A Case For the College Prep
TATUM REGISTER | NOV. 10, 2021 | OPINIONS
The renowned Stanton College Preparatory School is known for its academic rigor and the success of its students. It is an excellent school for those seeking a scholastic challenge and a college-level experience. However, there is a flaw to this educational utopia: the school lacks elective diversity.
While the currently offered electives allow students to gain college credits, they impede students’ ability to explore different fields of study. When offered different courses, such as Culinary Arts or Business Finance, students would graduate prepared for college and life.
Students should be able to experience other fields of study and have a break from core classes. After years of narrowed curriculums to emphasize core classes, schools such as Pelham Memorial High School in New York's Pelham Union Free School District have exemplified the benefits of expanding course catalogs. Pelham’s school board president John Price, said electives have allowed the school to offer the variety of courses of a much larger school district while maintaining the intimacy of a small one. Other schools in the Duval County Public School system, such as Atlantic Coast High School, offer courses including Law Studies, Legal Systems, and Multicultural Studies.
Ellucian, a company that provides software and educational services, published a 2019 survey entitled, “Course correction: Helping students find and follow a path to success,” where it found that 51% of students are not confident in their career path after enrolling in college. In addition, data showed more than half of college students change their major. Major transfers increase the time and costliness of getting degrees, so it would be beneficial not to have to; if the “college-prep” can help out, it should.
Although it is the parent’s responsibility to prepare children for adulthood, the school should also participate in this development. Florida has not mandated life skills as a required course; however, important information regarding navigating life economically and financially is a necessity few leave high school knowing. Regardless of whether the issue results from bad parenting, if the school titles itself as a “college-prep,” it must fully prepare students for college—beyond just the workload. Stanton has no personal finance classes, and countless students enter college with a complete lack of financial literacy.
Additionally, a 2019 study entitled “Money Matters On Campus Report,” conducted by EVERFI, showed only 17 out of the 50 states offer financial literacy courses for students. Ultimately, much improvement needs to be made towards creating a more financially literate future generation.
Regardless of when students complete their final level of schooling, these future contributing members of society deserve to be well-equipped with the knowledge that prepares them for their independent lives. Offering a variety of electives covering different fields of study and financial literacy will help accomplish this.