September 5, 2010
September 5, 2010
First, our vision for Colorado's public high schools is that --
It sounds pretty common sense doesn't it? But it's far from the reality of school for most young people in Colorado.
In fact, because of its poor educational outcomes, Colorado facing the equivalent of a permanent low-grade recession, because of the way poor educational outcomes drags on workforce quality and economic competitiveness.
Here are some key facts:
There are examples around the nation of innovative and effective schools, ones that engage students, help them discover and develop innate talents and interests, and launch them toward a future of college and career success.
We visited and profiled of them:
Based on our research about the nation's best performing high schools and their feeder middle schools, and the findings from successful high school redesign organizations, Colorado Succeeds and the Meeder Consulting have identified the following "design principles."
Design principles are not a "how-to" guide or a one-size-fits-all template that is mindlessly adopted by schools across the state. These are the specifications from which a school design team works, ensuring that each of the principles is reflected in the product or process that is being developed. These five elements and the supporting success factors must be built into the design of every Colorado middle and high school, as well as reflected upon in the work of elementary schools.
No doubt, there is lots of activity and talk about educational change. The federal legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act, requires schools to establish grade level expectations for reading, math and science, test students in these subjects, and work to help students stay on grade level.
No law is perfect, of course, but in general the concept is right. And elementary schools in Colorado and across the nation are putting more emphasis in helping students reach these minimum expectations.
But is that enough? Shouldn't the goal be that every student would stay in school, and graduate with a diploma so they are ready for the next phase of life, whether it is four-year college, a technical or trade school, or direct entry into the skilled workplace?
As we've already noted, about 16,000 Colorado youths don't even make it to graduation. And among those that do and enroll in college, about 1/2 of community college students must take remedial courses when they get to college. Even about 25 percent of students at the four-year colleges and universities must take remedial courses. And for youths entering the workforce, either directly from high school or from college, employers say students simply aren't ready on a variety of measures.
So, what can be done about this lack of readiness?
In May 2008, Governor Bill Ritter signed into law the Preschool to Postsecondary Education Alignment Act, also referred to as the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K). The legislation purports to create "a complete redesign and realignment of Colorado's educational systems from pre-school to college."
But frankly, its claims of sweeping reform are vastly overstated. The only real operational activity resulting from the legislation is a task force between the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and the Department of Higher Education (DHE). The task force is charged with creating a new seamless system of public education standards, expectations and assessments - from preschool through postsecondary education. It also requires councils to work together to identify skills for college and career readiness.
These definitions, standards, and expectations are necessary and may have value, but they will take several years to be completed. In the meantime, 12,000 Colorado students annually are dropping out of schools each year, taking a personal and societal toll.
And thousands of other young people are missing the opportunity to experience deeper, motivating learning in that will integrate academic rigor with the relevance of career and technical education. Just 57% of recent high school graduates pursue education and training beyond high school, so Colorado's workforce is not growing the next generation of skilled workers to maintain and improve our standards of living and quality of life.
Colorado's business community, led by Colorado Succeeds, believes we know enough already about how to change schools now so students can finish achieving true college and career readiness. But there must be a new approach to transforming Colorado's middle and high schools. Current "reform" efforts are not enough because they only deal with policies and standards. They do nothing to actually transform teaching and learning in our schools to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, experiences and motivation they need.
We invite key stakeholders - employers, government leaders, educators, parents, community members and foundations - to come together around a new agenda.
Click here to sign up for more information about how to get involved with a local high school redesign effort.
i Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008
ii Alliance for Excellent Education, 2006
ii Alliance for Excellent Education, 2006
iv Alliance for Excellent Education, 2006
v High Schools That Work, The Big Picture Company, High Tech High, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals