High school is tough for students, teachers, parents and administrators alike. Deciding whether or not to pursue tertiary education, navigating the complex milieu of peers and pop culture, coming to terms with personal identity and myriad other stresses pockmark this often emotionally tumultuous period. Teachers, parents and other high school administrators and staffers must take on a nurturing leadership role if they hope to best guide teens (troubled or otherwise) towards healthy decisions, habits and futures. The Internet certainly hosts its fair share of resources regarding the subject, and the following blogs feature a wide range of perspectives and insights as a reasonable enough start. Whether looking for technology integration advice or insights straight from high schoolers themselves, check them out and use them as resources towards facilitating a more educated, equitable future.
Administrators and Schools
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Burlington High School Principal’s Blog
Massachusetts-based principal Patrick Larkin covers more than just Burlington High School goings-on: he also opines on various relevant education topics as well.
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Newton High School Blog
See what life is like for the students, faculty, staff and parents at a Connecticut public high school through its official blog.
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Principal’s Policy Blog
Administrators, teachers and savvy parents should stay abreast of the political trends and policies shaping today’s education industry, because apathy does nothing but screw over students.
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Bishop Canevin High School
When looking for a little advice about running parochial or private schools, consult the postings at this Pittsburgh-based Catholic institution.
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The Principal Difference
High school principal Mel Riddile shares the latest research and legislation shaping the way administrators approach and lead their faculty, staff and students.
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Refreshing Wednesday
Although The Montclair Kimberley Academy hosts pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, it does divide itself along age lines. Its Assistant Head at the Upper School devotes his blog to insights and observations about parenting and educating alike.
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A Principal’s Reflections
Both Eric Sheninger’s website and blog discusses all things principalia, including policy, strategies, technology implementation and plenty more.
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The Fischbowl
This former high school teacher now serves as the Director of Technology at a Colorado high school. As one can probably assume, his blog bursts at its digital seams with creative ways to apply the latest gadgets and websites in the classroom.
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The Unquiet Library
Check out how high school librarians gave their beloved workspace a digital upgrade and engaged students in their spectacular media center.
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The True Adventures of a High School Librarian
Read all about the ups, downs, and all arounds of life in a high school library, complete with reading recommendations and multimedia tips and tricks.
College Prep
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The Choice
The New York Times offers up an informed resource meant to make the frequently dizzying college application and admissions process easier to understand. Six seniors from Cherry Creek High School got involved in the blog as well, sharing a first person look at their differing experiences.
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The College Solution
Lynn O’Shaughnessy pulls from her higher ed journalism experience to push practical tips for college-bound kids as well as their students, parents, counselors and teachers.
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High School Counselor Week
High School Counselor Week collects resources from a variety of different blogs and websites and reposts them here for quick access. It mostly focuses on content regarding finding, applying and appealing to the right college.
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Planning and Preparing for College (Scholarships, Internships, Etc)
This blog is, for lack of a better description, kind of on the overstimulating side. But that’s because it comes packed with a bevy of resources for high schoolers trying to get into the tertiary education institution meeting their needs. And maybe a few wants.
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Grockit College Prep Blog
Most of Grockit’s College Prep Blog’s postings deal with maneuvering those ever-so-awful, ever-so-useless standardized tests as adroitly as possible.
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About.com: College Admissions
Anyone seeking straightforward talk about finding and getting into the right college should check out About.com’s blog and portal to anything and everything admissions-related, courtesy of Allen Grove.
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Admitted
Kept by The National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Admitted blog is an essential resource for understanding the complex process and the politics and trends impacting it.
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Alleyoop’s Skipping Breakfast Blog
Everything a high school student needs to succeed in college, vocation school and their future careers can be found at this spectacular blog, which provides a freshman guide, advice, standardized testing tips, videos, job descriptions and plenty more!
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The Ivy Coach Blog
Whether shooting for elite schools or the local community college (which can still provide an excellent education!), the detailed admissions strategies offered at The Ivy Coach Blog might help get students where they want to go.
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Get Into College Blog
Professional college counselor Steve Schwartz targets high schoolers and others wanting to land in a higher education program, posting free tips, tricks and strategies for admissions success.
Homeschooling
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High School Consultant’s Blog
Homeschooling parents hoping to best meet their kids’ educational needs and perhaps prepare them for college life should seek out Diane Kummer and Becky Cooke’s advice and resource recommendations.
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The HomeScholar
Both the blog and surrounding website offer up a vast community and resource library for teaching smart, savvy highschoolers outside the more traditional, institutionalized classrooms.
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Homeschool Blog
Although The Link‘s official blog focuses on homeschooling in general, it still hosts myriad resources regarding high school and college prep for such students.
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Living Montessori Now
Deb Chitwood homeschooled both of her children using the Montessori method, both of whom ended up attending and completing college. Explore some of her strategies for students of all ages here.
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Janice Campbell
When it comes to homeschooling before and during the teen years, this author and educator’s blog, books and workshops dishes out some useful little tidbits.
