The Track Not Taken

Campus Report ^ | September 30, 2009 | Allie Winegar Duzett

[bs9021]

The Track Not Taken

by: Allie Winegar Duzett, September 30, 2009

Students today can sometimes go to high school and college simultaneously—but what happens when it’s over?

“With nearly half of African-American students and 40 percent of Latino students attending high schools where the majority of students do not graduate, we must change our approach,” Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education stated at a recent hearing.

What witnesses before the committee intended to do was expand the so-called “dual enrollment” program, in which students can go to high school and college at the same time. “By changing the structure of high school, compressing the number of years to a college degree, and removing financial and other barriers to college, early college schools will increase the number of underrepresented youth who attain a postsecondary degree,” Dr. Michael Webb, Associate Vice President of Early College Initiative at Jobs for the Future, testified.

Vahid Lofti, the Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan, told some success stories of various students involved in her early college program. She told the story of one professor, Donna Fry, whose children excelled in their program even while “participating in everything from the UM-Flint Wind Symphony to volunteering for the Obama campaign.”

But perhaps most notable about this hearing on education is the fact that a third of the witnesses spoke largely on the topic of health care and health care education. Not that they are looking for more doctors and nurses—just more “workers” and “employees.” Arguably, they are thus contributing to the rationing of medical care, the shrinking pool of doctors, and exploding health care costs....

[dawn53]

Our son went to college during his high school years (never set foot in a high school)...and was granted a HS diploma and AA at the same time through the dual credit program. This seems to be pretty much the norm for homeschooled kids around here.

I read the article but didn’t quite get the connection between dual credit and healthcare workers.

[Venturer]

As long as affirmative action jobs exist, why should they worry about graduating?

[bs9021]

That might be the point.

[Kevmo]

Here’s my modest proposal for education reform.

We have been discussing ways to fast track kids through high school to avoid the liberal agenda and other idiocies:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315730/posts?page=84#84

Proposal for the Free Republic High School Diploma.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316882/posts