I think it's fair to say that there is consensus of opinion regarding our nation's primary and secondary education system. Too many students graduate from high school without the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the job market or be successful in college. Even worse, approximately 30% of students fail to even graduate from high school. Our education system must produce better results.
So what do we do? How do we decide where to start?
How about reaching a consensus around our goals and expectations?
A new report from Deloitte LLP suggests there is a "disconnect" in how students, parents and students view high school. Is high school a destination or a "launching pad" for the future?
Against this backdrop, the Deloitte 2009 Education Survey set out to explore how the business community, government and organizations such as College Summit and City Year can work together to create a stronger college-going culture in our high schools and make post-secondary education the norm.
The results revealed a dangerous discord on a fundamental question—the role of high school.
When asked to identify the most important mission of high school, only nine percent of teachers surveyed chose preparing students for college and only 10 percent said that ensuring students graduate high school is a primary mission. And, as many as 40 percent of teachers said it is either “somewhat important” or “not important” that their students attend college. In stark contrast, the survey found that low-income parents and students rank preparing students for college the most important purpose of high school—42 percent and 48 percent, respectively.
The results also uncovered a gap between student aspiration and actual preparedness. Encouragingly, 70 percent of students indicated that they “definitely” plan to attend college, and 60 percent said getting good grades in high school is “extremely important” in determining the likelihood of college enrollment.
But despite this heartening data, only 22 percent of students said their high school has done an “excellent” job in preparing them for college, and only about a quarter feel “very prepared” to handle college courses.
So what do we do? How do we decide where to start?
How about reaching a consensus around our goals and expectations?
A new report from Deloitte LLP suggests there is a "disconnect" in how students, parents and students view high school. Is high school a destination or a "launching pad" for the future?
Against this backdrop, the Deloitte 2009 Education Survey set out to explore how the business community, government and organizations such as College Summit and City Year can work together to create a stronger college-going culture in our high schools and make post-secondary education the norm.
The results revealed a dangerous discord on a fundamental question—the role of high school.
When asked to identify the most important mission of high school, only nine percent of teachers surveyed chose preparing students for college and only 10 percent said that ensuring students graduate high school is a primary mission. And, as many as 40 percent of teachers said it is either “somewhat important” or “not important” that their students attend college. In stark contrast, the survey found that low-income parents and students rank preparing students for college the most important purpose of high school—42 percent and 48 percent, respectively.
The results also uncovered a gap between student aspiration and actual preparedness. Encouragingly, 70 percent of students indicated that they “definitely” plan to attend college, and 60 percent said getting good grades in high school is “extremely important” in determining the likelihood of college enrollment.
But despite this heartening data, only 22 percent of students said their high school has done an “excellent” job in preparing them for college, and only about a quarter feel “very prepared” to handle college courses.
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