Just this past Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, I posted an article, High Schools to Offer Plan to Graduate 2 Years Early, about students getting a jump start on college. I am now posting a link to read about the issue from the perspective of several educators including college presidents. Check on this debate using a posting from The New York Times, Feb. 18, 2010: A Diploma in 10th Grade?
The Gates Foundation has already funded such initiatives and plans to be involved in the 10th grade graduation initiative. School systems are likely to join the bandwagon knowing both private and public funding will be forthcoming. The federal government has already earmarked funding, and states have applied for the funding. One of the states to start the program in the immediate future is Connecticut, as part of the federal initiative. Several towns and the cities will be participating, and invitations have been sent out statewide.
Those of you interested in secondary education should keep current of the issue. In fact, those interested in education in the earlier grades might want to consider how the traditional K-12 curricular sequence will change with implementation of this plan.
After reading through the postings about the debate, via A Diploma in 10th Grade?, what is your position, and why?
2 comments:
This is pretty interesting - I do think it would be a positive addition to our educational world in the USA to develop and support alternative educational paths for children that are looking for shorter instructional time commitments. It would allow students the opportunity to continue to meet state requirements while potentially pursuing non-traditional areas of interest and development not currently available at younger ages. On the other hand, so much of the middle and high school experience is about the socialization process and learning how to survive and succeed in an interactive world with peers of different ages and authority figures creating and maintaining necessary structure and discipline. I've always wondered how the Doogie Howser's (does anybnody even remember)of past generations of student would evaluate the importance of getting the instructional learning faster while sacrificing some of the social development by accelerating through middle and high school...?
Joe
On the other hand
I think each person in this article made a valid argument against a blanket decision to try to funnel at risk students who pass a test to community college.
There are too many tests.
Students may lack maturity.
Community colleges are not prepared for a great influx of at-risk students who are immature.
What is the logic?
There are already partnerships established, accuplacer tests taken, and credit given to students who are able to attend community college at the same time that they are still attending high school as juniors and seniors. Even then, some students are unable to handle community college because they lack time management skills, they have no support at home, and they lack maturity.
Linda
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