Post by wvhsparent on Dec 15, 2006 17:14:14 GMT -6
I bet GV et. al. are foaming at the mouth if they read this report
Panel: Revamp U.S. high schools
Experts call for 10th-grade test
By Lori Olszewski and Diane Rado
Tribune staff reporters
Published December 15, 2006
Most high school students could leave after their sophomore year and go to community college or vocational training under a proposal endorsed by a prestigious panel on Thursday.
The report from the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce touches on all aspects of education, but some of its most unusual proposals would end America's four-year high school and replace it with a more European-style model.
The plan is one of the most expansive educational proposals to surface at a time when federal officials are encouraging experimentation in the nation's school districts to help boost high school graduation rates and help Americans better compete with foreign workers. Unlike many education reports, this one is supported by several respected education leaders, including former U.S. Secretaries of Education Richard W. Riley and Roderick Paige. Riley served a Democrat; Paige served a Republican.
Rather than requiring students to remain in high school for four years, the report proposes a rigorous 10th-grade test that would allow those who pass to leave school two years early, which proponents say could help reduce the dropout rate, among other positive effects. They could then go on to technical or vocational training or academic work in preparation for a four-year institution.
The juniors and seniors left in high school would either be teens in remedial classes working to pass the exam or youngsters who chose to stay and pursue challenging academic work so they could attend elite institutions.
Other countries do it
"It may seem radical to some Americans, but many countries do it," said commissioner and former Secretary of Labor William Brock of the goal of making sure most 16-year-olds are ready to leave high school for higher education. "Who would say our young people are less capable?"
Unlike in Europe, though, doors would not permanently close to students who fail the American 10th-grade exams. Teens would be encouraged to retake the exam to be developed by each state until they pass it.
Still, reservations about the controversial proposals surfaced on a variety of fronts.
"There are some seriously flawed ideas," said Antonia Cortese, executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers.
She said, "We don't need a distracting, massive restructuring to help high schoolers reach high standards."
The commission says that much of the plan could be funded by an estimated $67 billion in savings from high school and college programs that would no longer be necessary under the proposal. But those savings would not be fully realized for another 15 years, making it uncertain where the start-up money would come from for the program. The commission also hopes to raise money to launch demonstration projects in interested states.
A number of Chicago high school students on Thursday were open to the idea of going to college early, but they thought it might not be for everyone. They said their friends change interests and careers from day to day.
"A positive is that it would help you see where you are (academically) in time to do something about it," said Derell Bonner, 16, a junior at Prosser High School. "But I think 16 is too young to really know what you want to do."
Commissioners said, however, young people already are making choices at 16 that will limit the rest of their lives, such as dropping out.
"This country is cooked if we don't make a vast improvement in the outcomes for our kids," said Marc Tucker, a major architect of the proposals as vice chairman and staff director of the private, non-partisan commission.
Tucker, a national expert on education and the economy, was on a previous commission that issued a report that helped spur the national education standards movement and resulted in legislation.
Dropout rate too high
The nation's staggering dropout rates drain the economy and continue to erode the middle class, especially in urban areas like Chicago where about half the students don't finish school, the report said. Even students who get a high school diploma and go on to college often must take remedial courses because they don't have the skills to succeed academically.
The report comes after a surge in interest in high school reform during the last several years fueled by philanthropist Bill Gates and a National Governors Association summit in February 2005 that drew attention to the need for higher standards to better prepare students for college or work.
Since then, several states, including Illinois, have increased high school graduation requirements. But only 11 states--Illinois not among them--have in place the rigorous requirements experts believe will truly prepare students for the world beyond high school, said Matt Gandal, executive vice president of Achieve Inc., a sponsor of the governors' summit.
Florida made a splash this week with its efforts to keep students in high school, by requiring all incoming freshmen next year to choose "majors." But a number of people expressed worry that both the Florida proposal and a move for a 10th-grade test could result in a form of tracking. They feared that some students could be steered away from challenging universities.
