Over the next few school years, Washington teachers, administrators, and students face a set of revolutionary changes that will fundamentally alter the educational landscape. The adoption of Common Core State Standards will entail alterations to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The introduction of a new teacher evaluation program foreshadows significant changes to the tenure and promotion system for teachers. And, beginning with the class of 2015, students will have to pass the state’s mathematics and biology end-of-course examinations to qualify for high school graduation. Administrators, teachers, parents, and students who are grappling with all of these changes might wonder why so many aspects of the educational system are changing seemingly at once.
The short answer is a national focus on college and career readiness. For the past two decades, policy makers, think tanks, and charitable foundations have reached a broad consensus that the K-12 system must prepare all students to succeed in postsecondary education. This education could take the form of a certification for a skilled trade or a degree at any level. This increased emphasis on education beyond high school graduation is necessitated by changes to the global economy. A recent report by Georgetown University’s Center for Education and the Workforce estimates that by 2020, 64% of job openings will require some form of post-secondary credential. In order to compete with their counterparts around the world, American students must increase their educational attainment. But how do we know if students are actually ready for college or a career? According to Achieve, a national organization that advocates for higher educational standards, readiness is mainly about giving students the tools to succeed in whatever path they choose to pursue after high school. The essential building blocks include rigorous courses in English, science, and mathematics.
We have worked with districts, schools, and policy makers on these issues. Much of our work involves using data to inform stakeholders about their students’ post-secondary preparedness, their choice of post-secondary path, and their persistence after they enter college. For example, our College Tracking website provides state, district, and school-level information about students’ college attendance and graduation rates. We also delve more deeply into the data by examining the ways in which students’ high school course-taking is related to their choice of college and their persistence after enrollment. These projects start with a thorough analysis of students’ transcripts to itemize the courses that they take at the high school level. We pair this student-level course-taking data with college enrollment and persistence data from the National Student Clearinghouse. These data tools provide a useful starting point for intervention and valuable metrics to assess the impact of programs on student outcomes. For instance, in a report for the Road Map Project, we found that students who took advanced math courses in high school were more likely to attend four-year colleges and to persist in college.
The next few years will be filled with challenges for students and educators as our educational system re-orients itself toward college and career readiness. However, our overall goal of increasing opportunity for the next generation is worth the considerable effort.
We have worked with districts, schools, and policy makers on these issues. Much of our work involves using data to inform stakeholders about their students’ post-secondary preparedness, their choice of post-secondary path, and their persistence after they enter college. For example, our College Tracking website provides state, district, and school-level information about students’ college attendance and graduation rates. We also delve more deeply into the data by examining the ways in which students’ high school course-taking is related to their choice of college and their persistence after enrollment. These projects start with a thorough analysis of students’ transcripts to itemize the courses that they take at the high school level. We pair this student-level course-taking data with college enrollment and persistence data from the National Student Clearinghouse. These data tools provide a useful starting point for intervention and valuable metrics to assess the impact of programs on student outcomes. For instance, in a report for the Road Map Project, we found that students who took advanced math courses in high school were more likely to attend four-year colleges and to persist in college.
The next few years will be filled with challenges for students and educators as our educational system re-orients itself toward college and career readiness. However, our overall goal of increasing opportunity for the next generation is worth the considerable effort.
Kahlil FOrd, Ph.D. Research Associate
Dr. Kahlil Ford is a Research Associate with The BERC Group, Inc. Dr. Ford completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Riverside and his doctorate at the University of Michigan. While working at research centers at the University of Michigan and New York University, Dr. Ford developed expertise in managing databases, research methods, and statistical analyses. He has also taught a number of college level courses, including Developmental Psychology, Personality Psychology, and Introduction to Psychology.
