OSMTECHFUTURES
Monday, November 07, 2005
Folks:
FAST FORWARD Novmeber 7, 2005
OSMTech LIVES
Once Threatened Science Academy Finds New Life
Of The Oakland Press
CLARKSTON - On a digital chalkboard facing about a dozen students enrolled in the Oakland Science, Mathematics and Technology academy, math teacher Kyle Hughes explained the intricacies of a two-dimensional scurve created by a polynomial equation the students had been asked to solve.
While the veteran OSMTech instructor offered both explanation and further queries, students punched away busily at scientific calculators wired into a computer system driving the digital chalkboard display.
Soon, student-generated graphs began to align on the correct answer's plot.
"I don't remember the last time I've felt so creative," Hughes said.
The comment offers stark contrast to sentiment surrounding the program just over a year ago.
It was then that the very future of OSMTech came into question. Run by Oakland Schools as a pilot program since 1994, the integrated curriculum approach to math and science education had been scheduled for termination due to funding and enrollment challenges.
But an alarming outcry from students, parents, educators and other advocates kept discussion of preserving the academy alive. In light of this and the tremendous success OSMTech graduates have achieved, Oakland Schools elected to extend the program temporarily.
Meanwhile, Clarkston Community Schools Superintendent Al Roberts and a number of other program advocates began formulating a plan to adopt administration of OSMTech. This fall, two of the program's original teachers and a newly hired math and physics teacher opened a new chapter for the program in a handful of classrooms at Clarkston High School.
"This is a fairy tale ending to a very rocky road," Hughes said.
In many ways, OSMTech continues to offer students the same hands-on learning experiences they came to appreciate while attending classes at Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northwest in Clarkston. Some course offerings have been changed and two teachers associated with the program are no longer involved.
But both Hughes and fellow founding teacher Mike Olsen say the availability of new technology and a great deal of flexibility in integrating it into classroom lessons has given OSMTech new life and hopes for an exciting future.
Students say despite having to adjust to a new location and some changes in program rules, the academy is as rewarding as ever.
"We all want to be here to learn and there's no one holding us back," said Stevi Edmunds, a Brandon High School senior. "(The instructors) get to know us better and tend to push us harder to do well."
In that sense, little has changed. Students can still expect to be given rigorous lessons in advanced math, biology, chemistry, physics and technology.
"We're going above and beyond what you would see even in a regular (advanced placement) class," said Jesse Luezey, a Clarkston High School senior.
"It's more of a challenge," added fellow Clarkston senior Brad Gale.
Now working through a rebuilding phase, teachers and administrators are looking at a number of ideas for expansion, including welcoming more than the four school districts now participating and possibly creating an eighth- through ninth-grade feeder academy.
Hughes said she is also taking time to savor what feels like starting a new career.
"To get the kids inspired is huge," she said. "I know each one of these kids is going to go out and make a difference in the world."
Olsen agreed, adding, "They say that teaching is a profession of delayed gratifi cation, but we're gratified to be here on a daily basis."
Click here to return to story:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/110705/loc_2005110702.shtml
FAST FORWARD Novmeber 7, 2005
OSMTech LIVES
Once Threatened Science Academy Finds New Life
Of The Oakland Press
CLARKSTON - On a digital chalkboard facing about a dozen students enrolled in the Oakland Science, Mathematics and Technology academy, math teacher Kyle Hughes explained the intricacies of a two-dimensional scurve created by a polynomial equation the students had been asked to solve.
While the veteran OSMTech instructor offered both explanation and further queries, students punched away busily at scientific calculators wired into a computer system driving the digital chalkboard display.
Soon, student-generated graphs began to align on the correct answer's plot.
"I don't remember the last time I've felt so creative," Hughes said.
The comment offers stark contrast to sentiment surrounding the program just over a year ago.
It was then that the very future of OSMTech came into question. Run by Oakland Schools as a pilot program since 1994, the integrated curriculum approach to math and science education had been scheduled for termination due to funding and enrollment challenges.
But an alarming outcry from students, parents, educators and other advocates kept discussion of preserving the academy alive. In light of this and the tremendous success OSMTech graduates have achieved, Oakland Schools elected to extend the program temporarily.
Meanwhile, Clarkston Community Schools Superintendent Al Roberts and a number of other program advocates began formulating a plan to adopt administration of OSMTech. This fall, two of the program's original teachers and a newly hired math and physics teacher opened a new chapter for the program in a handful of classrooms at Clarkston High School.
