Special Feature: “Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders”

by Michael Wotorson (Campaign for High School Equity)

Achieving success and satisfaction... Rising to the top... Being in a position to build communities and make our nation strong...

For too many young people of color and Native youth, such dreams are out of reach. Low expectations and high schools that aren’t designed to see every student succeed contribute to disproportionately high dropout rates and poor academic achievement. More than one million students drop out of high school each year and a third graduate without the skills they need to succeed in college and work. If current trends continue, these students may become part of a permanent underclass confined to the political and economic fringes. That isn’t the America you had in mind when you entered public service.

As elected officials, you are well placed to lead your communities toward solutions. Now, states need only achieve their own annual standards. As a result, too many have lowered their standards or given up on students that need extra support. Setting common academic standards offers tremendous potential and will benefit students of color if implemented effectively, fairly, and with the input of their communities.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led voluntary effort to establish a set of clear, high academic standards to ensure that all students graduate ready to become vibrant contributors to the global economy. States including Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois have already adopted Common Core State Standards and are moving forward with implementation.

Elected officials can join parents, educators, and others in mobilizing local efforts to ensure that in their implementation, Common Core State Standards meet the needs of communities of color and Native communities. It’s a way to ensure that our children not only graduate from high school, but go on to enjoy many successes in life. Some may even follow in your footsteps.

Michael T.S. Wotorson is executive director of the Campaign for High School Equity.

For more information:

The promise of common standards for students of color:
http://www.highschoolequity.org/common-standards?Itemid=14

Map of states that have adopted Common Core State Standards:
http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states

The economic benefits of reducing the dropout rate by metropolitan area:
http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/EconMSA

Graduation and achievement data by state:
http://www.all4ed.org/about_the_crisis/schools/state_cards