A Proposal for High School Entitlements

Abstract

Clearly, the most troubled part of our educational system is the high school, if such indicators as worsening test scores, absenteeism, physical violence and vandalism, drug abuse and alcoholism, running away, suicide attempts, and the like are used as criteria. Unfortunately, there is little agreement on the causes of the decline of this institution. Available data and "informed opinion" reveal a very complex and ambiguous situation. Some say that school trends such as pass-fail grading, grade inflation, automatic promotion, and open enrollment have resulted in an overly permissive environment, lack of follow through, and a decline in standards. Others contend that these reforms have reached too few students and that high schools are overly rigid in the way learning experiences are prescribed. Some say that the post-Sputnik emphasis on getting more high school graduates into college has resulted in a general neglect of noncollege or work-bound students and that this has resulted in racial and economic segregation which clearly harms both groups. Others contend that the early post-Sputnik days were among the best that American high schools have had and that the college-bound emphasis tended to raise the sights and performance of all groups while allowing individual students to more accurately assess their abilities and aptitudes useful to the selection of a career. Some say that some of the key traditional roles of the high school, especially with respect to facilitating the transition to work, have been usurped by the community colleges and proprietary vocational schools, which help students obtain specific occupational skills and placement assistance. Others contend that the presence of community colleges tends to upgrade the area's high schools by allowing them to concentrate on doing fewer things well. Some say that the deteriora