Despite all the emphasis being placed on “college and career readiness,” only about half of all U.S. high school students actually take the sequence of courses they need to be considered ready for college and careers, according to a new report released today by the Education Trust.
“Rather than ensuring students have access to a cohesive curriculum that aligns high school coursework and students’ future goals, high schools are prioritizing credit accrual, which treats graduation as the end goal,” states the report, titled, “Meandering toward graduation: transcript outcomes of high school graduates.”
“Instead of being prepared for college and career, many of our students end up being prepared for neither,” it continues.
The report found that 47 percent of students did not take a college- or career-ready curriculum. It found further that 31 percent took a college-ready curriculum; 13 percent took a career-ready curriculum; and only 8 percent took a curriculum that was considered both college and career ready.
The problem is particularly pronounced among students from low-income families.
Whereas 44 percent of students from the nation’s top two income quintiles did not take a college- and career-ready curriculum in high school, 53 percent of students from the bottom two income quintiles did not take a college- and career-ready curriculum, the report states.
