How College Prep is Killing High School

What is the purpose of high school? Over the past several years America seems to have arrived at a consensus: The overarching goal of high school is to prepare students for college. The current mantra is “college ready for all,” which means high school students need to be focusing on academic preparation and study skills. It’s a rare issue that crosses party lines — both Republicans and Democrats can win points by pushing for a tougher, more competitive high school education.

Driven by this notion, states and districts around the country have raised high school graduation requirements by increasing the number and rigor of required academic courses and by adding exit exams. Massachusetts doesn’t let students graduate unless they can pass the MCAS exam in English, math, and one science or technology subject. Americans, anxious about their competitiveness, look around the world and worry that, if anything, we’re not doing enough.

But as we push harder to create more demanding high schools that are more focused on college preparation, something is also going wrong.

Emerging research in the education world suggests that a tougher approach to high school academics might leave students no better prepared for college and work, while also increasing the number of high school dropouts. The National Research Council concluded that high school exit exams have decreased high school graduation rates in the United States by 2 percentage points without increasing achievement. In Chicago, a 2010 study found no positive effects on student achievement from a school reform measure that ended remedial classes and required college preparatory course work for all students. High school graduation rates declined, and there was no improvement in college enrollment and retention rates among students who did graduate.

The United States clearly needs more college graduates: We currently rank ninth in the world in four-year college graduation rates for domestic students, and President Obama has set a goal for the United States to be first in the world by 2020. (Read more.)

Via Russell W. Rumberger, The Boston Globe.

Survey Highlights Trends in e-Learning

A new survey of community college students highlights the challenge community colleges face in serving an increasing number of students with dwindling public funding.

Thirty-seven percent of students said they were unable to enroll in a class this semester because the class was full, according to the annual Pearson Foundation Community College Student Survey.

The survey—which polled 1,205 students in August and September—also tracked the growing trend among students to take online courses. Nearly six in 10 community college students have taken college courses online, with 46 percent taking at least one such course this fall. Three-quarters of students who have taken online courses said they are satisfied with their experience. Almost four in 10 students indicated that they would like to take all of their classes online.

The 2011 student survey found rapid growth in ownership of e-tablets, which has tripled since 2010, with nearly 10 percent of community college students owning a tablet device. The survey results show that students regularly use technology to support their academics: two-thirds of tablet owners use them when studying or doing homework, and two out of five smartphone owners use their phones for the same purposes.

The survey also reported widespread concern among students about their college readiness. Findings show that more than half of community college students who are recent high school graduates felt their high school did not properly prepare them for college-level academics and could have done more by placing a stronger emphasis on basic skills, offering more courses and providing more challenging courses.

Via Times Staff, Community College Times.

College Dropouts Linked to Preparedness More Than Effort

There is no one simple answer to the question: Why do students drop out of college? But a new study from the University of Western Ontario tries to shed new light.

The study, “Learning About Academic Ability and the College Drop-Out Decision,” found that 40 percent of low-income U.S. college students who left a four-year college program did so because of poor academic performance, despite the students’ feeling they were prepared.

The researchers, Todd Stinebrickner, an economics professor at the University of Western Ontario, and his father, Ralph Stinebrickner, a professor emeritus at Berea College in Kentucky, found many university students were overly optimistic about their likely performance their first semester. After being disappointed with low grades, nearly half dropped out. It was not a matter of trying hard enough, but likely the institution was not a good match for them academically, the long-term panel study of students from low-income families found.

The authors suggest new policies be put in place that target individuals at much younger ages to better prepare them for a high-quality postsecondary education, especially for those who choose to study math or science (My emphasis). They caution that the study findings cast doubt on policies aimed at encouraging more incoming university students to major in math and science, and efforts should shift from recruitment to better preparation of high school students in these subjects.

via Education Week.