The Problem
Detroit Free Press reports that in the state of Michigan alone, more than $28 million is spent each year on remediation courses at just the community college level.
Students who require remedial coursework more likely to drop out
Thus, increasing the rigor of high school coursework is a first step that many suggest in the effort to better prepare students for college-level work. As the Alliance for Education report notes, “a rigorous high school education is a strong predictor of college readiness.”
Schools in crisis
Beyond an insufficiently challenging curriculum, larger problems in K-12 public education may also be contributing to the vast numbers of community college students who require help in the form of remedial coursework. When a class is taught by a series of substitute teachers because of bureaucratic mix-ups, or when high school teachers must try to teach up to 200 students a day because of budgetary shortfalls, a decline in the quality of education that high school students receive seems inevitable.
Possible Solution
Early assessment of high school students