"This is a fairy tale ending to a very rocky road," Hughes said.
In many ways, OSMTech continues to offer students the same hands-on learning experiences they came to appreciate while attending classes at Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northwest in Clarkston. Some course offerings have been changed and two teachers associated with the program are no longer involved.
But both Hughes and fellow founding teacher Mike Olsen say the availability of new technology and a great deal of flexibility in integrating it into classroom lessons has given OSMTech new life and hopes for an exciting future.
Students say despite having to adjust to a new location and some changes in program rules, the academy is as rewarding as ever.
"We all want to be here to learn and there's no one holding us back," said Stevi Edmunds, a Brandon High School senior. "(The instructors) get to know us better and tend to push us harder to do well."
In that sense, little has changed. Students can still expect to be given rigorous lessons in advanced math, biology, chemistry, physics and technology.
"We're going above and beyond what you would see even in a regular (advanced placement) class," said Jesse Luezey, a Clarkston High School senior.
"It's more of a challenge," added fellow Clarkston senior Brad Gale.
Now working through a rebuilding phase, teachers and administrators are looking at a number of ideas for expansion, including welcoming more than the four school districts now participating and possibly creating an eighth- through ninth-grade feeder academy.
Hughes said she is also taking time to savor what feels like starting a new career.
"To get the kids inspired is huge," she said. "I know each one of these kids is going to go out and make a difference in the world."
Olsen agreed, adding, "They say that teaching is a profession of delayed gratifi cation, but we're gratified to be here on a daily basis."
Click here to return to story:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/110705/loc_2005110702.shtml
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Folks:
The Virtual Enterprise program at City University New York (CUNY) is an interesting concept in education.
http://www.ive.kbcc.cuny.edu/
Best,
Jim
The Virtual Enterprise program at City University New York (CUNY) is an interesting concept in education.
http://www.ive.kbcc.cuny.edu/
Best,
Jim
Friday, March 25, 2005
Folks:
Laptops and Learning in 21st Century Classrooms and the Wireless Oakland initiative for K-12 Education we are working on.
http://www.techlearning.com/content/epubs/laptops/
Best,
Jim
Laptops and Learning in 21st Century Classrooms and the Wireless Oakland initiative for K-12 Education we are working on.
http://www.techlearning.com/content/epubs/laptops/
Best,
Jim
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Folks:
May the God's of Excellence be with You!
First Robotics competition coming soon: The terrific FIRST Robotics Challenge regional competitions are coming to Michigan, with the Great Lakes Regional March 11-12 at Eastern Michigan University, and the Detroit Regional March 18-19 at Wayne State University. The events are sponsored by inventor Dean Kamen's nonprofit group FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. And it's a big deal -- Michigan has 98 teams, made up of about 3,500 high school students and mentors. The teams had six weeks to design, build and test their robots. Every robot was completed and shipped by Feb. 22 to be eligible to participate in any of the 31 regionals across the United States and Canada. The robots complete on a "playing field" 48 by 24 feet, where they must complete assigned tasks. The program comes complete with referees, cheerleaders and time clocks. "This program is key to developing Michigan's future great innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs," said David C. Hollister, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, the leading sponsor of Michigan's three regionals. More at www.usfirst.org.
Best,
Jim
May the God's of Excellence be with You!
First Robotics competition coming soon: The terrific FIRST Robotics Challenge regional competitions are coming to Michigan, with the Great Lakes Regional March 11-12 at Eastern Michigan University, and the Detroit Regional March 18-19 at Wayne State University. The events are sponsored by inventor Dean Kamen's nonprofit group FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. And it's a big deal -- Michigan has 98 teams, made up of about 3,500 high school students and mentors. The teams had six weeks to design, build and test their robots. Every robot was completed and shipped by Feb. 22 to be eligible to participate in any of the 31 regionals across the United States and Canada. The robots complete on a "playing field" 48 by 24 feet, where they must complete assigned tasks. The program comes complete with referees, cheerleaders and time clocks. "This program is key to developing Michigan's future great innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs," said David C. Hollister, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, the leading sponsor of Michigan's three regionals. More at www.usfirst.org.
Best,
Jim
Folks;
Something on the INNOVATION PROCESS!
Something on the INNOVATION PROCESS!
How to Innovate Faster, Cheaper, Better
At Space Exploration Technologies, innovation is measured in small, incremental improvements. Here's how they do it.
