Education Law

Who wants to go to college? Almost all 8th graders do

Educators and parents who wring their hands wondering if their kids have goals other than becoming a video game-meister should do what the U.S. Department of Education has done—ask them. They'll probably like what they hear. Nearly four out of five 8th graders (79%) said they expect to go to college after high school. Most of them (70%) expect to earn a B.A. or better. Plus, college-intending crosses all racial and income groups of kids—even our poorest middle schoolers say by large margins they expect to go to college. Only 16% of all 8th graders reported that they don't know what they want to do.

This shouldn't surprise anyone who has been watching college-going trends. When BoardBuzz was hustling our way into college to the tune of "Staying Alive," only half of our fellow high school grads were joining us. Since then, the number has risen dramatically, and now two-thirds of all grads are enrolling in college right after high school.

But there is another reality, too, and this one really warrants our collective hand-wringing: Despite their middle school dreams, according to the Center for Public Education, somewhere between 20% and 30% of our young people are not completing high school with a regular diploma. And without one, the way back into the education pipeline is incredibly difficult to navigate. It's not impossible. But it has certainly been shown to be highly improbable.

What can we do? Fortunately there are many things that the Center tells us work to keep kids in school and on track to graduate. For one, educators and parents should be alert to early warning signs that students may be in danger of eventually dropping out. These include failing grades in English or math, poor attendance and other signs of being disengaged from the school culture. These students can really benefit from intensive interventions that address their academic and social needs. For another, we need to pay attention to the transition years when students leave one school for another. This in itself could really pay off for our 8th graders because even high-achieving students have been known to fall off the rails after entering high school.

Finally, we need to make sure students have a high-level curriculum. Yes, this seems counter-intuitive. But successful drop-out prevention programs like the Talent Development high schools and the so-called middle colleges like this one understand that young people rise to the occasion when the subject matter is relevant, rigorous, and can get them where they want to go. And for most of them, where they want to go is college.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on September 26, 2008 (boomark / email).