"The only tracking here is tracking everyone toward college," said Tucker, who emphasized that the students who failed the 10th-grade test would be given additional chances to pass it after they received academic help. The key, many critics said, is whether the nation is really ready to devote the resources to get students up to speed, especially low-income youngsters.
Need to alter entire system
Indeed, the commission report cautions against fiddling with one part of the education system without also addressing broader issues. They include proposals to make preschool available to all, to raise teacher salaries funded partly by reducing retirement benefits and to send more state money to the most disadvantaged students.
One of the most controversial ideas would strip local school boards and administrations of their traditional powers and to contract with private corporations to manage public schools.
The nation's teacher unions both issued statements opposing the move to raise teacher salaries while reducing retirement benefits.
Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, praised the report for a blunt approach that could shake up the education establishment. He compared it to the groundbreaking "Nation at Risk" report of 1983, which paved the way for many educational reforms.
"There is something to offend everybody, and that approximates my own definition of consensus--a uniform level of pain felt by everybody," Finn said.
- - -
Education report
What: The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, a private, nonprofit group resurrected at the invitation of the National Center on Education and the Economy. The original group issued the 1990 report "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages" that helped spur the national education standards movement,
Who: Its 26 members are influential educators, academics and businessmen. The roster includes Thomas Payzant, former superintendent of the Boston public schools; Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City public schools; John Engler, the former governor of Michigan and president of the National Association of Manufacturers; and Morton Bahr, the former president of the Communications Workers of America.
- - -
How the testing would work
PASS
In 10th grade, students would take a rigorous test.
With a passing grade, the student and parents would choose between two options:
OPTION 1: Stay in high school for junior and senior years to prepare for elite 4-year university or to enter state university with college credit.
OPTION 2: Enroll at community college with possibility of moving on to 4-year university.
FAIL
If the student fails, he or she would stay in high school to take remedial courses and retake test until he/she passes it.
----------
lolszewski@tribune.com
drado@tribune.com
Panel: Revamp U.S. high schools
Experts call for 10th-grade test
By Lori Olszewski and Diane Rado
Tribune staff reporters
Published December 15, 2006
Most high school students could leave after their sophomore year and go to community college or vocational training under a proposal endorsed by a prestigious panel on Thursday.
The report from the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce touches on all aspects of education, but some of its most unusual proposals would end America's four-year high school and replace it with a more European-style model.
The plan is one of the most expansive educational proposals to surface at a time when federal officials are encouraging experimentation in the nation's school districts to help boost high school graduation rates and help Americans better compete with foreign workers. Unlike many education reports, this one is supported by several respected education leaders, including former U.S. Secretaries of Education Richard W. Riley and Roderick Paige. Riley served a Democrat; Paige served a Republican.
Rather than requiring students to remain in high school for four years, the report proposes a rigorous 10th-grade test that would allow those who pass to leave school two years early, which proponents say could help reduce the dropout rate, among other positive effects. They could then go on to technical or vocational training or academic work in preparation for a four-year institution.
The juniors and seniors left in high school would either be teens in remedial classes working to pass the exam or youngsters who chose to stay and pursue challenging academic work so they could attend elite institutions.
Other countries do it
"It may seem radical to some Americans, but many countries do it," said commissioner and former Secretary of Labor William Brock of the goal of making sure most 16-year-olds are ready to leave high school for higher education. "Who would say our young people are less capable?"
Unlike in Europe, though, doors would not permanently close to students who fail the American 10th-grade exams. Teens would be encouraged to retake the exam to be developed by each state until they pass it.
Still, reservations about the controversial proposals surfaced on a variety of fronts.
"There are some seriously flawed ideas," said Antonia Cortese, executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers.
She said, "We don't need a distracting, massive restructuring to help high schoolers reach high standards."
