**Archived Information**

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Despite a great deal of effort over the past 20 years, academic
achievement among high school students continues to lag. To ensure that
no high school student is left behind, schools need:

1.  High expectations for all high school students; and

2.  A rigorous core curriculum to match those expectations.

The American education system made strides in the 1990s in adopting
academic standards for high schools in at least some subjects: *all*
states (and, in Iowa, districts) have adopted standards in at least some
subjects, including mathematics, English, science and social studies.
Twenty-two have standards in all four subjects.[^1] Now states need to
translate those standards into *expectations* that ensure high schools
actually adopt the standards, teachers are held to them, and students
master them. The *No Child Left Behind Act* offers a rare opportunity
for states and educators to address the issues of high expectations and
academic rigor for all American high school students. A number of
organizations have taken the lead and may offer promising approaches for
states and schools.

### The Challenge

American high school students are not adequately prepared for their
futures. Increasingly the economy demands workers with postsecondary
education and training. Students seem to understand this, but there is a
serious disconnect between aspirations and preparation. More than 97
percent of youth say they aspire to participate in some sort of
postsecondary education, and 63 percent enroll.[^2] Yet, little more
than half actually take a mix of academic classes in high school that
will prepare them for success either in college or today's workplace.
The courses they do take often fail to maintain their interest in school
at all.

![](media/image2.pct)The results are high dropout rates and
"drift-outs" - college students who do not return for a second year of
college. A large number of these students stumble at the starting line,
requiring remediation in math, reading and writing, and other basic
subjects before they can enroll in college-level courses. More than
one-quarter of the freshmen at 4-year colleges -- and nearly half of
those at 2-year colleges -- do not advance to their second year.

In the meantime, employers continue to bemoan the lack of needed
academic skills among workers and the shortage of qualified applicants
for jobs that require advanced education and training. Skills shortages
accompany high unemployment in part because high school students have
not been prepared to meet the academic challenges of the 21^st^ Century.

### Content Counts

Twenty years ago the report *A Nation at Risk* called for more academic
course-taking among high school students. In it, the National Commission
on Excellence in Education defined the "New Basics": four years of
English, three years math, three years science and, in the language of
the time, one-half credit of computer science (plus two years of foreign
language for the "college-bound").

In response, most states upgraded their graduation requirements to more
closely match the Commission's recommendations. But national data
indicate that academic achievement in high school reading, math and
science has been mostly stagnant for decades.[^3] Why might this be so?

We now know that the issue is not solely how many credits of a subject
with a fixed title (e.g., one-half credit "computer science") a student
takes, but the content and rigor of courses students take as well. A
rigorous core academic curriculum built on high standards is key to
increasing expectations for all students.

**Students of all abilities learn more in academically rigorous
courses.** There are several documented benefits for students who take
challenging academic classes in high school, especially for those
students considered "at risk" of failing:[^4]

-   Those who enter high school with test scores in the lowest quartile
    learn more in academically rigorous courses than they do in either
    the low-level vocational or general courses in which they are
    traditionally enrolled.[^5]

-   Students are more likely to pass high-level courses than low-level
    courses. Thus, the research suggests that increasing access by all
    students to advanced academic course work will improve student
    academic achievement.[^6]

-   Students expected to master more demanding curricula are more likely
    to persist in school, achieve at higher levels, and be better
    prepared for the workforce after their formal education ends.[^7]

Yet the progress of the last 20 years has not been sufficient to that
end.

**Too few students are taking rigorous courses.** Too few students are
taking the kind of courses they need to succeed in - or even be admitted
to - college. Students from low-income families, those whose parents did
not earn a postsecondary credential, and those who attended high schools
in which a large proportion of the students are eligible for free or
reduced-price lunch, are less likely to have completed a rigorous high
school academic curriculum than their more advantaged counterparts.[^8]

Students take less demanding academic courses for a number of reasons:

-   Their high school does not offer a sufficient number of rigorous
    academic courses.

-   They do not receive clear guidance from counselors or teachers about
    the courses they need to complete to prepare for postsecondary
    education.

-   They are not aware that they are compromising their future success
    in life by taking low-level courses.