From: Issue 91| February 2005 | Page 77 By: Jennifer Reingold
Stinginess Is a Virtue
Founder Elon Musk asks employees to come up with creative ways to save money. Cutting out middlemen, rooting through industrial junkyards, manufacturing a part in-house rather than buying it: Anything goes.
Borrow From the Best
Some engineers believe that everything they work on must be original. At SpaceX, the goal is to take good ideas from anywhere and improve on them. The company has borrowed ideas from automobiles and banks, and modified and improved 40-year-old technology in its own industry.
Speedy, Not Sloppy
SpaceX's commitment to fast prototyping and testing of parts and processes gives it an edge on its competitors. At SpaceX, you make something as fast as possible and then "test the hell out of it," modifying on the fly rather than waiting until it's close to perfect.
Find the Young and the Restless
Musk thinks a small group of smart, motivated people will always outperform a large group. So he scours the world to find the bored and the brilliant. Virtually all employees "own" a piece of the rocket, says Gwynne Shotwell, VP of business development, and they can call the launch off if they're worried about that piece.
Best,
jim
Folks:
A couple of follw-ups to the Governors Summit 2005. THINK OSTMTECH!
Summit Fuels Push to Improve (reinvent) High Schools
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/03/09/26summit.h24.html?rale=l4RcsgF70mPtCaS2ek8aL%2FHim3s5xG%2FF3CajVDMnTB%2F7rwDD3eXZYS8C3QVSanHw1AVk29jbQRIO%0AWwxE2Fmwdp5ere2Jhr%2FnmpVsfwBwrS1d93iCKqpCgfKC6m%2BGXTB57byKbC%2FxXlzVf5KN%2Ff%2B%2FiC8c%0AOGA7ZSmsNfC48Bai4g%2BGwudoEVM10OkTBuz9ADset2C2yMccHJbjnk8O1T3fjy8cOGA7ZSmsPtzg%0Ao%2FrzvN9bPaaGAUrzXMlyX00o5kiZ1KTOmt7uWdWSmv%2BYUnFzcnY7n0izFu6v5kl9LBPKzi2Xx5%2BD%0ApgLrkrqeEW0%2Fk%2BFQa9wUQyvcTzuzNz1Jj0cKXw5bDETYWbB2CJofU4EKdvaEq1TTqUHXgdSVBzUT%0Aqwxn5NNbFJzJ0iEohrglxQLzhA5bDETYWbB2nl6t7YmGv%2BdC9fpb3LoayZK%2BbDCgyemfv9sAsdf4%0A%2FwOHsYa2Y1wQxXGENAtTcBxrxgf9nEhov82mAE5GC82ob1g%2BkCV6dXqHh3V1sl%2BNFkt8SPY5khM4%0AYUpV%2FBERb8A0jR2uPgpaRd5Df7L9230sfw%2BvdcSel4vmAS%2BI6TR3ZLyYEv3QnULbB%2BZ1pWEhmI9c%0AS7w7eUsA0EwZ%2BJNb1w0zZqOBb3kZ2X8qc%2FXN10IiN8Bru7G6xPqRYU49nY0nmVl08ulte5t6kzE%3D
FIRST THINGS FIRST / Variations on a Theme /MODEL
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/03/09/26firstthings.h24.html
Best,
Jim
A couple of follw-ups to the Governors Summit 2005. THINK OSTMTECH!
