Tales from Northwestern High

Students Graduate from Struggling Baltimore School

June 4, 2007 • After a challenging year for a low-performing Baltimore high school that is trying to improve student achievement, 200 seniors graduated during the weekend. Many of the Northwestern High School graduates are going on to college.

Testing Pressures Come to Baltimore High School

May 20, 2007 • The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in 2002, mandated standardized testing in the nation's public schools to establish a measure of accountability among states and school districts for the academic performance of their students. The pressures of such testing are most acutely felt among the schools which perennially have low scores, like Northwestern High School in Baltimore.

Troubled Schools Turn Around by Shrinking

April 11, 2007 • Northwestern is one of the few large, comprehensive high schools left in Baltimore. Administrators hoping to boost flagging test scores are getting inspiration from schools that found success by becoming smaller and more career-oriented.

Student Achieves Inside, Outside the Classroom

March 21, 2007 • Davon Fleming is a tenth-grader at Northwestern High, a struggling school in Baltimore. Despite the difficult environment he manages to do well, but his real passion is singing. He gets his strength from his music, his family and his church.

Overview: Coming to Terms with the No Child Law

March 13, 2007 • Northwestern High School in Baltimore was strong in the 1960s, but today it is labeled a failing school. Over the course of a school year, we follow teachers, staff and students working to transform the school and meet federal standards under difficult circumstances.

A New Semester at Northwestern High

January 29, 2007 • At a high school in Baltimore, two teachers take very different approaches to the start of a new semester. It's a chance to make a fresh start for some teachers, but also a confusing time, as new schedules upend their routines.

A Principal's View of 'No Child Left Behind'

January 9, 2007 • What sort of impact has the No Child Left Behind Act had on one high school in Baltimore? Tajah Gross, principal of Northwestern High, talks with Steve Inskeep.