The commission says that much of the plan could be funded by an estimated $67 billion in savings from high school and college programs that would no longer be necessary under the proposal. But those savings would not be fully realized for another 15 years, making it uncertain where the start-up money would come from for the program. The commission also hopes to raise money to launch demonstration projects in interested states.
A number of Chicago high school students on Thursday were open to the idea of going to college early, but they thought it might not be for everyone. They said their friends change interests and careers from day to day.
"A positive is that it would help you see where you are (academically) in time to do something about it," said Derell Bonner, 16, a junior at Prosser High School. "But I think 16 is too young to really know what you want to do."
Commissioners said, however, young people already are making choices at 16 that will limit the rest of their lives, such as dropping out.
"This country is cooked if we don't make a vast improvement in the outcomes for our kids," said Marc Tucker, a major architect of the proposals as vice chairman and staff director of the private, non-partisan commission.
Tucker, a national expert on education and the economy, was on a previous commission that issued a report that helped spur the national education standards movement and resulted in legislation.
Dropout rate too high
The nation's staggering dropout rates drain the economy and continue to erode the middle class, especially in urban areas like Chicago where about half the students don't finish school, the report said. Even students who get a high school diploma and go on to college often must take remedial courses because they don't have the skills to succeed academically.
The report comes after a surge in interest in high school reform during the last several years fueled by philanthropist Bill Gates and a National Governors Association summit in February 2005 that drew attention to the need for higher standards to better prepare students for college or work.
Since then, several states, including Illinois, have increased high school graduation requirements. But only 11 states--Illinois not among them--have in place the rigorous requirements experts believe will truly prepare students for the world beyond high school, said Matt Gandal, executive vice president of Achieve Inc., a sponsor of the governors' summit.
Florida made a splash this week with its efforts to keep students in high school, by requiring all incoming freshmen next year to choose "majors." But a number of people expressed worry that both the Florida proposal and a move for a 10th-grade test could result in a form of tracking. They feared that some students could be steered away from challenging universities.
"The only tracking here is tracking everyone toward college," said Tucker, who emphasized that the students who failed the 10th-grade test would be given additional chances to pass it after they received academic help. The key, many critics said, is whether the nation is really ready to devote the resources to get students up to speed, especially low-income youngsters.
Need to alter entire system
Indeed, the commission report cautions against fiddling with one part of the education system without also addressing broader issues. They include proposals to make preschool available to all, to raise teacher salaries funded partly by reducing retirement benefits and to send more state money to the most disadvantaged students.
One of the most controversial ideas would strip local school boards and administrations of their traditional powers and to contract with private corporations to manage public schools.
The nation's teacher unions both issued statements opposing the move to raise teacher salaries while reducing retirement benefits.
Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, praised the report for a blunt approach that could shake up the education establishment. He compared it to the groundbreaking "Nation at Risk" report of 1983, which paved the way for many educational reforms.
"There is something to offend everybody, and that approximates my own definition of consensus--a uniform level of pain felt by everybody," Finn said.
- - -
Education report
What: The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, a private, nonprofit group resurrected at the invitation of the National Center on Education and the Economy. The original group issued the 1990 report "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages" that helped spur the national education standards movement,
Who: Its 26 members are influential educators, academics and businessmen. The roster includes Thomas Payzant, former superintendent of the Boston public schools; Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City public schools; John Engler, the former governor of Michigan and president of the National Association of Manufacturers; and Morton Bahr, the former president of the Communications Workers of America.
- - -
How the testing would work
PASS
In 10th grade, students would take a rigorous test.
With a passing grade, the student and parents would choose between two options:
OPTION 1: Stay in high school for junior and senior years to prepare for elite 4-year university or to enter state university with college credit.
OPTION 2: Enroll at community college with possibility of moving on to 4-year university.
FAIL
If the student fails, he or she would stay in high school to take remedial courses and retake test until he/she passes it.
----------
lolszewski@tribune.com
drado@tribune.com