Summit Fuels Push to Improve (reinvent) High Schools
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/03/09/26summit.h24.html?rale=l4RcsgF70mPtCaS2ek8aL%2FHim3s5xG%2FF3CajVDMnTB%2F7rwDD3eXZYS8C3QVSanHw1AVk29jbQRIO%0AWwxE2Fmwdp5ere2Jhr%2FnmpVsfwBwrS1d93iCKqpCgfKC6m%2BGXTB57byKbC%2FxXlzVf5KN%2Ff%2B%2FiC8c%0AOGA7ZSmsNfC48Bai4g%2BGwudoEVM10OkTBuz9ADset2C2yMccHJbjnk8O1T3fjy8cOGA7ZSmsPtzg%0Ao%2FrzvN9bPaaGAUrzXMlyX00o5kiZ1KTOmt7uWdWSmv%2BYUnFzcnY7n0izFu6v5kl9LBPKzi2Xx5%2BD%0ApgLrkrqeEW0%2Fk%2BFQa9wUQyvcTzuzNz1Jj0cKXw5bDETYWbB2CJofU4EKdvaEq1TTqUHXgdSVBzUT%0Aqwxn5NNbFJzJ0iEohrglxQLzhA5bDETYWbB2nl6t7YmGv%2BdC9fpb3LoayZK%2BbDCgyemfv9sAsdf4%0A%2FwOHsYa2Y1wQxXGENAtTcBxrxgf9nEhov82mAE5GC82ob1g%2BkCV6dXqHh3V1sl%2BNFkt8SPY5khM4%0AYUpV%2FBERb8A0jR2uPgpaRd5Df7L9230sfw%2BvdcSel4vmAS%2BI6TR3ZLyYEv3QnULbB%2BZ1pWEhmI9c%0AS7w7eUsA0EwZ%2BJNb1w0zZqOBb3kZ2X8qc%2FXN10IiN8Bru7G6xPqRYU49nY0nmVl08ulte5t6kzE%3D
FIRST THINGS FIRST / Variations on a Theme /MODEL
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/03/09/26firstthings.h24.html
Best,
Jim
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Folks;
Governors Summit on reinventing High Schools and K-12 Education
http://www.2005summit.org/
Best,
Jim
Governors Summit on reinventing High Schools and K-12 Education
http://www.2005summit.org/
Best,
Jim
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Folks:
Here is something that resonates with students (at least the ones I've come in contact with). Some of them attended and particpated in the Sol Conference 2004 and delivered this message. One which they continue to aspire to. It appears Mr. Roberts has caught the message as well.
Best,
Jim
Students offer ideas on education
"One student says teachers need to interact more, rather than just talk"
Of The Daily Oakland Press
About 50 Pontiac high school students demonstrated Wednesday that, like politicians, school administrators, teachers and parents, they too have a few ideas about education reform.
"We don't want the teacher to just stand in front of us and talk our heads off," said Pontiac Central junior Jessica Griggs. "We want to interact."
Griggs and other students shared ideas about helping students achieve as part of a day-long event sponsored by the Pontiac-based National Civility Center.
Established in 2000, the nonprofit organization works to help individuals and institutions advocate for a broad array of improvements in their communities.
Executive Director Kent Roberts said he organized Wednesday's event, as well as three others statewide, to prepare for a series of education reform conferences being organized by Michigan State University, the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and the Michigan Department of Education.
"I told them that I'd be happy to take part in that, but on one condition - that I go to the experts first," Roberts said.
The former teacher noted that high school students can offer insightful and even profound ideas about improving student achievement - some that mirror suggestions being made by politicians and education experts.
"You've got to have faith that they will come up with the same recommendations, but they'll frame it in a better context," Roberts said. "It will be depoliticized."
Pontiac Central High School senior Kayla Henke said schools need to ensure a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students.
"If you feel accepted or if you feel like you're going to be laughed at if you get something wrong, that affects how much you're going to participate," she explained.
Students also suggested: Educators and politicians need to place less emphasis on standardized test outcomes; all teachers should demonstrate a passion for their work; and society, in general, should appreciate that different students learn in different ways.
A number of students said the responsibility of making academic achievement gains also lies in the hands of students themselves.
"I feel if more students were involved in school ... more teachers would want to put more into their work," said Meosha Lewis, a Bethune Alternative High School junior.
Roberts said a number of students who offered their thoughts on Wednesday will be invited to make presentations at coming education reform conferences. Those events are scheduled later this month and in April.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/030305/loc_20050303026.shtml
Here is something that resonates with students (at least the ones I've come in contact with). Some of them attended and particpated in the Sol Conference 2004 and delivered this message. One which they continue to aspire to. It appears Mr. Roberts has caught the message as well.
Best,
Jim
Students offer ideas on education
"One student says teachers need to interact more, rather than just talk"
Of The Daily Oakland Press
About 50 Pontiac high school students demonstrated Wednesday that, like politicians, school administrators, teachers and parents, they too have a few ideas about education reform.
"We don't want the teacher to just stand in front of us and talk our heads off," said Pontiac Central junior Jessica Griggs. "We want to interact."
Griggs and other students shared ideas about helping students achieve as part of a day-long event sponsored by the Pontiac-based National Civility Center.
Established in 2000, the nonprofit organization works to help individuals and institutions advocate for a broad array of improvements in their communities.
Executive Director Kent Roberts said he organized Wednesday's event, as well as three others statewide, to prepare for a series of education reform conferences being organized by Michigan State University, the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and the Michigan Department of Education.
"I told them that I'd be happy to take part in that, but on one condition - that I go to the experts first," Roberts said.
