The New Mission of High Schools

Re: New York Times article “High School’s Last Test” by: J. B. Schramm and E. Kinney Zalesne

December 22, 2009 - J. B. Schramm and E. Kinney Zalesne’s op-ed “High School’s Last Test” points out an important shift in the role of high schools – no longer is the mission to merely graduate students from high school but now their role is to graduate students who are ready and able to succeed in college.

As Schramm and Zalesne duly note, in the 21st century, having a high school diploma is a road to limited economic and career opportunities.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in November for college graduates was less than half that of high school graduates.  Simply put, college graduates have twice as likely a chance of finding employment in this new economy than young people who do not go on to college.

For far too long, high schools have been blaming colleges for the low number of high school graduates attaining postsecondary degrees.  Likewise, colleges have been placing this blame for their low completion rates on the fact that students are coming to their institutions lacking critical skills to succeed (According to the U. S. Department of Education, a little over half of all enrolled students graduate from college in six years).

At the Cristo Rey Network, we have developed a new evidence based initiative to ensuring that every student who enters a Cristo Rey Network school will be prepared by graduation to succeed in college.  We are also working in close collaboration with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), to track every graduate of a Cristo Rey Network school.  Our most recent hard data confirms that 85% of the class of 2008 (ten high schools across the country) have enrolled in college.  This is more than 20% above the national average and double the average for low income, minority students.

There are too many students failing to attain a college degree for high schools to be relying on anecdotal data or Facebook posts to track their alumni.  And even more importantly, high schools need to be using this hard data from the National Student Clearinghouse – Student Tracker Service to inform how well high schools build their college going culture and to hold themselves accountable to their 21st century imperative. 

Until high schools take responsibility for ensuring that all of their graduates are ready to succeed in college, no amount of money the federal government throws their way will have an impact.  Instead the federal government and investors serious about investing in what works have numerous examples of education systems and models.  For example the Big Picture Schools and the SEED Foundation also have embraced this new imperative and have data to show the progress they are making.  We are working to build a consortium of like-minded peers that are interested in an honest discussion and sharing of data focused on college success.

--Robert J. Birdsell
President and CEO
Cristo Rey Network