Failing The Wrong Grades

Last week there was an editorial piece in the NY Times by Diane Ravitch. She wrote about the latest reform movement in US education, signed off on by 13 governors. It is an act that calls for substantial reforms in the way high schools do business. I was a little less than excited about this news.

As usual, the central item was to attack high schools as failing, suggest we raise standards, and test students more. It sounds like a caffienated version of the wildy successful approach first put forward in NCLB.

Thankfully, Ms. Ravitch's article mentioned the ideas of a group called the National Association of Scholars. Their recent report, written by Sandra Stotsky, suggests that we create a two tiered situation in high schools in which students are given the option of a traditional college prep curriculum, or a tech prep curriculum that would feature technical courses as well as a comprehensive study of the core subjects.

A report released last month by the National Association of Scholars, an independent group of educators, outlined proposals that make more sense than those endorsed by the governors. Written by Sandra Stotsky, a former associate commissioner of education for Massachusetts, it proposes that students entering ninth grade be given a choice between a subject-centered curriculum or a technical, career-oriented course of study. The former would look like a traditional college-preparatory curriculum, with an emphasis on humanities, sciences or arts. The latter would include a number of technologically rigorous programs and apprenticeships. All students, regardless of their concentration, would be required to complete a core curriculum of four years of English and at least three years of mathematics, science and history. Students graduating from either program would be well educated and prepared for higher education.

What an idea! Give students the education that they want and need. It's funny how a lot of reform efforts seem to forget about students, but they almost always feature the political opinions of the "reformers."