In this Education Week Commentary, Rona Wilensky, the principal of New Vista High School in Boulder, Colo., questions the proposals announced by the some of country’s “education governors” to fix the nation’s high schools. While most policymakers raise standards before supplying the means to meet them, Wilensky argues for a reversal of this trend: Give schools and educators the necessary resources before requiring them to implement reform.
Without first providing the support needed to meet raised standards, warns Wilensky, we are simply raising standards to an even more unattainable height for underprivileged students.
What do you think? Can raising state academic standards have the unintended effect of locking many underprivileged students out of future opportunities for which they would likely be qualified? Are higher academic expectations enough, or do political leaders need to focus more on improving resources and policies?