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Homeschooling Teen Magazine
The online magazine’s target resource is outlined right there in its title, and homeschooling parents looking for engaging supplementary materials might want to check here first.
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Parenting: Home Schooling
Despite being a general homeschool blog, this Families.com resource covers high school and relevant college prep tips for parents serving as their children’s teachers.
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Harmony Art Mom
Anyone wanting to raise musical and artistic kids, or at least imbue them with an appreciation for the frequently marginalized academic subjects — can find excellent lesson plans and strategies here. Barb makes sure to cover from preschool to high school for a diverse, lifelong creative education.
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Secular Homeschool.com
For homeschooling households free of religious content, this website and its blogs, groups, forums and more cover every grade level parents need. Including high school, of course.
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Homeschool Highschool
Learn about effective high school homeschooling strategies straight from a student herself, now attending college and doing fine. She may not update much as of late, but she sure does have some informative things to share!
Students
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Teen Diaries Blog
By adults and teens, for teens, this blog and website focuses on engaging multiethnic girls in discussions about the academic and personal issues effecting them today.
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Book Nerd Blog.com
A fifteen-year-old tenth grader (for now, of course!) with a great love for all things literary shares it with her fellow bibliophiles through reviews, recommendations and other musings.
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The Soundtrack Of My Life
Follow one student’s journey through the music that inspires and speaks to him, The Soundtrack Of My Life is an insightful look not only at interesting acts to explore, but one facet of teen life as well.
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High School Humor Blog
A pair of anonymous high school students wring humor out of the ups, downs and absurdities of their lessons and lives, offering up both advice and solidarity with their fellow teens.
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My Teen Blog
This group blog brings together high school students and encourages them to help each other over difficult personal and academic hurdles.
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Dream Big, Get Small
Eating disorders remain a serious mental health issue amongst teens worldwide, and the seriously disturbing Pro-Ana and Pro-Mia subcultures actively encourage the dangerous behaviors. Dream Big, Get Small is not an easy read, but its visceral glimpse at how these high schoolers suffer proves an essential resource for parents and teachers guiding afflicted individuals. They need help, not chastising.
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Pinoy Teens!.net
Teenagers in the Philippines set up their own wildly popular blog to talk about the latest news, views, trends and topics of interest to their age group. With stories about tech, gaming, celebrities, sports, jobs, school and more, as well as forums to discuss them, there’s plenty of engaging content to appreciate here.
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Queer Attitude
This safe, positive site offers up blog space, photo and art galleries and forums for LGBTQIA teens maneuvering their sexual and gender identity and preferences. Parents and teachers hoping to better understand the needs, wants and daily struggles of these students will find this resource immensely interesting and insightful.
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Extreme Biology Blog
Although overseen by a teacher, most of the content generated at the Extreme Biology Blog comes courtesy of enthusiastic students. Ms. Baker’s pupils inspiringly illustrate the enjoyable, engaging and thoroughly educational role blogging plays in the contemporary classroom.
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The Seventeen Magazine Project
Author Jamie Keiles is currently studying at University of Chicago and completed her Seventeen Magazine Project in August 2010, so the blog contains no new updates. Despite this, however, anyone trying to make sense of mixed media messages periodicals such as these send and how they impact contemporary teen culture must absolutely read her findings.
Teachers
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Teaching High School Psychology
No matter the class level, any teacher introducing students to the human mind’s vast complexities will benefit from this site’s astounding content array.
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The Life That Chose Me
Here, a high school teacher educating "severe and profound" special needs students talks candidly about his experiences, which include raising two sons with autism spectrum disorders.
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Teaching Students with Learning Difficulties
Educators whose students struggle with learning disabilities will greatly appreciate this useful advisory resource, which focuses on assisting ages 16 and older.
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Microsoft Education Blogger: Teaching Computer Science
Although he currently serves as Microsoft’s K-12 Computer Science Academic Relations Manager, Alfred Thompson once worked as a high school tech teacher. Here, he uses his experiences to offer up fantastic guidelines for effective computer science lessons.
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huffenglish.com
High school English, journalism and their intersections with technology come to vivid life on this wildly popular, undeniably essential blog.
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The-Daily-Lesson
Whether looking for advice on teaching social studies or musings on the education professions, The-Daily-Lesson has visitors covered.
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Curmudgeon
Along with some spectacular lessons and problems, this high school math teacher also rants about restrictive teaching policies and other education sector migraines.
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Teachermandc’s Blog
From an urban high school in Washington DC comes a candid glimpse at issues impacting such students and teachers alike and what needs doing to ensure more equitable educational opportunities.
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High School Teacher Blogs at Teacher Lingo
No matter the background or subject, chances are at least one of the bloggers over at Teacher Lingo hails from it and discusses the perspective.
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Teaching Espanol
A former high school Spanish teacher enjoys sharing resources of interest to contemporaries, although middle school and elementary educators can still benefit from them, albeit to a lesser extent.
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