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One school that has embraced this challenge of "getting more bang for the buck" is Harbor Beach, which has looked "outside of the box" for solutions on how to improve literacy and mathematic proficiency without substantially increasing their budget.

According to high school principal Denise Kish, the school has worked hard to identify the needs of all students so they can be successful academically. In doing so, they recognized that certain changes needed to be made in the area of scheduling.

Two years ago, the administration began to address that concern, when they extended class time in math and in Language Arts to one-and-a-half periods instead of one. And since then, the school has worked hard to add interventions and supports to help the students keep on track in those key areas.

In the upcoming 2008-2009 school year, reading and math skills classes have been added for students struggling in either area.

"Those who placed below grade level will have a extra class in that area to help build in basic skills so they can handle the rigor of the curriculum," Superintendent Ron Kraft explained.

Kish added, "We realized a certain segment of kids were struggling with the math requirements... so changes were made so they could find success."

Part of that plan revolves around assessing the needs of students in the eighth grade, so interventions can be made if necessary to give them the best chance at succeeding in high school. Kish explained she met with students who will be ninth graders this upcoming school year and their parents, which involved testing the student for fluency (speed) and comprehension in reading.

These incoming ninth graders also have the chance to earn high school math credit if they pass their final exam in Algebra I (which all eighth graders take) with a 70 percent or higher. By moving Algebra I up a year, the school has given the students the chance to advance to Calculus as a senior or free them up for an additional elective as a junior.

According to Kraft, students who do not pass with 70 percent on their final Algebra I class can double up on math courses in a given year if they want to get to more advanced courses as upperclassmen.

While scheduling is one key aspect in improving literacy and numeracy at Harbor Beach, it is only one part of the solution.

Another key component is reinforcing old concepts in different classes. Much like in athletics, students at Harbor Beach will be doing warm-up and cool down "exercises" in their classes each day. For example, students in a Trigonometry class might start the period with a warm-up that reviews an Algebra II or Geometry concept.

While this idea seems a perfect fit for math, it will be utilized across the board in other classes ranging from Social Studies to Science to Language Arts.

The Harbor Beach staff has also committed to using shared vocabulary in their classrooms that will help reinforce concept from other classes, as well as monthly grade level meetings and at least one face-to-face meeting with parents each semester. Kraft explained this is all part of a tough balancing act, where the administration is trying to meet the needs of students across many different skill levels. "We're trying to meet the needs of students who struggle, but want to have college prep classes for those who excel and (also offer) everything in between (whenever possible)."

Kraft also applauded his staff's willingness to improve their skills and make necessary changes to be the best teachers possible for their students. He pointed out in the past, high school teachers were trained in content, but not in reading comprehension and writing, which has always been the responsibility of the elementary staff. His staff is working to fill those gaps in their own training so they can add those concepts into their teaching.

"Our students won't achieve at a higher level until we all get the skills we need," he said.

Kraft thinks that applies to the entire team in Harbor Beach, including him. "If I don't get better, this place can't get better," he said.

This year, quizzes will be changed so they are specific to objectives and will let the staff better assess if a student understands the concept before they move on. "We used to test for grades, not for understanding," Kraft said.

As part of the commitment to improving education at Harbor Beach, Kraft plans to be in every classroom at least twice a week.

While many of these concepts are commonly used in much larger schools across the state, Kraft feels their success warrants their inclusion at Harbor Beach. "You can do it (make it workin any size school, if it is your priority."