13 States Call for Raising Standards in High Schools
WASHINGTON — Thirteen states that enroll more than a third of the nation's high school students announced Sunday that they had formed a coalition to hold schools accountable for graduating students with the skills needed to succeed in college or in the workplace.
"This is the biggest step states can take to restore the value of a high school diploma," said Ohio Gov. Robert A. Taft, a Republican.
The states, which did not include California, agreed to seek reforms that would raise education standards in high school, setting math, science and language requirements that would help students shift smoothly into college or a demanding job. Students' progress would be tracked through testing, and schools would be held accountable for ensuring students are ready for college or work by graduation.
The announcement marked the culmination of a two-day session by the National Governors Assn. to address what many business leaders and elected officials see as a crisis of low expectations and mediocre results in high school education.
U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the Bush administration endorsed the governors' call for reform and would play a supporting role to the states. "Getting every child to graduate high school with a meaningful diploma in their hands is one of the biggest challenges our country faces," Spellings told the governors. "It's never been done before."
However, Congress is unlikely to pass a high school version of Bush's controversial No Child Left Behind law, which applies mainly to elementary and middle school education.
Many state officials have complained that the law imposes too many federal requirements without enough funding. School districts face the loss of federal funds if student scores on standardized tests do not improve.
No Child Left Behind "is not a model for legislation," said Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner, a Democrat.
Achieving the goals the 13 states set may not be easy. Governors will have to negotiate with school districts, state university leaders, legislators and teachers unions to craft reforms that can win approval in each state.
Business leaders pledged their support for the campaign, called the American Diploma Project. It will be coordinated by Achieve Inc., a nonpartisan organization the National Governors Assn. created to promote education reforms. Six private foundations pledged $23 million in matching funds.
