“The scope of the dropout
crisis—and the serious economic consequences for those who stop their
education in high school or at graduation—calls attention to the need
for fundamental reform in the institution of high school. We must
strengthen the power of high schools to hold onto their students and
reach out to dropouts and put them onto pathways to the skills and
credentials they need.”
Adria Steinberg leads JFF’s work on expanding and improving educational options and outcomes for the large group of young people who are struggling to stay on or get back on the road to a productive adulthood. Ms. Steinberg has almost four decades of
experience in the field of education—as a teacher, administrator,
researcher and writer. Combining knowledge of practice, policy, and research, her articles and books have made her a key contributor to the national conversation about high school reform.
Ms. Steinberg leads JFF’s work with the City of Boston's High School Renewal initiative and with a collaboration of three foundations to
address the nation’s dropout crisis.
In Boston, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $13.6
million to the city for the creation and development of small,
effective high schools. At the end of four years, as a result of that investment and Boston’s existing innovative small
schools, over 30 percent of high school students will attend
small, purpose-designed high schools. JFF serves as fiscal agent for
the grant and provides design and technical assistance to the new small
schools to ensure that graduates make smooth transitions to further
education and training.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New
York, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation have invested a total of
$2 million to combat the silent crisis of too many students dropping
out of high school. They have made grants to enable Boston, New York
City, Philadelphia, Portland (OR), and San Jose to strengthen their
strategies for reducing the numbers of young people who drop out and
reconnecting those who have left school. JFF staffs this initiative and
provides strategic consultation to the city partnerships.
Ms. Steinberg has authored many publications, including a five-year
stint as primary writer/editor of The Harvard Education Letter. She was
also the academic coordinator of the Rindge School of Technical Arts in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she co-directed the federally funded
Vocational Integration with Academics project.
She graduated with honors from Swarthmore College and received her M.Ed. from Boston University.
Click here to go back
Raising Graduation Rates in an Era of High Standards: Five Commitments for State Action
Send an email to: Adria Steinberg
