PROJECT OVERVIEW
Charter High Schools & Real-World Practices is an applied research
project that was conducted by the Center on Education and Work (CEW)
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison between 2001 and 2003. Its focus
was charter high schools with programs that place learning in a real-world
context. Such schools connect students to the world beyond the classroom
using a variety of strategies and instructional practices. Some examples
of practices include:
- Placement in real-world settings.
- Instruction that brings the outside world into classrooms.
- Learning opportunities beyond the use of conventional classrooms
or textbooks.
- Demonstration of mastery under conditions similar to those in the
community and professional world.
This Web site shares the results of CEW's research and provides resources
for schools interested in adopting similar real-world
practices.
Prior to CEW's initiative, there was little information about practices
that place learning in a real-world context or about employer-linked
schools identified in previous
research. Technical assistance for those seeking to adopt real-world
practices was also limited. CEW has filled these gaps through applied
research and products to assist those interested in adopting promising
educational strategies.
As a result of the CEW initiative, the following resources are now
available to charter schools, their partners, and others interested
in educational innovation:
Charter High Schools & Real-World Practices
Web site: A Web site featuring abstracts of real-world practices,
charter high school profiles, student accounts of their charter school
experiences, research reports, and links to additional resources.
| Handbook of Charter High Schools: Learning in a
Real-World Context : A handbook about US charter high
schools with real-world practices, complete with contact information
and concise profiles of school programs. |
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| Digest of Real-World Practices: Applications in Charter
High Schools: A resource describing components of existing
real-world practices with tips on implementation and contacts
for further information. |
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| Case Studies: In-depth accounts of ten distinct charter
high schools. These accounts will be helpful to those planning
a charter high school or improving real-world practices. |
| |
| Student Voices from Charter High Schools:
An audio CD characterizing student experiences and perceptions
of real-world programs in charter high schools. The CD is accompanied
by a booklet with highlights of a graduate survey. |
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| Reports: A report of major project findings,
results of a programmatic survey of charter high school leaders,
and findings from two student surveys—a survey of charter
high school seniors and a graduate survey. |
These materials are now available on the Resources
page of this Web site.
The two-year Charter High Schools & Real-World Practices project
involved two related phases. During the first phase, researchers studied
existing charter high schools in order to describe practices that foster
student connections to the real world and to address applied research
questions. Questions focused on students' perceptions of practices,
the value of practices, and the relationships between practices and
the post-school status of students. The inquiry phase provided the foundation
for phase two—products to support the implementation of innovative
strategies within other schools.
1) Phase One-Schools and Practices: Charter schools
with programs that provide a real-world context for learning were studied
through five separate strategies:
- On-site visits to 11 charter high schools. Descriptions of existing
practices were gathered from staff and student interviews, surveys of
seniors and recent graduates, and school documents. Information related
to applied research questions was collected.
- Ten additional charter high schools. Descriptions of existing practices
were gathered from surveys and telephone interviews of staff, and from
school documents. Information related to applied research questions
was also be collected.
- Graduate survey. A survey was mailed to 430 charter high school graduates
6-9 months after graduation.
- Charter high school survey. A program survey was distributed to 430
charter high schools nationwide.
- National summary. A scan of census data provided a summary of charter
high schools across the nation with programs that provide a "real world"
context for learning.
2) Phase Two-Technical assistance: Products were
developed based on the examination of existing schools and practices.
Publications and a Web site provide information and technical assistance
to charter school staff, sponsoring agencies, and local and national
networks. (See Resources)
The following questions served as a framework for inquiry phase of
the project:
- To what degree are charter high schools incorporating approaches that
use the real world as a context for learning?
- What are the characteristics and components of real-world practices
that are being used in charter high schools?
- What are the core values and principles of the charter high schools
being studied? What role do real-world strategies play in each school's
mission? How are those principles and strategies reflected in curriculum
and instruction?
- How are charter schools with real-world practices organized and governed?
- What role(s) do relevant stakeholders other than educators (e.g.,
community members, local industry) play in the school?
- What are the characteristics of students and staff at charter high
schools with real-world practices?
- How do students perceive and value the outcomes of attending a charter
school and participating in real-world practices—both during school
and after graduation?
- What are the major issues confronting real-world charter schools?
How, if at all, have schools attempted to deal with these issues?
PREVIOUS RESEARCH
The Charter High Schools & Real-World Practices project built upon
previous work by Public Policy Associates, Incorporated, Charter Friends
National Network and the National Alliance of Business. Their June 2000
publication Employer-Linked Charter Schools: An Introduction
is a compilation of key findings from a series of publications and case
studies developed during a multi-year project funded by the U.S. Department
of Education.
Download this report now (128K PDF
file).
| Use the following link to obtain free software
to view PDF files: |
 |
