I think it curious that the education powers that be in North Carolina want to institute this new default curriculum which in effect makes all high schools students college prep students, yet they turn around and raise college tuition rates in North Carolina, See http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/541772.html. It really does not make sense to have such a curriculum when many of those prepared for college will not be able to afford it. Talk about creating FALSE HOPE. This default curriculum is a landmark to false hopes in the future.

John, I hadn't really gotten that far in my thought process, thanks for pointing that out. You make a very valid point, but I wonder what College Prep REALLY means?

John, I think we are doing a huge diservice to our youth who are not or who even should not be college bound. I do not believe that all young people should go to college. Not just the poor, but those whose talents lie beyond the classroom. Information learned in courses rarely reveal themselves to the average citizen, yet are used to guide our future. I know I wouldn't know where to begin in fixing my own car engine, repairing my plumbing and/or electrical problems, yet there are so many intelligent and gifted people without college degrees who can do these things for me. We tell these kids that because of their lack of interest and or ability in the classroom that they are somehow less than worthy. We have turned ourselved into such a judgemental society basing all worth and talent on a series of courses. How did we get to this place and how do we correct it now?

Rosanna,
When you said, "I think we are doing a huge diservice to our youth who are not or who even should not be college bound. I do not believe that all young people should go to college," I was reminded of teachers who looked at students from an educated, upper-class perspective and judged every child's potential by his/her parents' pocketbook. Because people don't always have the ability to discern potential success in children, I think we should do all that we can to enable everyone of them to make the choice when the time comes. This means they have to be given the basic courses(college prep) long before they are capable of deciding on their future. This dilemma puts teachers and schools in a position where they can't win by any standards-state or other.

Jackie, I agree that to tell a child who has potential to attend college that he will not succeed there is a great wrong. However, there are many who we all know do not have the ability level to succeed there. We've had them in our classroom. Sometimes they do not have the physical ability to do college level work. Sometimes they do not have the motivation levels to sustain the effort necessary. In both of these cases I think we may do a greater disservice by setting them up for disappointment. I do not think that pushing all students to college is the answer. Even Thomas Friedman in The World Is Flat does not advocate for that. He points out that we need to be creating graduates who are capable of learning, relearning, and retraining for the rest of their lives. Does a college prep curriculum, one-size-fits-all, course of study provide that kind of graduate? Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps we need to quit believing that more courses, more rigorous courses are better. Perhaps if we focused intensely on teaching better. Education is becoming mentally ill. If something isn't working, throw the whole thing out and start over. There are successes. We do not need to keep reforming for all eternity.

John,
I understand the kind of student you are talking about, but I have often seen students who have potential lumped into the slow group headed for the workforce straight out of high school because teachers and counselors did not take the time to show them how to get "in." Today, even the exceptional child can get into community college by taking remedial classes which will prepare him for the regular track toward a certification area or skill. Community college is still college.

Jackie,
Community college is college, but I am not sure that is what John is meaning. With the new graduation requirements, such as two years of foreign language, a math beyond Alg 2, etc...and having to make a level 3 or 4 on an EOC to pass-is crazy to think that all students can achieve this. Yes, we want our students to push thrmselves as far as they can personally go, but to push some students to these extremes is unfair and totally unrealistic.
We will see a greater divide between those that are able to abide by these new standards and those that can not-talk about increasing the drop out rate?! We haven't seen high, yet if this is the direction education is going.
NC did have a great idea in that we offer 4 diploma programs-College Prep, College Tech Prep, Career Tech, and Occupational COS. It seems to me that we are now solely putting all students in the College Prep program (track)...and though community college is college, these new achievement standards go beyond what community colleges require.

Some lower achieving students do have visions of attending a comm. college or "just gettign a diploma"-that is a feat for many. But to now hold them all to such a high level will pose adverse problems in society later on.

I agree Leigh Anne, I do not by any means want to sell a child short or hinder possible choices. I do however feel that we were all born with special gifts and talents. Those who are masterful in the arts may not be as successful in mathematics. Others may be fluent in three languages yet memorizing dates for American History is next to impossible. We are not allowing for more choices by judging all children the same way, in fact we are indeed limiting their choice to Universities and/or Institutions that we as a biased society deem worthy of attendance. Einstein would definately would not have been considered "college bound" by our standards. Culinary Schools, Art Institutes, Community College programs are all viable options for many students. I personally don't care if the chef who prepares my meal at Tripps could pass Algebra 2. I do, however care that he knows proper food prep and health care skills. Either way, I'm sure s/he's making more money than we are!! I think our society is "one tracked" in more than one way!!

What amazes me is that even when the students have a plan for their future in something they are interested in (mechanic, culinary institute, ... whatever), many times it's the parents who say "No, you are going to college." As a parent I know that you want what is best for your child. However, forcing them to take Geometry, Algebra 2, and Discrete Math in order to graduate college university prep is not always what is best for THAT child.

We as educators cannot make those decisions of who is what pathway. However, I wish some parents would be more receptive to their child's desires as well.