• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Tougher Standards for Grads Supported: Some Say State's Economy, Education Tied

Posted on: Monday, 13 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By Lori Higgins, Detroit Free Press

Feb. 13--First of two parts Yusef Bazzy is just 13, but even he can see why state leaders and educators want to toughen graduation requirements for high school students. "Michigan has, like, the worst economy," said Yusef, an eighth-grader at Discovery Middle School in Canton. The tougher requirements, which would include more math and science, "can't hurt. It can only help. It'll open up more jobs. It'll make our students more educated," he said. That's the idea behind a State Board of Education proposal to move Michigan's low standards into the arena with the nation's toughest. A poll released Sunday shows strong support for change from residents, who largely feel Michigan schools have been stagnant for years. According to the survey of 1,000 Michigan adults conducted last month by Lansing polling firm EPIC/MRA and WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), more than half of those polled said the state's standards are too lenient. Two-thirds said they supported the board's proposal to stiffen graduation requirements. The results, which have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, hold up across geographic, racial, gender, educational and income lines. "This is a mandate," said Ed Sarpolus, vice president of EPIC/MRA. "Even after you tell them about the negatives, they come back. They still say, 'Go ahead and do it.' " Michigan currently has only one statewide requirement for its public school graduates: a civics class. Many other states -- Indiana and Ohio, for example -- have rigorous requirements for math, science and social studies. Ohio, for instance, requires 4 years of English; 3 years of math, science and social studies, and 1 year of physical education and health. Under the proposed changes, Michigan would catch up with, and in some cases, exceed other states' standards. Four years of math would be required, so would 4 years of English, 3 years of science, 3 years of social studies and 2 years of a foreign language. Health and arts classes would also be required. State Superintendent Mike Flanagan said the strong support detected by the EPIC/MRA poll could be a sign that Michiganders are beginning to understand how important it is to change the requirements. Years ago, when the state was a manufacturing hotbed, "you could do well as a dropout. You could get a place up north and drive a nice car," Flanagan said last week. "Those days are over." Possible negative consequences Although 67% of poll participants supported the tougher requirements, support was higher -- 78% -- before they were told of the potential negative consequences: that the tougher standards could trigger more dropouts, cost schools too much to implement, take years to show a positive result, lessen local control and likely result in less emphasis on the arts. "You start imposing a curriculum like that, and it's going to increase the number of dropouts," Michael Barlow, director of curriculum for the Hazel Park School District, said last month. "Sometimes it's those fun elective classes ... that get that kid to school every day." All of those concerns are valid, said Jennifer Harris, whose two children are enrolled in Macomb County's Anchor Bay School District. But she said she still thinks the tougher requirements are important, especially the increased focus on math and science. "You use it every day," Harris, who lives in Fair Haven, said of math last Monday. "You might not realize it, but you do. A lot of the jobs out there might require more than just your everyday math." Dawn Beyer of Waterford said she is all for higher standards, but her biggest concern is that, in the push for more math and science, other classes will get shoved aside. Her daughter Jessica, 12, plays the cello. "If she has to take more math and science, that'll give her less time to do an elective. I don't want her to drop the cello just so she can take more electives," said Beyer, whose daughter attends school in Oakland County's Waterford School District. The fact that support for toughening the standards remained high even after poll participants learned of the potential negative consequences was a surprise and a sign that Michigan residents want to see change, Sarpolus said. "We tried to get them to say no to it, and they wouldn't go there. They said, 'We still have to do this,' " Sarpolus said. Poll participants were asked dozens of questions about the state of schools in Michigan and the proposed graduation requirements. Their responses reflect a public that largely feels Michigan's education system has remained stagnant and that standards are too lenient. Fifty percent said Michigan schools have stayed the same during the past few years, while 22% said they got worse. Only 16% said schools have improved. They cited lowered standards and a lack of funding as explanations for why schools have languished. Education and jobs Lawmakers must approve the