The former teacher noted that high school students can offer insightful and even profound ideas about improving student achievement - some that mirror suggestions being made by politicians and education experts.
"You've got to have faith that they will come up with the same recommendations, but they'll frame it in a better context," Roberts said. "It will be depoliticized."
Pontiac Central High School senior Kayla Henke said schools need to ensure a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students.
"If you feel accepted or if you feel like you're going to be laughed at if you get something wrong, that affects how much you're going to participate," she explained.
Students also suggested: Educators and politicians need to place less emphasis on standardized test outcomes; all teachers should demonstrate a passion for their work; and society, in general, should appreciate that different students learn in different ways.
A number of students said the responsibility of making academic achievement gains also lies in the hands of students themselves.
"I feel if more students were involved in school ... more teachers would want to put more into their work," said Meosha Lewis, a Bethune Alternative High School junior.
Roberts said a number of students who offered their thoughts on Wednesday will be invited to make presentations at coming education reform conferences. Those events are scheduled later this month and in April.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/030305/loc_20050303026.shtml
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Folks:
On a note of a more GLOBAL nature.
Failures in Science Infrastructure Threaten U.S.
Leadership
The United States' poor performance in science and math has placed the country in danger of losing its competitive edge in the global marketplace, says a new study by the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), a joint effort by the business and higher education communities to analyze U.S. math and science performance.
Raytheon Co. Chairman William Swanson, co-chair of Forum's Initiative on Mathematics and Science Education, called the latest data gathered by the Forum "cause for deep concern."
The report found that even though the U.S. is experiencing an undergraduate enrollment boom, enrollment in countries with emerging economies are growing faster, similar to the U.S. after World War II.
In China, enrollment rates are expanding at 10 times the rate of the U.S. Two-thirds of Chinese students earn math, science or engineering degrees, compared to about one-third of American students, BHEF said.
The BHEF report recommended long-term tactics to alleviate the teacher shortage. The report challenged business and education leaders to commit to collaborative roles to develop seamless state systems of education extending from pre-kindergarten to higher education and the workplace.
The full report can be downloaded from
http://www.bhef.com
On a note of a more GLOBAL nature.
Failures in Science Infrastructure Threaten U.S.
Leadership
The United States' poor performance in science and math has placed the country in danger of losing its competitive edge in the global marketplace, says a new study by the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), a joint effort by the business and higher education communities to analyze U.S. math and science performance.
Raytheon Co. Chairman William Swanson, co-chair of Forum's Initiative on Mathematics and Science Education, called the latest data gathered by the Forum "cause for deep concern."
The report found that even though the U.S. is experiencing an undergraduate enrollment boom, enrollment in countries with emerging economies are growing faster, similar to the U.S. after World War II.
In China, enrollment rates are expanding at 10 times the rate of the U.S. Two-thirds of Chinese students earn math, science or engineering degrees, compared to about one-third of American students, BHEF said.
The BHEF report recommended long-term tactics to alleviate the teacher shortage. The report challenged business and education leaders to commit to collaborative roles to develop seamless state systems of education extending from pre-kindergarten to higher education and the workplace.
The full report can be downloaded from
http://www.bhef.com
Folks:
A little Good News & Bad News from the President Bush.
February 23, 2005
EDITORIAL
High School Reform, Round 1
President Bush raised the country's hopes last month when he previewed a $1.5 billion initiative that would promote desperately needed reform in the American high school system. The package laid out in the president's budget proposal touches on many of the right issues, but it is underfinanced and poorly conceived - and dead on arrival in Congress, which has signaled its intent to ignore crucial provisions of Mr. Bush's proposal. The White House, which failed to push for adequate funds for its last big education initiative, the No Child Left Behind Act, has only itself to blame for failing to do the necessary preparation before unveiling this big idea.
Nevertheless, Congress should understand what's at stake here. As school reform grinds to a halt in Washington, American students are falling further and further behind their peers in Asia and Europe, where universally accessible quality schools are producing highly skilled workers at a rate that far outstrips schools in the United States.
The traditional American high school, as conceived a century ago, was never meant to produce well-educated workers in the numbers required by today's economy. Remaking the system so American students catch up with their peers abroad will require several big changes. The curriculum must become far more rigorous across the board, and that can happen only if teachers improve. The schools must offer broad-based remedial instruction to help the eye-popping 70 percent of students who arrive at high school reading too poorly to absorb the complex subject matter they will be required to cover. The system must also develop ways to ensure that students leave school with problem-solving and communication skills that will allow them to thrive in the information economy.
