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February 20, 2006
Editor's note:
The following is prepared and distributed by The Partnership for Successful Schools, a Lexington, KY-based organization that, for the last 15 years, has engaged all aspects of the community in education through grassroots initiatives and policy discussions. Comments and questions about this column should be directed to: ahdavis@partnershipforsuccessfulschools.org.
The R and R of Today's High Schools
By Polly Marquette
"Reading, writing, and arithmetic." The phrase brings back memories of a time when students needed to conquer little else in order to survive and even excel in life. Just graduating from high school was a tremendous accomplishment and adequate preparation for most careers. Many of us still know individuals who have spent the majority of successful working lives in the same office, with the same company, doing the same thing.
That phrase, like our economy, is changing in a way we never imagined. We find ourselves in the midst of a world defined by phrases such as "knowledge-based economy," "global competition," and "nano technology". "Rigor" and "relevance" have replaced reading, writing, and arithmetic as the new lingo in education conversations.
Technological explosions have powered the ideas behind the iPods children beg for, the hybrid cars we drive, our instant connections to the world around us, and the reasons many of our nation's jobs are disappearing.
The exact meaning of the education buzzwords rigor and relevance may be less relevant than where we fit in a world defined by them. Education and business leaders warn that, in order to maintain economic prosperity and the quality of life it affords, we must do a better job of preparing our youth for tomorrow's workplace. Statistical indicators suggest we have much work to do before American high school graduates are able to compete effectively with their global counterparts.
We are expending tremendous energy as a nation in determining how best to prepare students for life after high school and college. School leaders across the country are chest deep in a search for answers about how to mold high school days into the best possible preparation package for life after graduation.
What have we learned so far? We know there is a remarkable correlation between the courses high school students take and their success after graduation. We also know that students who take rigorous courses score higher on college entrance exams, have greater success in college, fare better in the workplace, and earn more money whether or not they attend college.
It still comes as a shock to many parents that high school grades are not automatic keys to college stardom and workforce success. For years we have relied on the notion that a "straight A" student held the only ticket needed for a successful journey though college and career. Not so today.
"Rigor" and "relevance" may seem like lofty terms to those outside education circles, but they are likely to be household words soon. Federal lawmakers recently signaled an important shift in education thinking when they approved an initiative that would, for the first time, foster national rankings of academic rigor in the nation's 18,000+ public high schools. About $790 million in federal scholarships have already been earmarked for students who have completed "a rigorous secondary school program of study."
That leaves many of us wondering just what "rigorous" means and who will define it. At present, the federal government is planning to work with governors and others to determine which high school courses meet the federal rigor benchmark. Kentucky education leaders are also working diligently to determine what constitutes a rigorous course in our state's high schools.
Until consensus occurs on what constitutes a tough and relevant high school experience, we can talk with teachers, counselors, principals, and district leaders to make certain our students are engaged in courses that are rigorous, relevant, and designed to prepare them for success in life ahead. Get involved, stay engaged, and watch as the news unfolds about the role of rigor and relevance in high schools. It may be the best thing you can do to prepare the workforce of tomorrow for a new world.
Polly Marquette is director of the Kentucky Scholars Initiative, a program of the Partnership for Successful Schools. The initiative's mission is to better prepare today's students for tomorrow's challenges by encouraging them to take the types of courses that have been documented to enhance their post- high school success.
