On June 30, 2005, The Partnership for Rigor through Relevancy sponsored the first annual conference, Designing High Schools for the Next Generation, at the Rockville Campus of Montgomery College. More than 375 participants attended. Conference highlights and information are available below.

Conference Highlights

Neil Howe…historian, economist, demographer, and co-author of Millennials Rising:  The Next Generation…is a renowned authority on generations in America.  His keynote address provided powerful insights into who today’s generation are, what motivates them as students, consumers, and workers and how they will shape our national future. 

You can download a pdf version of Mr. Howe's "Today’s Millennial Generation" presentation slides from here.

• Conference Program
• PowerPoint Presentation or PDF
• The High Achieving High School (MCPS HS Task Force Report)
• Press Coverage
• MCPS Press Release

Morning Plenary Session

• Opening Remarks
• Charting the Future for Montgomery County High Schools
• Sharing Success: Student Panel
• Sharing Success: Student Innovation
• 2005 Awards
• Keynote Address
• Summation

Afternoon Forums

• Strand A: Building Shared Leadership
  
  
  
  • Bold Goals: Improving Student Achievement (Powerpoint)
  • Wall-to-Wall Academies: "A How To" (PowerPoint or PDF)
  • Small Learning Communities: Building a Culture
  • Marketing Your School
    
    
• Strand B: Promoting Rigor, Relevancy, and Relationships
  
  
  • Rigor, Relevancy, and Relationships: A National Perspective (PowerPoint)
  • Middle-High School Vertical Teaming
  • Ninth Grade Teams and Beyond (PDF)
  • Literacy: Research, Practice, and Policy (PowerPoint)
  • The Senior Year: Creating State-of-the-Art Internships and Capstone Projects (PowerPoint) by Dr. James Saunders    (PowerPoint) by Jane Hemelt
  • Middle School Academies: A Collaborative Pilot
    
    
• Strand C: Fostering Transition through High Schools to College and                 Careers
  
  
  • Pathways to College: Winning Strategies
  • Helping Students with Disabilities Make the Transition to College (PDF)
  • Comprehensive and Effective Student Advisory Programs
  • Improving Student Achievement by Creating Family-School Partnerships (PowerPoint)
  • Recruiting and Retention Strategies
    
    For additional information, contact Laura R. Grace, conference coordinator, at 301-279-3169 or Laura_R_Grace@mcpsmd.org.
  
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