Tuesday, September 21, 2010

High School Can Actually Matter

Widely believed to be the four most widely wasted years in human history, American high school can apparently make a difference.

ACT reports that recent research shows:

The best way to prepare underrepresented racial/ethnic minority and lower-income students for postsecondary success is through a rigorous high school core curriculum that focuses on the essential knowledge and skills for college and career readiness.


So it really is time to end "the soft bigotry of low expectations."

2 comments:

CDW said...

Somewhat related: I had an interesting conversation with an international grad student today who was complaining about her freshmen students' lack of seriousness and preparation. She was extremely surprised when I explained that American high school is not very rigorous or competitive, and so most students come to college without any idea of what the work will require.

Anonymous said...

Correction: College years are the 4 most wasted years. More freedom, away from dad, beer, premarital sex and enough ADHD to lack retention for every class.