High Schools: Back to One Path?by Lyn Newton | More from this Blogger 31 Jul 2008 04:20 PM As most know, students are being required to do more and more at an earlier age and grade level. Higher standards and skills are being required of students at earlier ages than ever before. Students are being asked to identify what they want from their future at an age as early as seventh grade. In many cases, students are asked to determine whether or not they will attend college. Students who attend college are required to take more and different high school courses than students who are not planning to attend college. However this may change for some students. It seems now that many departments of education who once thought that high school students should be given two options of study (university path or technical path) are now seeing that only one path of course is needed. In many cases, students who followed a college path took part in harder and more rigorous courses. High school students on a technical path had an easier course load. Many business men and women who are responsible for hiring these students out of technical paths are seeing that perhaps the rigorous coursework and tougher path would also benefit them. Our society is much more demanding of all of its citizens not just the professionals. To function in our workplaces, students need higher levels of courses. Factory work and other jobs that once were thought to need little or no educational background is now seeing that more education from its employees is needed. All students need to be able to reason, problem solve, and function at a higher level of thinking. With this in mind, all students are being required to take college bound courses and complete the same coursework no matter what they have in mind for their future. Learn more about Lyn Newton  Lyn is a kindergarten teacher and mommy to a girl and a boy. In her spare time, she enjoys informative and creative writing. Relevanteducation tags User Comments Samual (11722) 31 Jul 2008 04:29 PMHere we have a vocational path and an academic path. In the vocational path you learn a trade like, hair dressing, plumbing, brick laying, electrical engineering etc. The academic path is an indepth study of 3-4 subjects, so if you wanted to do Biology at University you would take of course Biology, then three other subjects. But there are also art courses, such as Textiles, drama, printing etc, but you can still use these at universities if you take an art course. In the UK though college is ages 16-18 and what you learn is the near enough equivalent of what 18-21 year olds would do in America, but the last year would be less indepth as there is not a dissertation. The subjects you do here at college are- Biology Chemistry Physics Maths Further Maths Statistics Law Physcology Sociology English Literature English Langauge Geography History Language R.E Media Studies Accounting Business studies Photography P.E Samual (11722) 31 Jul 2008 04:33 PMI forgot to say, I prefer the one Path route where academic subjects are concerned, then if a student decides later in life that they want to go to University they can do, but if a student decides not to go to University they still have qualifications which help them in the working world, not because of what they know, but because they can work on their own and do things without being told.  Andrea Hermitt (5507) 04 Aug 2008 08:46 AMGreat post. One young man in particular I know who took the technical path decided the summer before his Senior year that we wanted to be a doctor. He spent his senior year in highschool catching up and taking online classes and night classes in addition to going to school. He also had to do summer school after graduation. He's doing fine now and on path but the technical track was a disservice to him. Andilei (70) 19 Nov 2008 07:50 PMI agree with the One Path. Just because if a student decides later that they do want to go to college and get a degree in something they will be able to. But at the same time, electives could be given to the students to teacher different aspects of different trades for the students who will not attend a university.  GoldenRaysOfSun (15) 02 Nov 2009 02:45 AMIt sounds great and I agree with many points made here. However, I wonder what happens to the people who do not fair well with academics? People who are of lower intelligence or what not. What would be the long term effects? More people in poverty with less options? You need to have options for all kinds of people. Discuss this article
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