FSCA NEWS

Just three years ago, Latasha Jackson of Brighton, Mass. would have scoffed at the idea that she was college material. Now, she has applied to some of Massachusetts’ best business colleges, and intends to be the first in her family to pursue secondary education. Her attitude shifted when she was enrolled in Brighton’s business pathways curriculum, which is part of the school-to-college-to-career program for ninth graders. Programs like these have gained traction because classes are boring and unrelated to students’ lives, according to dropouts. Brighton’s pathways program places students in broad topical clusters, while other similar programs across the country require students to think about what specific jobs they hope to achieve and then take courses to prepare them. There are critics of this policy, saying it is important for high school students to gain general knowledge and communications skills. Debra Humphrey of the Association of American Colleges and Universities thinks this is a "colossally bad idea," as "businesses are [saying] that the jobs that today’s ninth graders will eventually have don't even exist yet." However, she does approve and praise the creation of learning communities and cluster programs like Brighton’s.  Another student, Jasmin Santana, requested to attend Brighton because of the pathways program, even though it meant a one hour commute each way. While no one in her family has gone past high school, Santana will apply to Harvard and other universities in hopes of becoming a pediatrician. Latasha Jackson says "there are some days [she] can't wait to get to accounting class." Any program that can get a student excited about accounting has to be doing something right.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1004/p13s01-legn.html