Are High Schools Failing Their Students? Strengthening Academic Rigor in the High School Curriculum. Newsletter

Titel	Are High Schools Failing Their Students? Strengthening Academic Rigor in the High School Curriculum. Newsletter
Quelle	(2006), (4 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	High School Graduates; High Schools; Secondary School Curriculum; School Restructuring; Indiana; Texas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? High school; High schools; Graduate; Graduates; Oberschule; Absolvent; Absolventin; Schulreformplan; Schulumwandlung
Abstract	Growing concern about the academic proficiency of high school graduates has placed high school reform at the forefront of the education policy agenda. Critics have begun to question the degree of academic rigor in the nation's high schools, and many states and school districts are looking for ways to address this issue. This month's newsletter explores the issue of academic rigor and highlights current efforts to challenge and support high school students. Studies find that a rigorous curriculum is a powerful predictor of bachelor's degree attainment than class rank, grade point average, or test scores and that it also predicts greater skill in the workforce and greater wage-earning potential. The American Diploma Project (ADP) was created collaboratively by Achieve, Inc., The Education Trust, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation to investigate curricular reform in high schools. It has determined the English and mathematics skills that graduates must master by the time they leave high school if they expect success in postsecondary education or in high-performance, high-growth jobs. Texas and Indiana have taken the lead in aligning their curriculums with the ADP-recommended benchmarks. Evidence suggests a need for clarifying the distinction between rigorous standards and rigorous course content and more clearly specifying what challenging courses look like in the classroom. Recent studies on high school reform provide direction direction for schools wanting to implement a rigorous high school curriculum. These studies suggest: (1) high expectations for all students; (2) collaboration with university officials and business leaders to determine what students need to know to be prepared for work and college; (3) a curriculum aligned with state standards and assessments; (4) clear goals in each course spelling out what students will be taught and what they are expected to learn; and (5) academic and career support services for students addressing such topics as study skills and note taking; and (6) continuous professional development and resources for teachers, including information on how to vary instructional methods and how to modify instruction to ensure that all students learn. [This newsletter was produced by The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, administered by Learning Point Associates in partnership with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) and WestEd, under contract with the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education.] (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement. 1100 17th Street NW Suite 500, Washington, DC 20035. Tel: 877-277-2744; Web site: http://www.centerforcsri.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10