Pressing Forward: Increasing and Expanding Rigor and Relevance in America's High Schools is organized
to place secondary education, specifically the goals of preparing young adults to be college and career
ready, in contemporary perspective, emphasizing the changing global economy and trends in policy and
practice. High school students must be equipped with tools they need during and beyond high school for
mapping their futures in a global and flat world that demands workers prepared to take up 21st century
careers. Following Thomas Freidman and other writers on the topic, this book takes as its core premise that
the world has been irrevocably altered by technology and that technology takes a prominent role in shaping
post-secondary education and career opportunities. The challenges facing education and educators in a flattened world can best be addressed by
creating opportunities for students who are ready for a world in which they are expected to pursue learning throughout their lifetimes, understand and
use technology, engage in active civic lives, function well in diverse workplace settings, and be willing to take risks. Most of all, however, these
individuals must be very well prepared during high school by taking advanced level mathematics, science and other challenging coursework, while at
the same time actively engaging in collaborative, creative endeavors that prepare them to continuously reinvent themselves to stay ahead of automation
and outsourcing.
The book will be a unique and useful contribution to the education reform and policy literature as it examines secondary education at an historical
moment-the convergence of significant education spending and focus on high school reform. Developed from diverse authors' research programs on
secondary education, the chapters in this volume highlight both changing and steadfast features of high schools, questioning if attempts to foster
change-whether tinkering around the edges or inventing a new way-adequately address
shortcomings in equity and excellence found in American high schools.