CAROL’S SUMMARY: In the Washington Post article below, the “Nation’s Report Card†sees some encouraging gains in elementary schools scores, but no movement in high school scores. In fact, the average reading performance for seventeen year olds hasn’t changed since the early 1970’s. Our nation’s future depends on improving student achievement and while it is encouraging that gains have been in elementary education, it is sobering from a workforce standpoint that we still have so many underprepared and unprepared high school students.
Student success classes for elementary and middle school students can help this upward trend continue. Success classes which emphasize academic, emotional and social intelligence are a must for high schools in the U.S. where scores lag behind other developed nations. Once students understand how they learn, how they are motivated, how to manage themselves by themselves and with others they can master the basics of focus and solid attention which can foster deep learning. Without these core success habits and framework, students are likely to aimlessly go through high school and college until they get a wake-up call in the world of work. Giving them these tools early eliminates needless stress and sets clear expectations for high school, college and the global business world.
ARTICLE:
By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Math and reading scores for 9- and 13-year-olds have risen since the 2002 enactment of No Child Left Behind, providing fuel to those who want to renew the federal law and strengthen its reach in high schools.
Performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which offers a long view of U.S. student achievement, shows several bright spots. Nine-year-olds posted the highest scores ever in reading and math in 2008. Black and Hispanic students of that age also reached record reading scores, though they continued to trail white peers.
But results released yesterday were disappointing for high school students. Seventeen-year-olds gained some ground in reading since 2004, but their average performance in math and reading has not budged since the early 1970s.
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