Students prod state board for more classes

07.24.08

The Vancouver Columbian

Three dozen students poured out of the tour bus and into the State Board of Education meeting. They wore matching red T-shirts and spoke the same message: Increase the number of requirements we'll need to graduate.

The current requirement of 19 credits is outdated, they said. After all, Washington state's high school diploma hasn't changed since 1985 (before most of them were born), while local universities continue to demand more from applicants.

The board is meeting at the Evergreen Public Schools headquarters on Wednesday and today to discuss raising the number of high school credits required to graduate from 19 to 24. The board may also require a third math credit at the level of Algebra II or higher.

Tiffany Jones, a 1998 graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle, said that her experience reflects Washington's disjointed system. Jones attended three school districts with different requirements.

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11.24.08

Schools feel pinch from economic woes

School districts across the United States are tightening their belts in anticipation of a meager fiscal diet that could carry into 2011.

As state and local revenue declines, officials are looking for the trims least likely to harm the quality of education. Although some districts have rainy-day funds to tap, concern is growing that students, particularly those who are struggling to learn or who are homeless, are going to feel the pinch.

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Toolkit: Importance of Advanced Math

This toolkit by Achieve highlights the connection between higher-lever math courses and student readiness for college, work and life. Resources include fact sheets, presentations, policy papers and brochures.

Click here to access the toolkit.