Governors Urge High School Reform

I have to agree that I think some changes do need to be made in high schools and those changes should better prepare students for the workforce. There are so many skills needed in today's jobs that students in high school just don't have and sometimes may never get without experience.

One thing that bothers me, though, is that all these politicians discuss and talk about how needed high school reform is, but sometimes I find it hard to believe that the politicians are that passionate about improving our schools or if it is just a way to win over political points. Today's governor's are not in the classroom teaching our children so do they really know what we need? For instance, FCAT testing. How accurate is the scores of the FCAT test? Is this standardized test really a way to measure how successful a student is in high school. I don't think so. I do not believe that one single test should decide whether or not a student graduates from high school or not. And on top of it all, only schools with students that receive good scores on the FCAT receive more funding. Don't politicians realize that schools with low scores may need more funding. They need more resources to help prepare their students for this nerve wracking test. Teachers themselves are so pressured into having their students pass FCAT that they only teach to the test and are leaving out other major concepts and goals.

I do realize that some sort of high school competency test is necessary, but I think education in Florida is now centered around the FCAT and not around the basic fundamentals that will prepare you for work, college, and life in general.
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