changes by March 1 for them to take effect for the class of 2010, but school groups have strongly urged the Legislature to wait a year before implementation. "We want to make sure the Legislature gets it right and takes the time and puts together a proposal that's good for every Michigan student," Brad Biladeau, director of government relations for the Michigan Association of School Administrators, said last month. The administrators could get their wish. The Senate Education Committee has scheduled public hearings on the proposed requirements in different parts of the state through March 7. But Flanagan and Gov. Jennifer Granholm said there's an urgent need to act. During her State of the State address last month, Granholm urged lawmakers to act by March 1, saying, "Time is of the essence." Her administration is pushing a goal to double the number of college graduates during the next decade. "The longer we delay, it's hard to make that economic development work," Flanagan said. "Businesses that come here want to feel their kids are coming to schools that have rigor." That rigor has been lacking, considering the growing evidence that students are leaving high school unprepared for college, for work and, in some cases, for life. A 2005 report by Achieve -- a bipartisan nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that helps states improve academic achievement -- found that just 61% of high school graduates who went to college and only 53% of those who didn't said their high school education prepared them for postsecondary work or jobs. "People should take harder classes. They should challenge themselves," said Archie Claxton, 18, a senior at Thurston High School in Redford Township. Foreign language, in particular, is important, said Adam Payter, an eighth-grader at Canton's Discovery Middle School. "It opens up a lot of job opportunities," Adam said. For a detailed look at the EPIC/MRA and WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) poll on education and the proposed graduation requirements, visit www.epicmra.com. Contact LORI HIGGINS at 248-351-3694 or higgins@freepress.com. photo Discovery Middle Schooler Preston Currie, 14, works on a math problem during a high school-level class in Canton on Feb. 3. Under a state proposal, students would take more math and science classes. (MADALYN RUGGIERO/Special to the Free Press) Michigan students and tests for college Michigan students are above the national average when it comes to college entrance exams, but on the ACT, they place in the middle of the pack when compared with students in other states. Twenty-three other states had better average composite scores than Michigan in 2005. On the SAT, however, only 11 states had better verbal scores and only six had better math scores. ACT composite score (out of 36): Michigan Nation 21.4 20.9 SAT (out of 800): Michigan verbal Nation verbal 568 508 Michigan math Nation math 579 520 Sources: ACT.org, collegeboard.com Have your say The Senate Education Committee is holding meetings to hear public comments about the proposed requirements: -- Thursday in Midland: 4:30 p.m., Midland County Educational Service Agency, 3917 Jefferson. -- Feb. 20 in Kalamazoo: 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, 1819 E. Milham. -- Feb. 27 in Brownstown Township: 5:30 p.m., Brownstown Middle School, 20135 Inkster. -- March 3 in Clinton Township: 10 a.m., Macomb Intermediate School District, 44001 Garfield. -- March 3 in Port Huron: 3 p.m., Port Huron High School, 2215 Court. -- March 7 in Milan: 6 p.m., Milan High School, 200 Big Red Drive. The House Education Committee will discuss legislation on graduation requirements at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Room 307 of the House Office Building. It may approve the legislation either Thursday or at a meeting the following week. Sources: Senate Education Committee and Education Committee About this series The Free Press is examining proposals to strengthen graduation requirements for Michigan high school students. Although individual districts can set their own requirements, the only statewide condition in place is the completion of a civics course. Today: Michiganders want more from schools. Tuesday: How some high schools are improving. Comparing Michigan with other states -- Michigan, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska and North Dakota: These states have few or no graduation requirements. But if the Michigan Legislature adopts a proposal for toughened requirements, the state would have among the strongest requirements in the nation. -- Alabama and South Carolina: these states require as much math as Michigan students would need under the proposal. -- New York, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia: New York requires 1 year of a foreign language; the others require 2. -- Latest states to toughen standards: Texas, beginning with the class of 2008, and Arkansas, beginning with the class of 2010. Lori Higgins

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, Detroit Free Press

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Detroit Free Press

More News in this Category