Is it Time to Revisit High School Course Requirements?

1/23/2017 5:16:36 PM

When we speak to educators and administrators at various conferences around the country, one of the questions we invariably ask is:
 

“How many of your schools have defined a well prepared graduate for life?”
 
Sadly, we’ve yet to see more than 10 percent of audience members respond affirmatively. Of those, comparatively few admit that their school has a specific pathway to build these required skills.
 
At the same time, out in the “real world," we find that:

  1. Employers are lamenting the lack of soft skills among younger workers (and applicants), thereby necessitating additional training.
  2. The US ranked 19th out of 28 countries in college completion in 2012, according to an OECD study1.  (It ranked first as recently as 1995.)
  3. Colleges are reporting significant increases in student visits to their counseling centers, citing factors such as depression and anxiety.
 
It is apparent from multiple perspectives that we are falling short in preparing our children for independent life. While this is a complex challenge with many contributors, I’d like to share what I consider to be a primary source of the problems: the course requirements for high school graduation.
 
The US economy has changed dramatically in the past few decades, requiring different skills than before. Also, post-secondary education has become much more popular, which argues for greater advance preparation.  And, jobs for students during high school are more difficult to come by, limiting opportunities for valuable workplace skill development. In light of these factors, the question is whether our education requirements have appropriately adapted. Many believe they have not—and we agree.
 
At LifeSmart, we believe students need greater applied learning and skill development and practical preparation for independent living. This would significantly enhance both career- and life-readiness for our nation’s high school graduates.
 
While people may disagree on which courses deserve the status of a requirement (versus an elective), we believe the following would help address the skill gap:
 
For some schools, this would involve converting existing electives into requirements, and others would involve new course offerings. Of course, it would be helpful to incorporate these practical skills in other classes where possible.
 
These are our ideas. We’d love to hear yours!