President Bush wants to extend right into high school the testing requirements that are mandated for the lower grades under No Child Left Behind. This page has been second to none in supporting systematic testing, but talking about tests without first addressing all the things that are wrong with the current system is putting the cart before the horse.
Mr. Bush has also proposed a package of academic interventions for struggling students that he would pay for mainly by killing off a $1.3 billion federally financed vocational education program. This figure is far short of what's needed to renovate America's ailing high school system. But the president's underlying point - that many vocational education programs obstruct academic achievement - is perfectly valid. The low-end programs prepare students for low-skill jobs that no longer exist. Worst of all, they commonly become dumping grounds for poor and minority students, who are pushed through shop classes - with no academics to speak of - and then deposited on the street after graduating with meaningless diplomas. Shockingly, the typical American high school student earns more credits in vocational education than in either math or science.
The only way to justify keeping vocational programs is to make sure that they offer a sound academic grounding along with preparation for the new economy's high-skill jobs, instead of just wood shop and fender pounding. At the moment, however, some in Congress would like to push in exactly the wrong way by exempting vocational programs from even the inadequate current academic standards.
Many members of Congress have gotten heat from their districts about the demands made by the current No Child Left Behind standards, and getting them to push for further improvements in quality will be hard. Mr. Bush made a tactical error by failing to prepare the political ground in advance, but the game is not yet lost. Taking aim at vocational education is an excellent way to get high school reform off the ground - but only if the Bush administration will use its political muscle and go public with its case. The opportunity will be missed if the president throws up his hands and slinks away.
A little Good News & Bad News from the President Bush.
February 23, 2005
EDITORIAL
High School Reform, Round 1
President Bush raised the country's hopes last month when he previewed a $1.5 billion initiative that would promote desperately needed reform in the American high school system. The package laid out in the president's budget proposal touches on many of the right issues, but it is underfinanced and poorly conceived - and dead on arrival in Congress, which has signaled its intent to ignore crucial provisions of Mr. Bush's proposal. The White House, which failed to push for adequate funds for its last big education initiative, the No Child Left Behind Act, has only itself to blame for failing to do the necessary preparation before unveiling this big idea.
Nevertheless, Congress should understand what's at stake here. As school reform grinds to a halt in Washington, American students are falling further and further behind their peers in Asia and Europe, where universally accessible quality schools are producing highly skilled workers at a rate that far outstrips schools in the United States.
The traditional American high school, as conceived a century ago, was never meant to produce well-educated workers in the numbers required by today's economy. Remaking the system so American students catch up with their peers abroad will require several big changes. The curriculum must become far more rigorous across the board, and that can happen only if teachers improve. The schools must offer broad-based remedial instruction to help the eye-popping 70 percent of students who arrive at high school reading too poorly to absorb the complex subject matter they will be required to cover. The system must also develop ways to ensure that students leave school with problem-solving and communication skills that will allow them to thrive in the information economy.
President Bush wants to extend right into high school the testing requirements that are mandated for the lower grades under No Child Left Behind. This page has been second to none in supporting systematic testing, but talking about tests without first addressing all the things that are wrong with the current system is putting the cart before the horse.
Mr. Bush has also proposed a package of academic interventions for struggling students that he would pay for mainly by killing off a $1.3 billion federally financed vocational education program. This figure is far short of what's needed to renovate America's ailing high school system. But the president's underlying point - that many vocational education programs obstruct academic achievement - is perfectly valid. The low-end programs prepare students for low-skill jobs that no longer exist. Worst of all, they commonly become dumping grounds for poor and minority students, who are pushed through shop classes - with no academics to speak of - and then deposited on the street after graduating with meaningless diplomas. Shockingly, the typical American high school student earns more credits in vocational education than in either math or science.
The only way to justify keeping vocational programs is to make sure that they offer a sound academic grounding along with preparation for the new economy's high-skill jobs, instead of just wood shop and fender pounding. At the moment, however, some in Congress would like to push in exactly the wrong way by exempting vocational programs from even the inadequate current academic standards.
Many members of Congress have gotten heat from their districts about the demands made by the current No Child Left Behind standards, and getting them to push for further improvements in quality will be hard. Mr. Bush made a tactical error by failing to prepare the political ground in advance, but the game is not yet lost. Taking aim at vocational education is an excellent way to get high school reform off the ground - but only if the Bush administration will use its political muscle and go public with its case. The opportunity will be missed if the president throws up his hands and slinks away.
