Today I read about Pelham Memorial High School, where 17 new electives were added to the curriculum this year. Among the new choices are classes such as; jewelery and metalsmithing, history of rock 'n' roll and military history. The school spent $125,000 in light of meeting No Child Left Behind standards to widen availiable course selections. Much of the demand for these courses is driven by parents and students looking to show well-roundedness in college resumes.
I think this is an interesting article because of the nation-wide trend of cutting electives in favor of core classes in order to meet standardized test scores. As a person who doesn't support No Child Left Behind, which I think was a short-sighted concept by the Bush Administration that doesn't factor in schools like Edina HS that can't do much better since they're already at the top, Pelham Memorial is a great example of what schools could be like with some real educational reform.
Hu. Winnie. "High Schools Add Electives to Cultivate Interests," New York Times 26 Oct 2008. 27 Oct 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/27/education/27electives.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
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4 comments:
Yeah, I agree that electives need to be increased, and I think that the current views on courses are too narrow-minded. Of course, I don’t think you can have just random classes, but you need something more than the basics. Personally, I would like to see a new education reform when the next president (hopefully Obama) comes into office.
I think this is the most worth while article I've read all year. I myself have secrificed my electives for my core classes indeed to meet the standardized test scores. I wish deeply that Edina would adopt some of these and maybe some others too. Maybe a cars and mechanics class? I agree that the No Child Left Behind deal is complete "I can't say this word in school." Kids like us enriched students (I'm not talking with too much pride) have been held back by this for a long time. Educational reform is on the menu with Obama the likely president. I can't wait to see what happens.
What this high school did is somewhat interesting. With pressure on schools to meet standardized test scores, you'd think they would cut electives, not increase them. It is not only my opinion, but it is true that, if done correctly, the addition of extra electives can significantly bolster a student's life; a student wouldn't feel as pressured to do so well; a student would find relief in an extra elective and; a students college resume would look better. If this is an innovative or new approach to achieving higher test scores, this high school should be looked upon as a model for other schools.
I think that having so many varied elective classes is a really interesting idea, and it probably attracts students who may not be interested in typical academic classes. However, I don't necessarily think that it would make someone's resume look well rounded--many of those classes sound very narrow in scope, and I think that would make a resume look less rounded. Also, I personally would prefer to take high quality classes in subjects that can be more broadly applied to college studies and jobs, unlike jewelry and metalsmithing or military history.
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