Parents,
What do you think the role of high school should be?
An interesting question… different countries have different objectives for HS. Even within the same country, there are different objectives for college-track vs non-college-track students.
For the ambitious college-track student, HS is an arena to showcase abilities for college admission.
Great question.
I would suggest that, ideally, it’s college-prep or vocational training.
I once posed a very similar question to a guidance counselor at my oldest’s former high school (where we were paying alot of tuition $$$ and I was starting to question the value). Her answer to me, to the point of high school: SURVIVAL.
Keep teenagers occupied so parents can go to work?
Train students in unquestioning obedience and repetitive busywork, so they will be good corporate slaves.
Been reading Gatto’s books, sorghum? My kids would fail miserably if obedience and trust of authority were tested.
A HS graduate should have basic literacy and knowledge to get through life in our society, and be able to spot BS. The last skill is not taught so well.
High School should prepare for college. Yes, prepare for college every single kid, so after graduation, they are able to attend the college without taking any remedial type of classes at college. High School should not be engaged in interfering with family values.
Basic literary should be obtained in the middle school. But this is a topic for another thread. Nope, HS should not be covering for the missing of basic literacy that was not obtained in the middle school.
I would say exploring the opportunities and interests.
This is the first time in their lives the kids have the actual access to the specific subjects: bio, chem, physics, lit, foreign language etc. (it’s all “science” and “social studies/language arts” and crappy boring math in Middle school anyway) It gives them the chance to see which subject they like best, what they want to study more.
Continue or re-evaluate existing interests and/or try something new (maybe a theatre should replace that violin or some volunteering work will be more fulfilling than a science olympiad?)
Another role of High school I see is to teach them working, studying at the college level, test if they are up to it.
And overall, if the school is doing its job, it should be more or less clear by the end of Junior year which kid will do well in a competitive college and which will try CC first and which will just go working without any extra intellectual challenges.
Roughly 40% of kids do not go to college. Of those who do, roughly 40% do not graduate. Of those who graduate, roughly 40% work in jobs that did not require a college education.
That leaves 20-some percent who benefit from a college prep HS curriculum, and 70-some percent for whom much of it was wasted effort and should have been concentrating of something else. I’m all for a lifelong commitment to acquiring knowledge, but as these are largely taxpayer funded schools, removing shop classes for more AP offerings is not efficient use of resources.
On the one hand hopefully high school begins/further instills skills that may serve them well in future (eg time management, analytic ability, ability to work/communicate with others, problem solve, etc). On the other hand being in high school lessens time available for kids to get into mischief, commit crimes, get pregnant (although I have to acknowledge that this last activity doesn’t need a lot of time), etc.
I agree that not all kids need a college prep curriculum. However, leaving college before graduating or working in a field that does not require a degree does not automatically mean that you should not have gone to college or that a college prep curriculum in high school was not appropriate.
Thanks for all of your thoughtful responses. I will share this with my peers.
Disagree with post #6 about “not interfering with family values”. It all depends what those are. Some ideas need to be challenged and ways questioned.
US HS education is a continuation of critical thinking, skills mastery and knowledge foundation building. It also includes learning to deal with peers- social skills, gradual taking charge of one’s life and other transitions to adulthood. Our current day society has the luxury of letting teens attend school instead of needing to work like my grandfather did after 8th grade. Likewise college is available to many more than in my parents, and even my, generation.
I like that every student can get the same diploma- despite some areas choosing different wording it is still a statement of being a HS grad.
However, many people who do not have bachelor’s degrees do have jobs that require some post-high-school education and training (and not just as a credential check box as is sometimes the case with bachelor’s degrees). Consider the education needed in the skilled trades, police academy, fire academy, etc… A solid base of knowledge and thinking skill in reading, writing, and math in high school will certainly help someone going into such career directions. Knowledge of these and other subjects like social studies and science can be helpful in daily life situations and decisions as well.