Our schools must go beyond the old three ‘Rs’ to new ones: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships.

What’s the point of high school, anyway?”

My young friend looked me straight in the eye, daring me to answer. At the tender age of 16, he was failing in school. He didn’t fit in, he didn’t measure up, and he desperately wanted to hear me say that finishing high school is no big deal.

In his grandparents’ generation, dropping out would have been okay. It was just what kids did when school didn’t fit or the family needed extra income from another worker. In those days, society provided soft landings for hard-working young people who lacked a high school diploma. Most communities expected only a limited number of gifted students—with either brains or bucks—to go past high school.

In his parent’s generation, sliding by with easy classes would have been okay. In Michigan especially, the manufacturing and building trades offered a college-free path to well-paying jobs and a comfortable retirement. Schools were expected simply to offer everyone equal access to a high school education. If kids didn’t study, didn’t succeed, or didn’t show up…well, what could schools do?

Equal Access No Longer Enough

For today’s high school students, those alternatives are dwindling. Some would argue they are gone for good. In today’s global economy, employers demand even entry-level employees to have some post-secondary education. Many require the same problem-solving, math, and language skills that are needed to succeed in college.

“Today, ‘work-ready’ means ‘college ready,’ said Cathy Wilhm, an education advisor at Capital Area Michigan Works. “Because of global competition, employers are demanding critical thinking and basic academic skills from their employees. The days of taking algebra I and calling it good are gone.”

So, it appears my young friend does need to stick it out until graduation. In fact, his generation needs to succeed in the kinds of courses that used to be just for college-bound students. Some experts say that 40 of the 50 fastest growing jobs require at least some education beyond high school.

This means that today’s high schools face a whole new challenge. Providing all children equal access to an education is no longer enough. Today’s educators are expected to ensure equal success.

Redesigning for the New ‘Three Rs’
How ready are schools to meet this challenge? Not so much, it turns out. According to the American College Test (ACT) report, “Crisis at the Core: Preparing All Students for College and Work,” only 32 percent of U.S. students entering ninth grade graduate prepared for college (or for work). For African Americans, the number is 20 percent; for Latinos, it is 16 percent.

High schools are not doing so well in preventing dropouts either, it seems. One 2002 study shows that only 70 percent of Michigan’s ninth grade students graduated on time from high school. Only 29 percent of our high school graduates were still enrolled in college for their sophomore year.

These realities, plus the stories of American jobs being sent overseas to China or India, has prompted education leaders to push for better high schools for the 21st Century. Researchers describe “better” high schools as those that offer three new “Rs”: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships.

Rigor means different things to different people. According to Achieve, Inc., a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that helps states raise academic standards, it means:
• Aligning high school standards and assessments with the knowledge and skills young people need after high school.
• Requiring all students to take challenging courses that actually prepare them for life after high school.

Relevance answers for students, “Why do I have to learn this anyway?” When researchers recently asked high school drop outs what might have kept them in school, 81 percent called for more “real-world” learning opportunities.

Relationships with adults who care and have high expectations and peers who take school seriously keep students motivated to learn and achieve. In fact, the same study showed that high percentages of kids would have stayed in school if they’d had teachers who expected more of them and schools that helped when they struggled.

Michigan Merit Curriculum Just a Start
Michigan has started its redesign of high schools in at least one area—rigor. Beginning with the class of 2011 (today’s eighth graders), students will need to complete a new Michigan Merit Curriculum or MMC in order to graduate (see sidebar).

“Many high schools have not been challenging all students to take the credits they need to be successful in this 21st Century global economy,” explains State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. “It is important that every student gets some exposure to this more rigorous content, taught in a way that is relevant to them.”

Rural schools, especially, face real challenges in implementing the new standards.

“Small, rural school districts will have a more difficult time recruiting and retaining quality teachers in English, science and math,” says Terri Mileski, superintendent of Rapid River Schools in the Upper Peninsula’s Delta County. “Not only is being in an isolated area a problem socially for many young teachers, but also offering lower salaries with a heavier teaching load is equally problematic.”

Another of Mileski’s concerns is helping at-risk students—those students who struggle academically for a variety of reasons—complete the requirements.

“Since we have no guidance counselor at our school, it will be especially important for us to figure out how we can help these students meet the requirements and not drop out,” adds Mileski. “Our goal is to help all students be successful in our own school setting.”

Tutoring might help, but that assumes families and schools have enough resources to pay for it. It also means some kids will have to make tough choices between more study time and after-school sports or jobs, Mileski says. “At-risk students generally don’t want to stay after school. They either have jobs or have had enough of being confined all day.”

Flanagan says the state is working to address at least some of these challenges. For example, the law allows schools flexibility in designing the way students earn credits, including, by starting in middle school, to infuse content into career and technical education, and allowing students to earn credit online. Parents and others can influence those decisions by making their ideas known to local schools early in the process.

The Michigan Department of Education is also developing content standards so teachers will have a clear understanding of what should be taught. And the state is starting to redesign teacher preparation programs at universities so teachers will be better prepared to help every student succeed, despite life and learning challenges.

So, what do I tell my young friend who is bored, behind, and on the brink of dropping out? How do I convince him that no matter what it feels like today, high school matters? He needs adults who can find a way to unlock the magic of a rigorous, relevant, relationship-rich education—a high school experience that spells opportunity.

“I try to see this as a challenge to create more opportunities for our students,” says Mileski. “As far as the at-risk population goes, we’ll make it work for them, too. Maybe not all school districts will do that, but that is an advantage to being in a small rural area—we are small enough to notice when our students need our help.”
— Source: “The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives on High School Dropouts,” Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

WHAT DOES THE NEW MICHIGAN MERIT CURRICULUM REQUIRE OF STUDENTS?
With the stroke of a pen, in April 2006 Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm added the first “R”—Rigor—to Michigan’s high school redesign.
The new Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) begins with the freshman class of 2007 (today’s eighth graders) and requires students to earn the following credits before graduation:
• Four credits of English;
• Four credits of math (including
algebra I, algebra II, geometry and one credit in the senior year);
• Three credits of science (including biology, chemistry or physics, and one additional science credit);
• Three credits of social studies;
• One credit of health/physical
education;
• One credit of visual, performing,
applied arts;
• One online learning experience;
• Two credits of a world language (by the graduating Class of 2016).

Legislators expect the MMC to:

• Increase students’ odds of getting better jobs, pay and promotions.
• Better prepare students for future college or career training.
• Still allow students to pursue the arts or career training in high school.
• Retain local control on how to teach and organize classes.

WHAT DOES THE NEW MICHIGAN MERIT CURRICULUM MEAN FOR MICHIGAN FAMILIES?
Q. Aren’t students already required to take such courses?
A. Many students voluntarily took them, but too many students chose not to and missed taking subjects that they needed later.

Q. What if my child is not going to college or wants to pursue the arts or Career and Technical Education (CTE) at skill centers?
A. While not all students will use algebra or chemistry content after graduation, most employers say grads will be expected to use the thinking and problem-solving skills learned in those classes. Students can give themselves more options by working with a counselor or teacher to create a relevant four-year course plan based on their interests. They can also get require-ments completed starting in ninth grade…or earlier if the district allows.
— Source: Michigan Department of Education, Office of School Improvement