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July 26, 2005
Ideas for re-inventing high school
In a number of my previous postings, I have argued for a re-invention of our educational system - especially the high schools. There are a lot of ideas about how to accomplish that task. A few are listed in recent article in the Christian Science Monitor "High school could be ... better. But how?":
Challenging curricula. In an attempt to undo tracking, many districts and states are implementing college-preparatory curricula for all their students. The Los Angeles Unified School District recently decided to make college-prep standard, and similar moves are afoot in Oklahoma, Indiana, Mississippi, and Delaware. But critics wonder if imposing a one-size-fits-all approach is the best solution.
Small schools. The idea of splintering large high schools into smaller learning communities has been evolving since the 1970s. However, it remained a fringe effort until it was championed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; its grants have been awarded to more than 1,500 schools in 42 states.
Early college. Some schools, like Bard High School Early College in New York, enable students to graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate of arts degree. In 2002, 57 percent of colleges and universities enrolled high school students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. College-level courses, like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, are also becoming more popular; 1.1 million students took AP exams last year.
Eliminating grade levels. Rather than having students earn credits to advance to the next grade level, under this system there would be no 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grades. Mastery of a subject would determine whether a student moved on to the next level. And students would retake only classes they failed, rather than repeat a grade. Boston Public Schools have explored this system.
The last of these really intrigues me. It is essentially a variation of the college system that focuses more on courses than grades. Grades may have been a good system for the mass-production industrial age. But a course-focus strikes me as much more appropriate for the information-age I-Cubed Economy.
Posted by Ken Jarboe at July 26, 2005 12:05 PM
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