Reform of Connecticut’s high schools was first identified as a major policy objective in 2001 when Associate Commissioner Sternberg wrote a concept paper describing how high schools might reorganize their practices to engage a new generation of adolescents. The effect of this paper, coupled with additional research and concerns over No Child Left Behind, resulted in the Department sponsoring a statewide conference on high school reform in 2005. This conference launched the work of The Connecticut High School Advisory Committee which developed a "Framework for Connecticut’s High Schools: A Working Guide for High School Redesign." Shortly thereafter, the State Board of Education made high school reform Priority 3 of its 2006 five-year comprehensive plan, "A Superior Education for 21st Century Learners."