Four schools on new course; New schools eschew traditional high school model for a more radical approach

Remember the good old days of high school? Cliffs Notes, study hall, doodling while the geometry teacher droned on about congruent triangles. How about wading through a sea of hundreds, or even thousands, of students seven periods each day to get to class on time?

Well, forget it, reformers say. High schools, as we know them, don't work. They aren't teaching students the skills or knowledge that employers and colleges will require. Nor are high schools guiding teens to make wise choices about their futures. Too many students are failing courses, falling behind and, eventually, leaving high school without a diploma.

A recent study by Johns Hopkins University found that …