Like every Oregonian, I want our students to graduate from high school, earn that diploma, and go on to do great things. But, even more so, I want our students to actually learn things.
Kevin, I think your piece misses some important points.
First, as one of the architects of Measure 98, I'm proud of the accountability elements we put in that initiative -- regular audits and evaluations, exactly what you are asking for here. We bucked the trend toward pouring more and more money into the K12 funding stream without such accountability measures, and we argued that, once funded, Measure 98's programs should compete with other proposals for high school funding on the basis of results. In my mind, that's as good as it gets in today's policy world when it comes to accountability.
Secondly, the 9th grade on track metric was added to M98 based on data showing that, once kids fall behind in 9th grade, it is much harder for them to get back on track to graduation. 9th grade on track programs are based on monitoring every kid and intervening -- via mentoring and extra class time and home visits to get them to show up for class -- when needed. The fact that this metric is showing improvement is a sign that Measure 98 is working to get more kids to on-time graduation.
Thirdly, CTE courses -- everything from auto mechanics to culinary arts -- can engage kids in learning who would otherwise be turned off to a standardized curriculum. Once kids get to high school, they need more options to keep them engaged. We're used to praising sports programs for that reason. But it works for shop classes too. One of the most telling examples that we cited in the M98 campaign was the experience of one kid at Silverton High School who was coaxed back into an auto mechanics class after dropping out of school and went on to graduate and major in aeronautics in college.
Finally, as we found in campaigning for M98, there is a bias among the better-educated that hands-on vocational learning programs are inferior to the more academic curricula. I used to think so as well. But, where I've seen kids engaged in CTE programs, I've witnessed a sequence of questioning and learning that can take a kid from working on an engine to mastering physics and, with growing confidence in their contributions to society, experiencing what it means to be an engaged citizen. One of my favorite authors, Matthew Crawford, went in the other direction -- from philosophy to motorcycle mechanics, but he makes the same points about the discipline and creativity of craft in his Shopcraft as Soulcraft. It is worth reading.
I'm worried that the gains from updated and expanded CTE programs will be disproportionately affected by the virtual learning regimes in effect now. That's on my list for investigation and a potential post in the future.
As the parent of two young adults who tried and failed with the Traditional HS structure, I'd argue that it makes more sense to examine WHY kids aren't attending school and then alter the current infrastructure to allow for differences in learning styles, the changing nature of work itself (I'd argue that the expectation that you go from HS to college and then to work is outdated, for starters.) and even the way we structure and deliver education.
For example - after years and years of studies that suggest a later school start time for adolescents, we still expect our HS students to be in school by 7:30-8 am in most locations. While that might have worked back in the agrarian age and continues now to accommodate HS sports, it provides a serious handicap right out of the gate for many students.
Both of my kids moved to an alternative program to get their HS diplomas - PCC's Gateway to College program. They provided the rigor and accountability Kid #1 thrived in, while Kid #2 - who has severe ADHD - floundered in a typical HS structure requiring 8 classes per day, while they succeeded when they could take *only* 3 subjects per term, and at hours that better fit their body's circadian rhythm.
So that's my long-winded way of saying - maybe if you blow up and reconstitute the entire structure of HS education as we know it now, you'd have better attendance.
Kevin, I think your piece misses some important points.
First, as one of the architects of Measure 98, I'm proud of the accountability elements we put in that initiative -- regular audits and evaluations, exactly what you are asking for here. We bucked the trend toward pouring more and more money into the K12 funding stream without such accountability measures, and we argued that, once funded, Measure 98's programs should compete with other proposals for high school funding on the basis of results. In my mind, that's as good as it gets in today's policy world when it comes to accountability.
Secondly, the 9th grade on track metric was added to M98 based on data showing that, once kids fall behind in 9th grade, it is much harder for them to get back on track to graduation. 9th grade on track programs are based on monitoring every kid and intervening -- via mentoring and extra class time and home visits to get them to show up for class -- when needed. The fact that this metric is showing improvement is a sign that Measure 98 is working to get more kids to on-time graduation.
Thirdly, CTE courses -- everything from auto mechanics to culinary arts -- can engage kids in learning who would otherwise be turned off to a standardized curriculum. Once kids get to high school, they need more options to keep them engaged. We're used to praising sports programs for that reason. But it works for shop classes too. One of the most telling examples that we cited in the M98 campaign was the experience of one kid at Silverton High School who was coaxed back into an auto mechanics class after dropping out of school and went on to graduate and major in aeronautics in college.
Finally, as we found in campaigning for M98, there is a bias among the better-educated that hands-on vocational learning programs are inferior to the more academic curricula. I used to think so as well. But, where I've seen kids engaged in CTE programs, I've witnessed a sequence of questioning and learning that can take a kid from working on an engine to mastering physics and, with growing confidence in their contributions to society, experiencing what it means to be an engaged citizen. One of my favorite authors, Matthew Crawford, went in the other direction -- from philosophy to motorcycle mechanics, but he makes the same points about the discipline and creativity of craft in his Shopcraft as Soulcraft. It is worth reading.
I'm worried that the gains from updated and expanded CTE programs will be disproportionately affected by the virtual learning regimes in effect now. That's on my list for investigation and a potential post in the future.
As the parent of two young adults who tried and failed with the Traditional HS structure, I'd argue that it makes more sense to examine WHY kids aren't attending school and then alter the current infrastructure to allow for differences in learning styles, the changing nature of work itself (I'd argue that the expectation that you go from HS to college and then to work is outdated, for starters.) and even the way we structure and deliver education.
For example - after years and years of studies that suggest a later school start time for adolescents, we still expect our HS students to be in school by 7:30-8 am in most locations. While that might have worked back in the agrarian age and continues now to accommodate HS sports, it provides a serious handicap right out of the gate for many students.
Both of my kids moved to an alternative program to get their HS diplomas - PCC's Gateway to College program. They provided the rigor and accountability Kid #1 thrived in, while Kid #2 - who has severe ADHD - floundered in a typical HS structure requiring 8 classes per day, while they succeeded when they could take *only* 3 subjects per term, and at hours that better fit their body's circadian rhythm.
So that's my long-winded way of saying - maybe if you blow up and reconstitute the entire structure of HS education as we know it now, you'd have better attendance.