-   In many states, high school graduation requirements are not aligned
    with the minimum requirements public 4-year and "open enrollment"
    community colleges and universities set for placement in
    college-level courses.[^9]

**Postsecondary education or training is for virtually everyone.**
Certainly not every youth need attend a traditional 4-year college. But
virtually every youth will need some sort of postsecondary education and
training. The economic and moral challenge we face is to make sure each
student is adequately prepared with an academic foundation to take
advantage of whatever future education and training he or she chooses. A
strong set of academic skills and the habits and attitudes that
accompany success in school also will help students entering meaningful
employment immediately after high school.

### Strategies 

Implementation of the *No Child Left Behind Act* provides an excellent
opportunity for states and educators everywhere to prepare strategies to
address the expectations issue. Each state is required to establish
minimum levels of high school proficiency in reading and mathematics
that every high school student is expected to reach by 2013-2014, create
definitions of "proficiency," and, along with the school districts
themselves, report adequate yearly progress.

The Act will cause educators and policymakers to rethink expectations,
organization, administration, curriculum, instruction, and support
services needed to meet required levels of proficiency. These
definitions of proficiency certainly should indicate a readiness for the
world of further education and meaningful employment.

**Steps to success.** Of course it is easier to argue for a more
demanding curriculum than it is to implement one. Given the mismatch
between state graduation requirements, state assessments, and college
admission and placement test specifications, states need to bring both
college and K-12 educators together with policymakers and the business
community to iron out these differences. Since most advanced courses
require successful completion of certain prerequisites, policymakers,
school districts, and schools need to work to create opportunities for
all students to take and succeed in these prerequisites.

Students may need extra support in order to prepare themselves for
advanced study. Schools can offer summer school courses to help students
get back \"in step\" with certain course prerequisites. And, to ensure
that students will not decline to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes
because of the cost, the U.S. Department of Education, some states and
many districts are subsidizing AP exam fees for all AP students.

Teachers\' attitudes and instructional skills are also important. Once
students are taking high-level courses, they need knowledgeable teachers
who can provide instruction equal to the quality of the content. Given
the lack of highly qualified teachers in many core academic fields and
the limited experiences of others teaching advanced courses, states,
districts and schools need to implement teacher preparation and
in-service professional development strategies that are aimed squarely
at this challenge.

Students may need incentives to encourage them to enroll in advanced
courses. Part of the answer here is making students aware of the time
and increased ease of college transition that can accrue to students who
get high scores on AP exams.

By carefully charting student course-enrollment data, disaggregating it
by race/ethnicity, first language and socioeconomic status, schools will
be able to ensure that not only are they providing the courses for
students to complete the recommended curriculum but also that all
students are taking advantage of the courses available in the school.

**A rich and deep curriculum.** A rich and deep curriculum is at least
as important as the *number* of academic courses students encounter.
This requires more than assigning all students to "college prep"
courses. Existing advanced courses generally demand greater effort and
pose greater intellectual challenges for students; however, even
advanced courses must be marked by innovation that keeps the curriculum
relevant to an ever-changing world. And requiring more rigor does not
mean that all students need approach such subject matter in exactly the
same way.

The choice is not between rigor and innovation, or avoiding rigor
altogether but---a better option---creating multiple pathways that
correspond to *differences* in student interests, aspirations, and
talents to meet the *common* goal of proficiency needed to advance in
the worlds of education and employment.

### Promising Models for Increasing Access to Rigorous Core Academic Curriculum

There are a number of specific programs currently attempting to increase
the rigor of high school academic offerings for all students. These may
serve as models, in whole or part, for policymakers and educators in
developing and promoting their own strategies:

-   **The State Scholars Initiative** is a federally-funded program that
    funds business and education partnerships to promote to students the
    benefits of following a core academic curriculum: four years of
    English; three years of math including Algebra 1 and 2 and geometry;
    biology, chemistry and physics; three and one-half years of social
    studies including economics; and two years of a foreign language.
    <http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/hs/factsh/ssi.doc>.

