Academy for Educational Development

Sustaining ISA High School Reform among Partner Schools

AED will develop a plan for sustaining reform among high schools participating in the Institute for Student Achievement's (ISA) high school reform initiative.

AED's work will address the following questions:

1. What are the capacity and needs of ISA schools in their fifth year and beyond and what kinds of services and supports would best address them?
2. What is the state-of-the-art thinking and research on sustainability of high school reform models?
3. How do other intermediaries support sustainability of reform efforts and what are their lessons learned?
4. What organizational structure and business model will best support sustainability in ISA partner schools?

To address these questions and develop a sustainability plan, AED will undertake the following activities: a literature review; interviews with sustainability thought leaders, key district informants, and parents; site visits to ISA schools in Atlanta, New York City and Peekskill, NY; analysis of extant parent survey data; and financial analysis of models for sustainability of high school reform efforts.