Commentary: Districts Raising the Bar

Since the National Education Summit on High Schools in February, governors and policymakers in a number of states have moved to raise graduation requirements to bring them into closer alignment with the skills young people need to succeed in college and work. States such as Indiana and Oklahoma have been aggressive, setting the new requirements at the college and work readiness level. Other states -- for example, Illinois and Oregon -- have taken a more incremental approach.

In these states and others that have sought to raise the bar, policymakers have had to respond to an initial chorus of concerns -- is it fair to require poor and minority children to take tougher courses? Where will we get the qualified teachers? Will it cost more money, and can we afford it?

All of these questions are fair, but none should be a showstopper. Just look at big city districts such as Boston, Chicago, San Jose and Los Angeles. These school systems -- arguably among the largest, most diverse and most academically challenged in the nation -- have moved on their own to raise graduation requirements beyond where their states have set them.

In Los Angeles, more than 1,000 minority students and parents spent a year advocating for a more challenging curriculum. They held demonstrations and spoke at school board meetings, urging the board to make California's A-G college-prep curriculum a requirement for all students to graduate from high school. The A-G curriculum was created with the state's university system and includes four years of English, three years of math -- including Algebra I and II and Geometry -- and two years of lab science. In the end, the board voted for this measure.

In 2002, San Jose, CA, raised graduation requirements to the levels now being pursued in Los Angeles. Since then, high school reading and math scores have risen significantly and achievement gaps have closed dramatically, all while the graduation rate has remained steady.

In Massachusetts, the main statewide graduation requirement is passing the state's 10th grade exit exam, but in 2004 Boston Public Schools went one step further, establishing challenging course requirements that include passing at least four courses in the humanities that meet standards for English and U.S. history; three courses in math, including Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II; and three lab science courses, all to ensure that students are prepared for success after graduation.

Illinois raised its graduation requirements this summer for the first time in 21 years, but these new requirements are still not as challenging as those set forth by Chicago Public Schools in fall 1997. The district requires its graduates to take four years of English; three years of math, including Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II/Trigonometry; and three years of science with a lab component.

Leaders in these districts understand that they cannot raise the bar without providing supports. Each is pursuing aggressive strategies to support struggling students and provide tools and training for teachers.