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Tales from Northwestern High As the federal No Child Left Behind law comes up for renewal, NPR visits Northwestern High School in Baltimore, which has been failing testing requirements for years. Over the 2006-2007 school year, we examine its struggle to meet the standards set down by the law.
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Tales from Northwestern High

Over a school year, NPR visits a school struggling to meet state and federal testing standards.

Students Graduate from Struggling Baltimore School

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.

Students Graduate from Struggling Baltimore School

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Testing Pressures Come to Baltimore High School

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.

Testing Pressures Come to Baltimore High School

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Troubled Schools Turn Around by Shrinking

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.

Troubled Schools Turn Around by Shrinking

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Teachers at Troubled School Face Job Loss

Administrators have decided to transform struggling Northwestern High School in Baltimore into a technology center. Teachers recently learned they will have to reapply for their jobs. Many have devoted their lives to the school.

Teachers at Troubled School Face Job Loss

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Student Achieves Inside, Outside the Classroom

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.

Student Achieves Inside, Outside the Classroom

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Baltimore Students Join JROTC to Improve Lives

Some students trying to improve their lives at Northwestern High School in Baltimore are turning to the military. They're joining the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, to learn discipline and hard work at a school that struggles with high absenteeism and low test scores.

Baltimore Students Join JROTC to Improve Lives

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Opinion

When a Story Tells Truths, Sources May Suffer

Sometimes reporters have to weigh whether their sources will suffer if the truth comes to light. That's true for investigative reporters covering high-level whistleblowers. It's also true for those who cover education.

When a Story Tells Truths, Sources May Suffer

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A New Semester at Northwestern High

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 New Semester at Northwestern High

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A Baltimore School Seeks to Avoid Failure

Thousands of schools around the country are labeled as "needing improvement" under the terms of the No Child Left Behind Act. One Baltimore school is struggling against poverty, absenteeism, and years of academic decay to try and turn itself around.

A Baltimore School Seeks to Avoid Failure

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