Schools need to improve guidance

A recent report from the Tennessee Department of Education contains troubling data about the state’s high school graduates.

While graduation rates are up and the need for remedial work in community colleges is down, too many graduates are not ready to pursue post-secondary educations.

The trend threatens to undermine Gov. Bill Haslam’s “Drive to 55” initiative, which seeks to ensure 55 percent of Tennessee adults have a post-secondary degree or training certificate by 2025.

“We find strong evidence that too few students receive sufficient guidance from counselors, teachers, and staff in their schools to ensure that they are on pathways leading to postsecondary completion and successful careers,” the report states.

The report, titled “Seamless Pathways: Bridging Tennessee’s Gap Between High School and Postsecondary,” is sobering.

Of the students who graduated from Tennessee high schools in 2008, only 23 percent earned a post-secondary degree or credential within six years. More than one-third did not even try.

Nearly half of economically disadvantaged graduates bypassed college or technical training, putting them at high risk of remaining in poverty as adults.

Amazingly, one-third of Tennessee high school graduates obtain their diplomas without completing the state-mandated course requirements. Such shortcomings set students up for failure after high school.

In addition to compiling data, the Department of Education convened focus groups totaling 170 high school students from 33 schools across the state. The students, according to the report, described the challenges they faced navigating from high school to post-secondary life.

One of the most disturbing findings is the failure of teachers to recognize the dilemma their students are facing. “High school teachers appear unaware of the extent of the problem,” the report states, “with most teachers even in our most challenged schools saying that students are well informed and plan to attend postsecondary.”

One key failure of the system is that students are not often counseled on higher education or career paths until they are juniors or seniors in high school. By that time, many choices they made in previous years cannot be undone.

The report recommends that schools begin career counseling much earlier — in middle school. Post-secondary education and career possibilities should be discussed with students throughout their high school years.

Students need to have access to coursework that increases post-secondary readiness, the report recommends. School systems also should “leverage external partnerships” to get additional resources and exert positive influences on students. The report focuses on actions individual school districts can take to improve the prospects for graduates.

Tennessee Promise, the program that allows students to attend community and technical colleges tuition-free, cannot be considered a success unless more students actually complete their studies and earn credentials.

With more careers requiring postsecondary education, school systems need to provide better guidance to students — at the very least make sure they take required classes — so they are prepared for the future.

Knoxville News Sentinel