-   **High Schools That Work** is a network of over 1,000 high schools
    throughout the eastern United States that helps schools develop,
    among other components, a curriculum similar to the State Scholars
    Initiative as well as four courses in a planned career/technical
    concentration for most students.
    [www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/hstwindex.asp](http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/hstwindex.asp)

-   **First Things First** and **Talent Development High Schools** are
    two reform networks designed to promote specific interventions in
    reading, mathematics and other subjects within ninth-grade
    academies, schools-within-schools, career academies and other
    environments to encourage development of higher expectations.
    [www.irre.org/ftf](http://www.irre.org/ftf)
    [www.csos.jhu.edu/tdhs](http://www.csos.jhu.edu/tdhs)

-   **The International Baccalaureate (IB) program** is an advanced,
    internationally recognized curriculum that offers 11^th^ and 12^th^
    grade students an opportunity to earn the IB Diploma. Students
    complete and test in six IB subjects; write an extended essay based
    on independent research; complete 150 hours of creative and service
    activity (for example, arts, sports, community service); and
    participate in a critical thinking course. The program is offered in
    over 1,425 public and private secondary schools in more than 115
    countries around the world. <http://www.ibo.org/>

-   **Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)** works to ensure
    that all students complete a rigorous college-preparatory path and
    increase enrollment in 4-year colleges. Students typically enter the
    program in middle school and take an elective AVID class that
    focuses on writing and inquiry. Other activities focus on
    motivation, study skills and preparation for college entrance and
    placement examinations. AVID, which began in California, now reaches
    over 70,000 middle and high school students in more than 1,500
    schools in 21 states and 15 countries.
    [http://www.avidonline.org](http://www.avidonline.org/)

### Conclusion

High schools must let go of long-held myths and perceptions about who
can learn and who cannot so that all youth can reach high academic
standards. Unfortunately, some of the biggest skeptics are those whose
job it is to believe in students; secondary educators who believe that
certain social groups or students are slower to learn and react by
lowering the bar for performance, robbing those groups of opportunities
to grow intellectually and achieve their dreams. Yet the fact that there
are thousands of teachers who are producing promising results offers
hope that not only *can* high schools raise expectations, but that they
also can help all students meet them. The urgency is for the
**majority** of schools to learn from their example.

### Endnotes

[^1]: "Quality Counts 2003." *Education Week.* February 5, 2003.
    Available www.edweek. org/sreports/qc03.

[^2]: Ingels, S.J., Curtin, T.R., Kaufman, P., Alt, M.N., and Chen, X.
    *Coming of Age in the*

    *1990s: The Eighth-Grade Class of 1988, 12 Years Later*. (NCES
    2002--321). Washington, DC:

    U.S. Department of Education, NCES.
    <http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/nels88/>.

[^3]: U.S. Department of Education, NCES. 2000. *NAEP Trends in Academic
    Progress: Three Decades of Student Performance (NCES 2000-469).*
    Washington, DC.

[^4]: Adelman, Clifford. *Answers in the Toolbox: Academic Intensity,
    Attendance Patterns and Bachelor's Degree Attainment*. (Washington:
    U.S. Department of Education, 1999). Available
    <http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Toolbox/index.html>.

[^5]: Levesque, K. et al. *Vocational Education in the United States:
    Toward the Year 2000*. NCES 2000--029. U.S. Department of Education,
    NCES, 2000. <http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000029.pdf>.

[^6]: Hallinan, Maureen T. "Ability Grouping and Student Learning,"
    Prepared for Brookings Papers on Education Policy Conference: *The
    American High School Today, The Brookings Institution.* Washington,
    DC, May 14-15, 2002.

[^7]: Adelman, Clifford. "Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity,
    Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor's Degree Attainment," Web-Based
    Version, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC, 1999.

[^8]: Lee, Valerie*. Restructuring High Schools for Equity and
    Excellence.* (New York: Teachers College Press, 2001). Available for
    a fee from Teachers College Press:
    www.store.tcpress.com/0807740543.shtml.

[^9]: Kirst, Michael. *Betraying the College Dream.* (Berkeley: Hoover
    Institute, 2003). Available
    [[www.stanford.edu/group/bridgeproject/embargoed/embargoed_policybrief.pdf]{.underline}](http://www.stanford.edu/group/bridgeproject/embargoed/embargoed_policybrief.pdf).

    > This paper is one of a series produced in conjunction with the
    > U.S. Secretary of Education\'s ***High School Leadership
    > Summit***. For more information about the U.S. Department of
    > Education\'s work on high schools, visit
    > <http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/hsinit/index.html>.