Broader Horizons
The Challenge of College Readiness for All Students
June 11, 2009
- Education About Graduation Briefs"United States", "AL" => "Alabama", "AK" => "Alaska", "AZ" => "Arizona", "AR" => "Arkansas", "CA" => "California", "CO" => "Colorado", "CT" => "Connecticut", "DE" => "Delaware", "DC" => "District of Columbia", "FL" => "Florida", "GA" => "Georgia", "HI" => "Hawaii", "ID" => "Idaho", "IL" => "Illinois", "IN" => "Indiana", "IA" => "Iowa", "KS" => "Kansas", "KY" => "Kentucky", "LA" => "Louisiana", "ME" => "Maine", "MD" => "Maryland", "MA" => "Massachusetts", "MI" => "Michigan", "MN" => "Minnesota", "MS" => "Mississippi", "MO" => "Missouri", "MT" => "Montana", "NE" => "Nebraska", "NV" => "Nevada", "NH" => "New Hampshire", "NJ" => "New Jersey", "NM" => "New Mexico", "NY" => "New York", "NC" => "North Carolina", "ND" => "North Dakota", "OH" => "Ohio", "OK" => "Oklahoma", "OR" => "Oregon", "PA" => "Pennsylvania", "RI" => "Rhode Island", "SC" => "South Carolina", "SD" => "South Dakota", "TN" => "Tennessee", "TX" => "Texas", "UT" => "Utah", "VT" => "Vermont", "VA" => "Virginia", "WA" => "Washington", "WV" => "West Virginia", "WI" => "Wisconsin", "WY" => "Wyoming" ); ?>States State of the States (Diplomas Count 2009)More states are spelling out a definition of college ready.Federal Gauging Graduation, Pinpointing ProgressSome observers have argued that graduation rates are failing to reach a level necessary to put the United States on a solid footing in a competitive global economy.
Federal Enthusiasm Builds for Data SystemsEnthusiasts are convinced that data can be a critical lever in helping schools focus on what matters in preparing students for college.Federal Beyond a Focus on GraduationAt a time when only seven in 10 American students graduate from high school in four years, an ambitious new president is demanding that the nation raise its educational sights even higher.IT Infrastructure & Management Executive SummaryWhat it means to be ready to attend college is open to argument, with no firm consensus on how to measure college readiness or ensure that all students clear such a bar.
Federal Florida Schools Steer by NumbersFlorida has been hailed as one of the nation’s bright spots in the use of longitudinal data, with a history of building an information-rich “data warehouse” that connects K-12, postsecondary, and workforce information.
School & District Management Opinion Leadership Key to Creating Data Systems"Our goal is to put data systems to work so that by the time our students graduate from high school, we can award them a diploma with confidence that they are well prepared for the real world that awaits them," writes Edward G. Rendell.Federal NCLB Rules Back Common RateFederal regulations have opened a door that allows schools to get credit under the No Child Left Behind Act for students who take five or more years to earn a high school diploma.School & District Management Opinion Smart, Bold Reform for Powerful SchoolsSchool systems prosper when they have opportunities to learn from a research and data capacity that can inform school design and tactics to increase graduation, writes Michele Cahill.Education Sources and NotesDEFINING READINESS
College-readiness definition: State has formal expectations for what students will need to know and be able to do in order to be admitted to state’s two-year and/or four-year institutions and enroll in credit-bearing courses. State approaches to defining college readiness have been classified into the following categories: courses, skills, standards, and tests. Some states’ definitions may include elements that do not fall into categories established for this analysis. EPE Research Center annual state policy survey (2008-09 school year), 2008.
Federal Building a Culture Aimed at CollegeAs the national drumbeat for college readiness grows louder, policymakers and scholars trumpet the potent role that a school’s “college-going culture” can play.
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion 'College for All' Is Making Me a Bit Nervous"The idea of 'college for everyone' is a road paved with good intentions, but locking every student into a college path is actually limiting," writes Mel J. Riddle.Curriculum Consensus on Meaning of 'Readiness' Remains ElusiveThe backdrop for policy debates continues to be formed by a host of disconcerting statistics about the college readiness and college-completion rates of American students.
