Revamp High School Curriculum!

We are facing an educational crisis in the United States of America. Students in Low income areas perform badly on standardized tests. We spend excessive amounts on education young people, but it is still ineffective. Many students seek further education after high school, and find out that they are not prepared for college once they attend. What is the cause of these problems in education? There are several, but there is one that stands out, high school curriculum. Unfortunately, many high schools are not as successful in preparing students for college as they should be. High School curriculum needs to be updated to suit the needs of modern society more effectively. The needs of society are not being met by our current secondary education system.

Students who plan on attending a four year college, alternative degree program, or entering the work force are not prepared. High School curriculum has several flaws. Education in this country hasn't progressed as rapidly as other aspects, and it is catching up with us. There are many alarming statistics when analyzing standardized tests like the ACT. According to Education Portal, "only 23 percent of test-takers scored high enough for them to be considered college ready". (High School Students Taking the Core Curriculum Are Not College Ready)

These Problems in education aren't new either. High School curriculum does not prepare students for standardized tests, or college. Howard B. Silsbee addressed this issue in an essay entitled, A Need for Change in the Secondary-School Curriculum, back in 1948. He addresses problems in education, such as the lack of difficult English courses, and he also relates it to the events happing outside of education, such as the war that had just ended. He goes on to say that many college students don't even know how to take proper notes when entering in college Silsbee (Silsbee, pg. 313). Silsbee came to this conclusion back in 1948, however things haven't changed. Many students here at Purdue find the transition between high school and college to be dramatic, and have to adapt to it. Nahla Amed, a freshman management major, admitted to never studying before coming to college. College professors teach students in a different way. College curriculum is not composed of memorization, research, accuracy, and application.

People should approach the changing of high school curriculum in several different ways. First, well-trained teachers should be employed. School systems should invest in their teachers and make sure they have the tools they need in order to help their students succeed. Teachers are underappreciated in society. Many teachers have the tools to teach their students what they really need to know, but aren't allowed to because they have to stick to core curriculum. Well trained teachers should have the ability to expand on what they think students should know, as appose to following a set-in-stone core curriculum. Teachers should have a say in what they teach their students and their lesson plans should change gradually over the years in order to adapt to modern needs. School administrations should consider the thoughts and opinions of their teachers on the education process.

High school curriculum should be knowledge rich. Currently, it focuses on memorization. Memorization certainly has its importance, but students need to know other skills. Clear academic standards also need to be created in order to make sure that students know what is expected of them (American Teacher, pg.3). There is not a clear, concise academic standard for all schools to follow. The federal government does not have enough control over the public education system, and therefore high school curriculum differs, depending on what school a student attends. This leaves some students more prepared than others. Funding is the main cause of this problem. Schools that have more funding have flexibility, along with a variety of courses. Schools that do not have enough funding struggle to teach basic concepts. This means that some students are not as prepared as others. Colleges have to spend time getting all of their freshman students on the same academic level before they can even begin to teach them materials that focus on the students' majors. The federal government should provide more funding to poor schools, so they will have the ability to offer a better curriculum.

Some educators believe that high school classes should become more challenging. High school students should be thinking critically. Academics are not stressed enough in high schools. According to Doug Christensen, Commissioner of education, "students should have the opportunities to apply their knowledge, to integrate across curriculum disciplines, and to demonstrate that they have mastered the knowledge, skills and dispositions expected". Students learn several things in high school, but they often have no meaning because they aren't required to apply them to the real world. This is a significant reason why many students have difficulties adapting to universities like Purdue, who stress research and innovation. It doesn't really matter what one learns if they never have to use it. Before entering college, should know how to research. They also need to have effective problem solving, and time management skills. The traditional time blocks in high school do not give them enough independence. They do not how manage their time in college because they did not have to in high school.

There are many problems in secondary education, but they can all be fixed if they are adjusted. Students need to be taught in a manner that prepares them for college. School funding should be used more effectively. Students should continue to learn core subjects like math, science, and English, but they need to also learn how effectively use what they learn in secondary school once they have moved on. High school curriculum needs to be revamped desperately. Why is the basic high school schedule the same way it was 100 years ago? It is outrageous! The federal government should have a greater influence on education, with guidelines from the federal government, clear academic standards for all schools could be established, and proper support could be provided.

Works Cited

Ahmed, Nahla. Personal Interview. September 30, 2007.

Christensen, Doug. "TIME TO RETHINK THE HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE." NCSA TODAY "2003" 02

Oct 2007 .

Silsbee, Howard. "A Need for Change in the Secondary-School Curriculum." Journal of Educational

sociology 22"1948" 313-316. 02 Oct 2007 .

"Agenda To Reach All Children." American Teacher 92"2007" 3. 02 Oct 2007

.

"High School Students Taking the Core Curriculum Are Not College Ready." Education Portal. 15 Aug

2007. ACT. 2 Oct 2007 .