Case Study: POLYTECH High School, Woodside, Delaware

By Gene Bottoms and Alice Presson

POLYTECH High School in Woodside, Delaware, once was one of the weakest schools in the High Schools That Work network and now is among the strongest. The school became a full-time career/technical high school in 1991 and has made substantive changes in school and classroom practices that have increased student achievement. This case study describes the school's innovative changes, which included the following: applied learning; integration of academic and career/technical studies; smaller learning communities with common time for teacher planning; flexible schedules with longer class times; state-of-the-art technology; a strong student-advisement program; community partnerships; higher graduation requirements; work-based learning experiences; and alternative assessments.

Keywords: summer school, block scheduling, small learning communities, guidance and advisement

(03V01) Price: $1 each; 12 pages

Goal that it reflects: 5. All recent high school graduates have solid academic preparation and are ready for postsecondary education and a career.

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