Doing high school differently

With the aim of “doing high school differently,” Engage New England (ENE) was launched as a 5-year, $30 million initiative in September 2016 to support educators in building innovative, student-centered school models that address both the academic and developmental needs of high school students who have fallen off-track on their path to high school graduation and post-secondary success.

The launch of this initiative was an intentional decision to signal our interest in high school design for students who have not been served well by their existing school circumstances. The high school years are a critical stage that can alter the trajectory of a young person’s life. An excellent high school experience that supports students to flourish during their adolescent years prepares them to pursue their dreams and goals beyond graduation, which has ripple effects outward into their communities.

Initially, three cohorts of grantees were led by our technical assistance partner Springpoint, a national organization that supports innovative school model design and implementation, to engage in the planning and implementation phases of new school models that connect all students to success. In 2022, following the end of the initial five-year ENE timeline, five grantees were invited to deepen their work and receive continued coaching from Springpoint.

Barr has partnered with SRI Education to conduct an evaluation of this initiative. SRI will assess the impact of the ENE schools in supporting students to graduate from high school with the competencies they need to succeed in their life after high school.