Let's Get Every Senior into College-How stupid is that?

Let’s Get Every Senior into College-How stupid is that?

A Lakewood California principal recently encouraged principals to do whatever it took to get every senior into college.   According to his numbers, nearly 70% of youth ages 16-24 who graduated from any high school since 2016 are enrolled in college.  Traditionally these numbers are much lower for public schools nationwide- roughly 40%.   The numbers are even lower for schools in low-income communities.

Here is what I do not understand.  We keep collecting data about how many students graduating from high school are going on to college.   Why don’t we care about how many are able to get a decent job!?

Going to college is a waste of time and money if your talents for earning a living lie outside of what colleges train people to do.

There are more important goals for our high school students than going to college.

First of all, we need to teach students that they matter and that they matter enough to do excellent work.  Not for the adults but for themselves.  We should not ask kids to do school work for us; we should repeatedly ask them  if what they are doing is their best effort for themselves.  Is their work something that they are proud to put their name to.

Next, let the students know that we notice and we care about how they are doing.  One of the things that is wrong (and there are many) with tying teacher evaluations to high stakes testing is that it communicates to students that we could be more concerned with our own evaluation rather than with how much they are learning.  Educators need to learn to be cheerleaders for the students.  Let them know we are watching how well they do for themselves, not for us.  This approach also empowers kids to realize it is their destiny that is at stake.

Make it clear what your school values.   People notice what is counted.  If all we count are test scores then it becomes clear that test scores are what we value the most.  Instead, why not celebrate kindness to others.  How about a shout-out when one kid helps another kid?  Or when we work together to solve a school problem.   Make it clear we value lots of other things besides high test scores and we should really mean it.

Let’s give physical space and opportunity to other things besides traditional academic course work.   Give kids the space and reward for tinkering, building and creating- these are going to be our leaders of tomorrow.  Enough with the test scores already.

Institutions of higher education report no decline in the numbers of entering freshmen who need remedial work before embarking on college level work.  This ridiculous emphasis on test scores is leading otherwise honorable people to cheat on transcripts and grades, embarrassing whole school districts when the graduation rate is audited.  We need to provide a wider menu of options for kids graduating high school.   Educators need to learn about many other opportunities for graduates besides college.  

Let’s get every senior into college- I don’t think so- and neither do the seniors.  Many of them have better things to do if we would just encourage them do it!