February 13, 2007
Learning from our Graduates,
Kevin Skelly, Superintendent
Noreen Likins, Principal, Gunn High School
Jacqueline McEvoy, Principal, Palo Alto High School
In January we had several events where we heard from our graduates about ways we could improve our schools. The publication of our meeting with two PAUSD graduates on January 8 led to many e-mails from alumni with suggestions for us to consider. In addition, Gunn annually brings back recent graduates in January to talk to students about their college experiences. After the Gunn students had gone back to class, we asked the college-student panel some questions designed to solicit their advice to us based on their newfound wisdom. Here are some of their thoughts, combined with what we have learned listening to other students, college officials, and those who study the transition from high school to college.
In terms of social versus academic preparation, PAUSD graduates report they are better prepared academically for college than their peers from other schools, regardless of the selectivity of the colleges they attend. Graduates also report that Paly and Gunn students have leadership skills they generally do not see among other students. They are particularly proud of their ability to manage their time and handle multiple, competing claims on it. While we often view the busyness of our students negatively, they see benefits in college and beyond.
But the Gunn graduates also unanimously reported that the social adjustment to college is harder, often much harder, than the academic adjustment. Living in a dorm, coping with difficult roommates and others living in their dorm, and the increased freedom of college were all new challenges. Many students confessed that they did not know how to write or cash a check, or even wash their clothes. While there may be a place for the teaching of these skills in our curricula, we strongly believe the major responsibility for such financial and life skills fall to the family.
College students need to be enormously independent. By and large, nobody is making sure they wake up and go to class, that they eat right, or they are acting responsibly. While there are many ways to view our policies regarding open campuses and free periods, they do provide students with a chance to start spreading their wings. Just like parents, we want to help students be successful in high school. Yet success with too much support may create students unprepared for the stark changes they will experience in college. Invariably it is the student who can’t adjust to the freedom and personal responsibility of college who ends up flunking out.
We also discussed what we have termed “curricular wisdom” or selection of classes in their senior year of high school. After working diligently as juniors, many students don’t work nearly as hard as seniors. In fact, a sizable portion of our students do not take a math course their last year. Big mistake. When we talk to colleges at all levels, their first piece of advice to pass on to students is to take math senior year.
Most students spend their initial time at college focusing on forming their social world. However, sprinkled into this time may be assessments that determine whether or not the student will have to take remedial English or math classes that won’t count for college credit. Students planning to attend a community college need to be particularly aware of the importance of these placement tests, and each community college has its own placement program. A year away from math in high school can lead to frustration, wasted time, and additional cost in college.
College students report that the accursed blue book we remember from college is still alive and well and still determining the academic fortunes of many students. The assessments that universities are using today in terms of problem sets, midterms, long papers, and labs are quite similar to what we experienced. Perhaps like us, our graduates report that they wish they had learned (or perhaps paid better attention to) grammar in high school. This is serious food for thought for us, as is their suggestion that more varied writing assignments would have served them well in preparation for college work. Another big difference is the importance of attending office hours. Students who felt most comfortable in college had conquered any hesitations they had about spending focused time with their professors.
One piece of good news is that many, many graduates report that they love college more than high school. As school administrators, we have mixed feelings hearing this, and parents probably have a similar reaction. In the end, high school folks and parents can take comfort in the fact that our collective work has launched our students to good places. We wouldn’t want the comparison between college and high school to be the other way, any more than a parent would want their children thriving less after leaving the nest. |