A nation still at risk
In Study, College-Prep Classes Left Many Unready - New York Times
Wow, it is disturbing to see confirmation that my experience in the American system of education 20 years ago is still true, perhaps even worse. I remember hearing about the report on a A Nation at Risk, and it prompted high schools (and their student councils) to hold all kinds of "committed, thoughtful" discussions that ultimately led to nothing. I remember my first year at Harvard, feeling ill-prepared for the kind of analysis and debate that was the standard for most liberal arts classes--yet I had been a first-rate student in my home town. I remember catching some flack sometime either late in college or just after, when a local reporter innocuously called me to ask questions about how my high school had prepared me (or not) for college; although I stated at the time I felt prepared (I was not), I became the centerpiece of an article that asserted our local high school was doing a poor job in mathematics education. And I had previously been on friendly terms with all my math teachers. At the time, I chalked it up to a novice talking to the press, but the truth is that I wasn't really prepared for college in many dimensions. And apparently we are still sending kids off to college ill-prepared.
Wow, it is disturbing to see confirmation that my experience in the American system of education 20 years ago is still true, perhaps even worse. I remember hearing about the report on a A Nation at Risk, and it prompted high schools (and their student councils) to hold all kinds of "committed, thoughtful" discussions that ultimately led to nothing. I remember my first year at Harvard, feeling ill-prepared for the kind of analysis and debate that was the standard for most liberal arts classes--yet I had been a first-rate student in my home town. I remember catching some flack sometime either late in college or just after, when a local reporter innocuously called me to ask questions about how my high school had prepared me (or not) for college; although I stated at the time I felt prepared (I was not), I became the centerpiece of an article that asserted our local high school was doing a poor job in mathematics education. And I had previously been on friendly terms with all my math teachers. At the time, I chalked it up to a novice talking to the press, but the truth is that I wasn't really prepared for college in many dimensions. And apparently we are still sending kids off to college ill-prepared.
