1. Stop Thinking of High School as a BuildingThe conclusion reminds me of unmet targets from the Strategic Plan. Balanced Scorecard
A high school education need no longer be limited to the physical place. High school is about learning the things one needs to know to succeed in life. It’s not about coming to the same building every day and following the same schedule with the same people. Many businesses are flexible today in offering their employees the opportunity to tele-commute. Why shouldn’t high schools offer “tele-learning?”
Item 1.4 Problem solving
Item 1.8 - Critical Thinking
I was trying to find the reference from Wikipedia concerning the Remediation percentage, but the text had been removed. I was able to find this: http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2009/03/high-school-grads-not-prepared-for.html
ConclusionMany U.S. students receive an excellent education in high school, go on to college andeventually find their way to rewarding careers. But they are disproportionately from higher income homes and are no longer the majority.At the same time, a growing number of U.S. students -- both lower income and middle-class --are falling by the wayside, either dropping out or graduating without being either college- or career-ready.This is happening -- not because the kids aren’t smart enough or don’t know what’s good for them -- but because high school has become too focused on making students college eligible without making them sufficiently college and career-ready. At the same time, it is not encouraging them to develop the kind of critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will enable them to function in whatever they do after high school, regardless of how technology develops.
Richard, thank you for sending this article. I think Lebo Citizens readers will enjoy it.
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/user-media/high-school-for-the-21st-century.pdf
The high school's planned bridge over Horsman Drive should be named "A Bridge Over Troubled Waters!"
ReplyDeleteWhile the board fiddles with window glass color and delete alternatives we have this from bloglebo two years ago.
"Wednesday, March 11, 2009
High School Grads Not Prepared For Basic Math, English Courses
posted by Joe Polk at 1:50 AM /
A Team 4 investigation found that one of every three high school graduates in Pennsylvania who attended a state-owned university or community college this year was not prepared for the most basic math and English courses.
In fact, those students were so unprepared for college that they had to take special remediation classes which cost taxpayers $26 million this year -- and wait until you see the numbers for the school district where you live.
And in Allegheny County, look at the numbers for these traditionally well-regarded districts:
Pine-Richland: 21 percent of last year's graduates now attending state-owned universities or community college were not ready for college. Mt. Lebanon: 23 percent. Fox Chapel: 30 percent. In Northgate School District, the number was 41 percent. In Penn Hills High School, it was 44 percent. In Wilkinsburg, it was 67 percent.
And 53 percent -- more than half -- of all graduating seniors in Pittsburgh Public Schools were not prepared for college."
Approx. $14,000/student per year in the MTLSD and parents need to shell out for remediation math and english courses for their college freshman - wow. That hurts the old pocketbook.
- Giffen Good