For many years I have worked with young people at the most important transitions in their lives. After 12 years of compulsory schooling, they are nearing the edge of the nest. And many feel unprepared for the realization that they are losing the security of seeing friends every day, the support of a trusted adult outside of their family, and the predictability of daily school. schedule. Some people can’t wait to say goodbye, others feel nostalgic, and some are paralyzed, unable to plan what they want to do next.
Of all the demands placed on seniors, meeting graduation requirements is a significant source of stress. Every year, some students fail to meet these expectations and are told that as a result, they will not receive their high school diploma or walk across the stage with their peers.
There is anger, disappointment, and tears over not being recognized for this degree, but what does it mean to earn a degree, and what does the degree itself mean? Having taught high school and worked with seniors for more than half of my career, these questions are always there, rarely asked, and often unanswered for me.
Today, as our children graduate from high school and are about to step into the so-called “real world,” they are faced with a world that is changing at an unprecedented pace. The competitive, one-size-fits-all industrial model of American education has lasted more than a century, but it feels increasingly outdated, even outdated. How do we spend our time preparing our students, given that they have no idea what the world they are stepping into will be like in just a few years? Should we? If a diploma means we have prepared our students, shouldn’t we ask them what they would like to prepare us for?
What happens if a student does not receive a diploma?
Culturally, graduation is a right of passage and a source of great pride. For many families, graduating from high school is a major accomplishment that not everyone can achieve. This is a moment to celebrate a young person’s transition to adulthood and all the care and support given to them during their 12 years of formal education.
When we asked students what a diploma meant to them and why it was important, the idea they cited most often was the idea of ”getting a diploma.” They look forward to the moment when all their hard work and all they have overcome will be recognized. the school system that failed them. One young woman I spoke to felt that she was one of the “lucky ones.” Because many young people in her area will not be able to see her graduation day.
In fact, I have attended multiple graduation ceremonies where families walked in place of loved ones who passed away before graduating. Because of how important this recognition is, we make time for them even if we are physically absent.
In today’s educational environment, access to most postsecondary education options, including technical schools and community colleges, requires earning a traditional high school diploma or passing the General Educational Development Examination. Therefore, the decision to refuse a diploma has a significant impact on a student’s current and future career opportunities.
A recent graduate, who I’m still close with, told me that students who don’t graduate not only miss out on opportunities, but also face social prejudice. [a diploma]” Many of my students, who have already successfully applied their extensive knowledge and skills in their coursework and extracurricular activities, are told that they fail because they are unable to demonstrate mastery of academic content under certain conditions.
I’m worried about them. I worry not only about their career prospects, but also about the impact being labeled a failure will have on them. How does it shape their self-image and how do their loved ones view them? Does it undermine or overshadow the countless other accomplishments they have accomplished?
How has the value of a diploma changed?
In theory, a diploma means you have learned a wide range of information and skills across many disciplines, and in some ways are ready for life and work after compulsory school.Graduation requirements, including number of credits, type of assessment, and graduation pathway They vary widely across the 50 states of the United States.
Louisiana, where I teach, is 1 of 8 states In this country, you must earn a passing score on a standardized test to receive your diploma. Standardized testing has long been protested by educators, parents, and students. racist origins. Passing these exams is especially difficult for students who have recently immigrated and are still learning English. the current, Only 41% of these students graduatemainly due to their failure to pass these standardized tests.
This high degree of variation and lack of agreement about what students must learn to be considered educated is complex, and perhaps cruel, as many students decide their future. I’m trying to take matters into my own hands. One of my seniors is a bright, ambitious young woman who provides hair, beauty, and social media management services, and some months she already earns far more than I do. Another recent graduate is a talented multidisciplinary artist who was recently featured in one of the city’s most prominent art spaces and is currently publishing his first magazine.
Other students I have taught have had lifelong academic success and graduated with honors, but have struggled to find work, often taking low-paying jobs while trying to figure out their next career path. are doing. Yet, many of my students have no idea what they want to do or which path is most financially viable for them. Just as teachers are adapting to all the changes happening in education, so are students. Indeed, I find it difficult to advise them that the value of a diploma and the future of society will continue to move before I have time to adapt.
Why we need to change our approach
I practice approaches to multiple-choice questions at the expense of project-based assignments that are relevant to students’ daily lives and deep discussion of texts that provide content that: I’m tired of breaking down writing prompts. windows and mirrors To examine and challenge my own experience. If we want a different world, we must educate differently. If we want our students to be prepared to build that world, we need to reevaluate what we ask of them while in school.
If we embrace the diversity of career possibilities and the fact that we don’t know what will happen in the future, how can our diplomas reflect that? Do we want our students to enter society with the same skills they need? And how can educators contribute to building this world? These questions are at the forefront of my mind. , I wish we educators would take more time to discuss and plan.
Unfortunately, as long as there are strict requirements for graduation, a teacher’s most valuable resources, time and energy, will be spent primarily on those requirements instead of best preparing students for life after graduation. It will be. Unless we change what is required for a high school diploma, we will not be able to meaningfully change the way students value what a high school education has to offer.
