Ready or Not

Last month in this space I pointed readers toward William Bushaw's article reporting the views of middleschoolers, who almost universally aspire to join those sleepy-headed throngs in those too-warm halls of academe. [...]many students are already changing that picture: they delay college, transfer from community colleges to fouryear institutions, move between institutions, stop and start their education more than once, or attend part time while working full time. Wilensky, a high school principal herself, puts forth the view that "colleges and universities are a major part of the educational problem we need to solve." Because the requirements for gaining admission to selective colleges dictate the curriculum in most high schools, we need to include the reform of higher education in any plan to reform K-12 schools. [...]in a few places, that is what's happening, according to Kevin Carey, research and policy manager for Education sector.