Haywood High School Receives Grant

Haywood High School is among twenty-two Tennessee high schools receiving a total of $153,000 in grants to further improvement initiatives under the High Schools That Work (HSTW) program. Launched by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the program focuses on providing rigorous academic courses for all students and relating learning to students' futures. The goal is to ensure students graduate prepared for their choice of pursuing a post-secondary education or a career.

“Whether students aspire to enter the workforce or attend college, they need the academic foundation to excel beyond high school,” Education Commissioner Lana Seivers said. "These schools are to be commended for their efforts to help all students graduate and their willingness by adjusting the curriculum to meet the needs of all students.”

Each high school will receive between $5,000 and $8,000 each for continued participation in the program. HHS will receive $7,000. During the multi-year project, schools use the funds to instill changes that research has shown to improve high schools. Examples include integrating academic and career-technical content and cooperating with the local businesses community.

“Educators in these schools are showing a renewed interest in collaborating and focusing on what is best for their students,” HSTW consultant Gracie Lewis said. “Many of these sites have been identified by SREB as top performing high schools and are often called upon to share their success story with other sites around the country.”

HSTW is founded on 10 key practices:

• High Expectations

• A Required Core Curriculum with an Area of Concentration

• Relating Academic Courses to Real World Issues

• Provide High-Level Career-Technical Courses in Thriving Fields

• Work-Based Learning

• Collaborative Planning and Instruction across Subject Areas

• Hands-On Learning

• Guidance and Mentors for All Students

• A Structured Tutoring System

• Continuous School Improvement

In a national study of school improvement models, HSTW was recognized as one of three that demonstrated strong evidence of “positive effects” on student achievement, Lewis said.