There are already a number of high schools doing innovative things to make sure students are achieving at their fullest potential. Examples include: "converting large, comprehensive high schools into smaller schools, creating theme high schools...career academies, and early college high schools" that cooperate with colleges or any type of postsecondary institution (205-206).
Conley goes into further detail about each example. One advantage the smaller schools have over the large mega high schools is that education is much more personal, more enthusiastic, and better at stressing college readiness. One problem Conley foresees is when the smaller schools are created within one larger campus, somewhat resembling a university. "Who is in charge overall when multiple schools exist on the same campus?" (207). Another problem might be the categorizing of students, recreating the same problems the bigger high schools have had all along.
The career academies, Conley writes, help students focus on a trade, a niche, a common pathway toward similar careers. For example, some high schools focus on the health occupations, business-oriented careers, or the arts.
Schools are already doing a great job at the advanced placement programs, and Conley feels that AP courses are perhaps the best at preparing many high school students for college. Many schools, however, add on AP courses "without any clear plan for preparing students to succeed in them" (213). Finally, a similar type route is the dual enrollment course, where students take a high school class and receive college credit at the end.
The more prestigious Baccalaureate High School programs offer an alternative, rigorous education for students, but school districts who wish to adopt this go through a strict accreditation process. (The McAllen School District has an Inter-Baccalaureate High School, often referred to as "IB.")
You know, sometimes I think High Schools push their kids too much. I know, a lot of criticism has been that high schools don’t push their kids hard enough. But, I feel that sometimes schools push too hard on the students who have "more potential". I think it's great to focus positive attention on GT students, but I think too much attention all at once, can sometimes be disastrous. Students become exhausted, over worked, and sometimes are spread too thin. My experience with Early College High Schools has made me a strong believer that if students spread themselves to thin or if high schools spread students too thin they will not succeed. Sometimes high schools focus too much on students, and sometimes too little. It's sad, that the middle 20-85 percent probably don't get as much attention as they deserve, but maybe this is a good thing. The lower 20 percent is probably bombarded with extra homework and tutoring, and the higher 15 percent that is constantly badgered about what college they want to go to, what tests they should take, what AP classes or dual enrollment/concurrent enrollment program they should go into. I don't know, in theory all of this sounds great, but put into practice might be a different story.
ReplyDelete