Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
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Speaking of rigorous …
Lots of interesting education news going on this week in Ohio. On Wednesday, it was a big chunk of education proposals in Gov. Bob Taft’s state of the state address. Taft is calling for higher standards and increased graduation requirements for high school students. And he wants to make four-year colleges for the college-ready only — no more remedial classes. If you need remedial help, Taft says you belong in community college.
That’s an interesting question. Some argue that Ohio has great community colleges, like Sinclair here in Dayton, that might actually do a better job of preparing underachievers for college work and help limit flunk outs. And families could save money while kids find their way and learn some grown up responsibility.
But around our newsroom others debated that a four-year college experience, away from home with lots of programs of study to explore, is a great way to find your personal direction in life, take ownership of your future and if you’re behind, bring yourself up to speed. Perhaps for some, two more years living at home and going to community college could be stifling and discouraging.
Whether community colleges could even handle the influx of potentially thousands of kids who might not make it to university under such a rule is another question to consider.
What do you think of Taft’s proposals? Should remedial courses, and the students who need them, be reserved for community colleges?
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Colleges and Universities
Comments
By Terri
January 27, 2006 2:56 PM | Link to this
First, going to a community college does not mean you have to live at home. Second, more high school teachers will have to be hired to accommodate the suggested requirements. Where will the money come from? Another unfunded mandate? Third, I’m not sure about Regan’s point per private schools, but they have to meet state requirements too. Fourth, if the 4th math requirement is Trig or Algebra 2, then many more students will not get a diploma.By Suzie
January 27, 2006 10:53 AM | Link to this
I think for Taft to raise the bar is not the best idea. Schools have a lot of subjects to teach and the kids aren’t doing well in those,why make it harder?By Barry
January 27, 2006 10:43 AM | Link to this
1) Where is the money for all this going to come from? We can not even teach basic reading, writing and arithmetic to most of the people graduating from Dayton public schools and now they want trigonometry and foreign languages. 2) I can understand Math and Science needing to be stressed, they are important. But in a high school system that can not afford adequate teachers, or even football, two years of a foreign language is nuts. Maybe as an elective, but a good number of our high school students can not read and write in English (Ebonics or whatever it is they call texting people on cell phones does not count). Replace the two years of French, Spanish, Latin or German with something useful like English literature and composition. Why should we waste time and money even trying to foreign languages to people who do not even know there own?By Rick
January 26, 2006 7:07 PM | Link to this
I am leery about the requirement of higher graduation rates. That could end up with the four-year colleges lowering standards.By Regan Butler
January 26, 2006 9:38 AM | Link to this
Raising education standards doesn’t elevate educational achievement. This new proposal is another in a long history of educational mis-steps taken by Gov. Taft. At the very least we, as a state, are encumbered by a fiscal plan that barely funds the present system. This proposal will drastically and sharply raise the cost of educating Ohio’s children. The achievement gap will widen dramatically. This is a disappointing turn of events. Private school is looking like a better option.By Mary
January 26, 2006 7:37 AM | Link to this
One of the cover stories in this week’s USA Today was about college freshmen dying at a much higher rate than other college students from fatal alcohol poisoning, suicides, accidents, etc. So some parents might be rather naive about today’s “idyllic” college life and their child’s preparedness. In regard to a more rigorous high school curriculum, the devil will be in the details and implementation. The dicussion mentions mainly years of science and math, but not so much on content or pace. Like today, the content, pace, and teacher qualifications will likely be too slow, repetitive, and inadequate for many high ability students. Related to this topic and previous blogs, today’s USA Today Snapshot mentions 200 million students in China are studying English while only 24,000 students in the US are studying Chinese.