The new movement to make high school more rigorous and relevant sounds great at workshops. Higher achievement, tougher standards and higher expectations have become banner slogans but how are these affecting high school students?
Tougher Standards Rationale
Michigan has some of the toughest high school graduation requirements in the nation. Michigan’s superintendent of education, Mike Flanagan, feels that it is crucial for Michigan’s welfare to have a well-educated and well-prepared workforce for the future. His fear is that Michigan high school graduates won’t be competitive.
New Standards May Increase Dropout Rate
Michigan’s dropout rate is already 30% and many high school administrators fear that the tougher standards will produce even higher dropout rates. What are those higher standards?
Michigan’s Class of 2011 Requirements
- Four years of math (including Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry)
- Four years of English
- Three years of science
- Three years of social studies
- One year of physical education
- One year of the arts
- Online learning experience
- Two years of a foreign language
This is a typical standard for private prep high schools but not public high schools. Michigan is making exceptions. Students that have IEPs, Individual Education Plans, may be given waivers and may not receive a diploma. They would be given a certificate of attendance if not capable of passing the required classes. The question raised by many employers is what about the marginal students who can not handle these math classes but could do very well at a technical college—what happens to them?
Hot Jobs: Applied Sciences and Technology
Michigan’s new plan may be assuming that students need to attend a four-year college or a technical field requiring challenging math skills to be successful. In reality, the hottest jobs are in the technical fields. The average age of mechanics, welders, electricians, plumbers, and machinists in many states is 55-60 years old. Some have labeled this as an impending labor crisis.
Not only is there a crisis looming in these fields, but cutting edge technical fields like biodiesel, wind technology, alternative energies and ethanol are competing for the kinesthetic learners. As students choose these newest fields, this leaves an even greater gap between society’s existing needs for workers in the more traditional careers.
Shortages create higher wages. Algebra II is not necessary to become a great welder or machinist. Do we want to create a great shortage in some services because someone couldn’t succeed in Algebra II? Many in career education believe that higher math skills will only be required in approximately 20% of future jobs. Requiring higher math skills for every student may be depriving our society of very capable workers that could drop out in frustration.
Past Standards Provided More Opportunities
Public schools have traditionally offered two tracks: technical and college prep. Students chose the track best suited for them and graduated. Michigan’s new standards raise the required classes not allowing students in the technical track to take the classes of interest to them. These are often hands-on professions and predominantly males. Males are already in the minority on most college campuses. Will Michigan’s new standards produce more frustrated males that could have received degrees in Applied Science and fill the needs of our society?
Many that support the more rigorous approach claim that the tougher math standards will help students compete in our society for jobs. While that may be true for some careers, there is already an emergency approaching in the technical and applied science fields. Michigan could be adding to the quickly approaching problem.
Source: Education Week, June 9, 2008
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