Overview
Smart Future is not intended to make teaching more difficult. With existing compliance issues and requirements, we know how much teachers have to deal with. All that’s required of teachers is to care: let each and every student know that you believe in them and then take the time show them.
Not convinced that we need Smart Future? Still think the U.S. is leading the world? Take a look at these astonishing statistics:
- America’s literacy rate is only 73%; one of the lowest among industrialized nations.
- The United States’ university dropout rate is 38%; one of the highest among industrialized nations.
High School Redesign
The Smart Core program, a rigorous high school curriculum, is the key to creating successful high school graduates who are prepared to move on to college or careers, which today are increasingly demanding. In order for this program to work, it needs the support of teachers like you.
The Changing Demands of the Future
The need for High School Redesign is not indicative of a failure on the part of teachers, but rather the changing needs of employers. We’re already behind, but we can catch up and make a real difference in EVERY student’s life. It doesn't matter if a student is going to college or going straight into the work force, it is important to make sure they are prepared. And that is what Smart Core will do.
Help Us Save the High School Diploma
It wasn't that long ago that the high school diploma really meant something--it meant you could get a decent job, raise a family and be a success. Increasingly, the high school diploma means very little. Most white collar jobs require a college degree, and of the jobs that do not, employers complain that entry-level applicants are not prepared in even the most basic job skills. The big picture is that America is slipping behind the rest of the world, and this is a problem that stems from an education system that is not doing its job.
Arkansas: Blazing the Trail
Because Arkansas is one of leaders in the national movement to redesign High School, this change can seem even more daunting. We don’t have a model to follow because we are the model. We are the example. And we can prove to the country, and the world, that Arkansas is up to the challenge; all the while making our state a better, more prosperous place.
Why High School? Why Now?
Statistics show that the failure in our education system is happening between 8th and 12th grade. As students leave middle school, their interest and achievement levels in math and science are similar to the rest of the world, but by the end of high school, those levels drop dramatically. To succeed in today’s global economy, Americans on all levels of the employment spectrum need to know and be able to do more than ever before.
Don’t Decide Their Future Without Them
It is nothing short of a gigantic mistake to box students into a two track system: work-bound and college-bound. This system just doesn't make sense anymore. Sure, we need all kinds of workers, but do not make the decision for a student as to what you think they will become. Besides, the same skills are required for a high school graduate, no matter what they want to do after they receive their diploma. Let the kids decide what they want to do, as a teacher, give them all the tools they need to be a success.
Change the Focus
We need to stop preparing our students to graduate. This is not the ultimate goal of a high school education. We are preparing students for jobs, for college, for their future; a diploma should signify that they are ready for the next step.
How Do We Know We've Made a Difference?
There are a few very simple indicators that will let us know that we are doing our jobs.
- Improved readiness for college and the workforce.
- A decline in the rate of college remediation courses.
- An increase in retention and timely graduation rates at colleges and universities.
- Decreases in the levels of intervention among high school students.
If our children and our country are going to continue to be effective, we need to do a better job of preparing them to compete in the global economy.
The Old Ways Just Won’t Work Anymore
Today’s job market requires much more of employees, from executives to engineers, from doctors to dock workers, and here’s the proof:
- Percentage of white collar office workers with “some college” has increased from 37 to 60 percent; the share of those with a bachelor’s degree has almost doubled from 20 to 38 percent.
- Percentage of factory workers with higher education has increased fourfold in the past thirty years, from 8 to 31 percent.
- 39% of recent high school graduates now enrolled in college, and 46% of those who went directly into the job market, say they were not prepared.
- College professors and employers estimate that four out of ten graduates are not ready for higher education or employment.
- Research indicates that the level of preparedness required of entry level jobs is not lower than that needed to enter college.
Kids Are Not Being Prepared for College
Among the students who opt to pursue higher education, we are finding more and more evidence that the high school curriculum is not in line with college expectations.
- Only 34% of high school students take a course load that is considered adequate for college preparation.
- Only 32% of high school students are actually considered “college-ready.”
Want to Know the Big Picture?
When we fail our kids in school, we establish a cycle of failure that continues throughout life.
- We lose $17 billion annually on lost productivity and remedial education in post secondary institutions and the workplace for skills that should have been learned in high school.
- 76% of college students who take remedial courses in reading never earn a degree.
- 63% of college students who take remedial courses in math never earn a degree.
- 67% of prison inmates nationwide are high school dropouts.
Don’t Continue the Cycle of Failure and Regret…
88% of students said they would work harder if their high school demanded more of them, set higher standards and raised expectations.
