February 10, 2004

High school diplomas losing meaning

From CNN comes this report on the American Diploma Project and their two year study: bq. Once considered a springboard to success, the high school diploma now has little meaning in determining whether students are ready for college or work, a coalition of education groups contends. bq. Only comprehensive change, including more rigorous English and math requirements for all students, would restore the significance of a high school graduation, according to a nearly two-year review by the American Diploma Project. And the people behind this report are not slouches: bq. The organization is an alliance of three groups whose leaders include top education officials in the administrations of former presidents Clinton and Reagan. Its report is based on comments from more than 300 educators and employers and an analysis of employment trends. They go on to say: bq. Lack of change, they say, will keep huge numbers of students heading for remedial college work or jobs for which they're unprepared. bq. "We haven't believed that the purpose of high school was to ensure every kid who graduated was ready to do college-level work. That is the big sea change that we're signaling here," said Michael Cohen, the former Clinton adviser and current president of Achieve, a nonprofit dedicated to helping states raise academic standards. bq. "Whether, as a parent, you think your kid is going to college or the workplace, those kids face the same rigorous demands, and they need to leave with the same core set of skills," he said. Jen and I both had rigorous schooling and people in our age group are the same. Children these days are not given this level of education and it shows in their everyday life. My first wife is a school teacher and her job is more custodial than pedagogical - keep the students in line and hope that they may learn something. This is one area where the country is falling apart and there are so many pointing fingers to causes. Posted by DaveH at February 10, 2004 2:06 PM