Our thanks to Scott Sargrad and Laura Jimenez from theCenter for American Progress for presenting on this week’s The Intersection: A Biweekly Education Policy Conversation. Laura and Scott joined us to share findings from their recent report Are High School Diplomas Really a Ticket to College and Work? The report is a first-of-its-kind analysis of the alignment between state-level high school graduation requirements and college entrance criteria.
Key Takeaways:
Two Types of Misalignment | There are two major types of misalignment between high school graduation requirements and college admission criteria – misalignment in the number of courses or years of coursework required and in the types of courses required (e.g. chemistry vs. environmental science).
Implications for Equity | Students of color and those from low-income households are less likely to have access to college advising resources outside of school. As a result, high school graduation requirements are an important guidepost for making course enrollment decisions. Misalignment between those requirements and college entrance criteria puts these students at a disadvantage.
Improvement is Needed in K 12 System | While strengthening high school graduation requirements is critical for state policymakers, it is also important to look at how education opportunities in grades K-8 contribute to an education continuum that ultimately produces too few college graduates.
For more on our conversation with Laura and Scott, check out the full webinar below!
We hope you’ll join us for our next webinar on Wednesday, June 20, at 1pm (EST). We look forward to talking with Dan Thatcher from the National Conference of State Legislatures who will share an update on what’s happening in education policy at the state level.
Stay tuned and follow us on Twitter for details on how to register.
