Business aims for more rigorous path in high school
The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education has just announced a plan to double the number of students who graduate from high schools in Maryland having taken a course of study that prepares them for college and jobs.
Today only one third of graduates are Maryland scholars. These students have taken Algebra II, two years of a foreign language, chemistry and physics on top of all the other state course requirements for graduation. MBRT would like to see two thirds of graduates reach that standard by 2011.
To assist school systems, the organization is trying to get the word out about the need to push students toward a more challenging course of study during high school. Already the organization has a track record:
When the MBRT helped local school systems in Harford and Frederick counties, the numbers of Maryland scholars rose significantly. In Harford County, the number of scholars rose from 36 percent to 54 percent overall. Among low-income children, the numbers nearly tripled.
Only about one in five students who enter college graduate, a number the MBRT would like to see increase. "A highly skilled workforce can raise economic growth by about two-thirds of a percentage point each year," the MBRT plan released yesterday says. June Streckfus, executive director of the organization, said it will be increasing the number of volunteers for its speakers bureau. Currently about 3,000 members of the community speak at schools every year. The organization, which represents more than a 100 local businesses that have made a commitment to support education reform in Maryland, also has a Web site to teach students about careers and how to prepare for them. Parents can also find information at the roundtable's Web site.
