ABSTRACT
Personalizing the high school experience is a theme that dominates much of the literature related to creating high schools where kids want to be. A link between a personalized environment and high academic achievement is also beginning to be established. A report by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Breaking Ranks II, contains a number of recommendations under the umbrella of personalizing the school environment and opens a major section of the report by affirming the link between a personalized environment and student achievement:
If high achievement for all students is the goal of reform, then personalization and a rigorous curriculum are two essential ingredients. Although some students might be able to make it through four years of high school despite the lack of any personal connections, all students require a supportive environment—some more than others. Creating that environment is essential to bringing learning to fruition.”
(Breaking Ranks II, 2004, p. 67)