Dive Brief:
- Wooden High School lets students learn by doing, swapping out standard chemistry and biology courses for environmental studies and plant and soil science on an animal and vegetable farm on the northwest side of Los Angeles.
- The Los Angeles Times reports students who are behind on their credits and risk not being eligible for graduation end up on the farm, a place many find is more engaging than traditional classrooms and still gives them a path toward a diploma.
- Some critics of such schools argue they’re not rigorous enough, and it’s true the University of California doesn’t count environmental studies toward science entrance requirements — but students interested in applying there can get tailored assignments in their courses to meet the requirements or take extra science classes after school.
Dive Insight:
Los Angeles Unified School District has taken great pains to increase its graduation rate, much like districts across the country. Nationwide, the graduation rate is on the rise. The question is whether the higher rate truly reflects a class of graduates that is more prepared. The diploma itself has its value, no matter what went into earning it, but students who want to go on to college and succeed need a certain level of background knowledge and skills some critics worry they aren’t getting.
After posting record-high graduation rates after implementing more rigorous graduation requirements — a year when a dip in the graduation rate could have been expected — LAUSD announced it would change its credit recovery policies to ensure students who qualify for graduation because of make-up work actually deserve the credit. And some districts are collaborating with local employers to ensure their graduates leave high school prepared to take on steady work.