Since 2003, Hicksville High School and Middle School has been a member of  a consortium of schools across the country dedicated to implementing school improvement strategies that results increased student achievement.  This national consortium is called High Schools That Work (HSTW); membership is voluntary, and is sought only by schools willing to study themselves critically and make systemic and significant changes in school programming. Ohio is one of 26 states that has adopted the HSTW model since it was founded by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) in 1987.  Hicksville High School has been awarded annual monetary grants from the Ohio Department of Education to help provide the resources needed to implement this model. 

HSTW revolves around 10 Key Practices – practices that are data driven, research based and proven to result in higher academic achievement for all students.  The practices that our school has chosen to address specifically are:  High Expectations, Extra Help, Guidance and Advisement and Literacy. In addition, we will be Keeping Score by monitoring data from many sources to track our progress.

HSTW recommends that schools eliminate the general education track, which does not prepare students for either college or the workplace.  HSTW practices align with the Ohio Department of Education goals to: set high expectations, provide leadership and support and build a credible accountability system that holds educators and students responsible for high academic achievement.