| | Should high school be five years long? | |
|
+4Alan Smithee CatEyes10736 Marc™ Chris 8 posters | Author | Message |
---|
Chris Chamber Admin.
Join date : 2010-01-30 Location : Oak Park, Michigan Posts : 23201 Rep : 330
| Subject: Should high school be five years long? Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:19 am | |
| What do you think; would it be a good idea to extend the high school experience for another year? http://www.good.is/post/fifth-year-senior-why-making-high-school-five-years-long-is-a-brilliant-idea/ - Quote :
- Fifth-Year Senior: Why Making High School Longer Is a Brilliant Idea
July 28, 2011 • 9:00 am PDT
After four years of high school, you were probably pretty ready to graduate. But what if you could have earned college credit if you stayed for a fifth year? Students in Maine might soon get the option to do just that. In order to ensure that the state is truly preparing the workforce of the future, governor Paul LePage followed up on a campaign promise this week and issued an executive order that creates a task force to study whether a five-year high school option can be implemented state-wide.
The five-year initiative would accelerate the traditional high school curriculum so that credits are finished more quickly, and bring introductory college courses—college English 101, for example—down to the high school level. Students who opt in to the five-year program would graduate with both a high school diploma and either an associate's degree or two years of credits that they can then transfer to the college of their choice.
Moving the first few credits of college down to high school certainly makes sense from a cost standpoint. Instead of paying tuition to take those entry-level English, math and science courses at college, students could save major cash by getting those out of the way at their free public high school. After all, the potential to save money during the college years is why students want to pass the AP exams in the first place—AP credits get you out of those beginning classes.
Making those college credits free at the high school level could also go a long way toward ensuring access for populations currently underrepresented in higher education because they can't afford those college tuition bills. Indeed, one of the organizations Maine's task force plans to consult is the Early College High School Initiative. Since 2002, they've helped more than 230 schools in 28 states and the District of Columbia make the five-year switch. They specifically work with schools attended by students who may be "first-generation college goers, English language learners, students of color" or from low-income backgrounds—students that often need help getting on the college track.
Maine doesn't plan to make the program mandatory for all students, but I can't help but wonder, why not? Why do we make high school four years anyway? It's not so odd for us to think outside the box about what's taught in high school and how long it lasts. After all, because most decent-paying jobs require a college degree now anyway, we should be making it easier for every student to get one.
photo via teachers.egfi-k12.org | |
| | | Marc™ …is a Chamber DEITY.
Join date : 2010-01-30 Location : Michigan Posts : 12006 Rep : 212
| Subject: Re: Should high school be five years long? Thu Aug 04, 2011 11:56 am | |
| | |
| | | CatEyes10736 …is a Power Member.
Join date : 2010-01-31 Location : Portland, Oregon Posts : 2665 Rep : 126
| Subject: Re: Should high school be five years long? Thu Aug 04, 2011 12:57 pm | |
| Not a bad idea, but that should definitely be optional. | |
| | | Alan Smithee ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-09-03 Location : 40º44’18.33”N 73º58’31.82”W Posts : 25792 Rep : 381
| Subject: Re: Should high school be five years long? Thu Aug 04, 2011 2:14 pm | |
| The problem is what happens in schools before kids get to H.S. They should work on that problem. Four years was adequate for me. | |
| | | Nystyle709 ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-03-16 Location : New York Posts : 27030 Rep : 339
| Subject: Re: Should high school be five years long? Thu Aug 04, 2011 4:06 pm | |
| - CatEyes10736 wrote:
- Not a bad idea, but that should definitely be optional.
This. If you want college credit before leaving (even though you can still get that with four years), then by all means stay....but it shouldn't be mandatory. | |
| | | Nhaiyel …is a Power Member.
Join date : 2010-02-02 Location : Jersey (West Orange) Posts : 3137 Rep : 123
| Subject: Re: Should high school be five years long? Thu Aug 04, 2011 11:23 pm | |
| What good would it do? No Child Left Behind would just add more tests. Teachers are forced to teach for tests, not for education. Then, by the time the year is over, there has been so much forced memorization that students have learned precious little. | |
| | | Supernova The Book Chamber
Join date : 2010-06-22 Posts : 11954 Rep : 182
| Subject: Re: Should high school be five years long? Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:33 am | |
| - Nhaiyel wrote:
- What good would it do? No Child Left Behind would just add more tests. Teachers are forced to teach for tests, not for education. Then, by the time the year is over, there has been so much forced memorization that students have learned precious little.
If anything I'd press for LESS time in school, I covered 4 years of high school in about 15 months, and even that couldn't come too soon for me. The problem isn't the time, it's the material, it's the agenda, it's the teachers or lack thereof, the teachers that don't give a damn since they're paid the same whether they teach kids their heads from a hole in the ground or not, too few resources, but they've always got to have sports, MUST have money for all the sports programs and cheerleaders' uniforms and all that. The time isn't an issue, I don't see why in the last couple of years of high school, college credit classes can't be offered optionally with the regular curriculum. | |
| | | Shale ...is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-09-27 Location : Miami Beach Posts : 9699 Rep : 219
| | | | Sponsored content
| Subject: Re: Should high school be five years long? | |
| |
| | | | Should high school be five years long? | |
|
Similar topics | |
|
| Permissions in this forum: | You cannot reply to topics in this forum
| |
| |
| September 2024 | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | | | | | | Calendar |
|
Most active topic starters | |
Poll | | Which do you prefer: Big Mac or Whopper? | Big Mac | | 14% | [ 1 ] | Whopper | | 86% | [ 6 ] |
| Total Votes : 7 |
|
feeds | |
|