieve to high levels, the author found similar characteristics that contributed to the success of these schools.

The Education Trust
The Real Value of Teachers, 2004
In this report, the author encourages states and local districts to adopt the value-added system in measuring teachers’ effectiveness. The system monitors improvement in students’ learning skills over a period of time to analyze teachers’ capacity and performance.

Escalante, Jaime and Jack Dirkmann
The Journal of Negro Education, 1990, pp. 407–423
“The Jaime Escalante Math Program”
This firsthand account from acclaimed teacher Jaime Escalante discusses his approach to teaching mathematics to underprivileged students in East Los Angeles. The article explains the Escalante Math Program that he has used with his students and the fundamental principles behind his teaching.

Gamoran, Adam and Eileen C. Hannigan
JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive
"Algebra for Everyone? Benefits of College-Preparatory Mathematics for Students with Diverse Abilities in Early Secondary School," 2000
This report presents new findings on the benefits of college-preparatory mathematics, particularly algebra, for students with disparate competency levels. It finds that algebra is beneficial for all students, although its benefits are smaller for students with very low prior achievement.

Jobs for the Future
"Integrating Grades 9 through 14: State Policies to Support and Sustain Early College High Schools"
Early college high schools aim to improve postsecondary success by helping high school students get a head start on college courses. This article encourages policymakers to align standards for secondary and postsecondary entrance, placement and graduation to ease students’ transitions.

Kemple, James J., Corrine M. Herlihy and Thomas J. Smith
MDRC
Making Progress toward Graduation: Evidence from the Talent Development High School Model, 2005
This research analyzes the impact of the implementation of the Talent Development model, which aims to prepare all students for postsecondary education and employment, in Philadelphia’s most troubling schools. It found that the model generates substantial positive impacts during the first year of high school and more modest improvements throughout later grades, but it needs sustainable investment and deeper institutional support to spur significant changes on a larger scale.

Martinez, Monica and Shayna Klopott
American Youth Policy Forum, Pathways to College Network
The Link between High School Reform and College Access and Success for Low-Income and Minority Youth, 2005
This paper extrapolates common practices proven to improve the academic achievement of low-income and minority students. It also gives recommendations for future high school reforms that integrate these practices.

Matthews, Lou Edward
Project MUSE
"Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions of the Achievement Gap"
This report aims to understand teachers’ perceptions of the causes of the achievement gap in mathematics. It found that a majority of secondary mathematics teachers attribute the gap to inherent student characteristics. However, most postsecondary mathematics educators rest the blame on curriculum and instruction. Teacher professional development, curricular changes, community building and more equitable policies are suggested to remedy the situation.

Rousseau, Celia K. and Angiline Powell
Project MUSE
"Shooting for the Stars: A Case Study of the Mathematics Achievement and Career Attainment of an African American Male High School Student," 2005
This study identifies key themes to clarify the current misunderstanding of male African American students’ mathematics achievement and career attainment. The research is based on a case study of Malik Williams, a black student who demythologizes his racial stereotype.