Blasco 1 Alex Blasco Megan Keaton English 112 25 April 2013 Argumentative Paper Recently there have been

studies suggesting that high school students arent being effectively prepared for college. I will argue that the education system is lacking the skills needed to teach students what they need to know for college because students are not being effectively prepared for college. We must figure out what our school systems are doing wrong and why it seems like our students arent being effectively prepared. Students who are effectively prepared for college are much more likely to succeed in college and their career choice. In this paper I will show how authors, Deborah, Pharinet, Jennifer, CITY University, and Anna debate whether or not they feel as though our education system is effectively preparing students for college. While Pharinet and Jennifer agree that high school students are not prepared as well as they should be because of the flaws in the education system, CITY University and Anna disagree and state that the schools have effective ways of preparing students for college. Deborah will give insight to what its like as a parent of a child in high school and what she will argue is how effective high school was for her child in preparing them for college. I will conclude with some ideas for taking action and possible directions for future research. Jennifer believes that the statistics do not lie. American high schools core curricula insufficiently prepare students for college-level work. Jennifer takes a closer look at the ACT

Blasco 2 test scores that high school students are receiving and directly correlating that to the fact that students dont seem to be prepared by their teachers for college. The report, Crisis at the Core: Preparing All Students for College and Work, says that only 22 percent of the 1.2 million highschool students who took the ACT test in the 2003-04 academic year were ready for collegelevel courses in English, mathematics, and science. Jennifer is alarmed by the information and the percentage being so low for the students who took the ACT. Jennifer insists that even if students take the minimum number of core courses that does not guarantee they will be ready for college, the report says, because those courses may not be rigorous enough. Jennifer is quite certain that without immediate change students will not be learning the proper tools in order for them to be effectively prepared for college. Although Jennifer states a compelling argument, Anna feels as though our education system has much to do with the success of many students and says that the success will continue to grow throughout the years. The particular goal that Anna was trying to reach was explaining that the No Child Left Behind Act is making way for all of the students who need extra attention in order to be successful in college. Anna believes that the No Child Left Behind Act is more successful than most people actually think it is. The No Child Left Behind Act was made in order for students to succeed but has been known to be flawed at best yet Anna insists that with a little tweaking that the No Child Left Behind Act could be fool proof. In order to understand Annas point of view she lets us know that during her research on the topic of students being effectively prepared for college she has found out that only 40 percent of students in the United States who do manage to graduate from high school go on to earn a two- or four-year college degree, meaning that many more are unable to finish the work once they get to the university gates. This is something that Anna understands but still believes that students are able to be effectively

Blasco 3 prepared and able to earn a two or four year degree. The goal is to have one quarter of seniors graduate with an associate degree as well as a high school diploma, and another quarter with one year of college under their belts. Pharinet posted a blog asking the question on most peoples mind, Is College for Everyone? Pharinet agrees with Jennifer in a since that schools arent fully preparing students for college because there are students in college who just simply do not belong there. The reason students dont belong in college, Pharinet believes, is because students werent being properly prepared for what college is all about and those students either drop out or never actually make it to a four year college. According to Pharinet there are many ways a student lacks desire for college and its not always because they would rather go straight to work but that they dont desire to learn anything in college; this could be because the student had a bad experience in high school and refuses to get a college education. One of the most important reasons students are not ready for college is because the student is not yet ready for the academic and financial challenges of college. Pharinet goes on to believe that students wont get anywhere without their education. Pharinet thinks that education is essential for students in high school because not every person finished high school and goes on to get a job right away that can support them for the rest of their life. Although Pharinet believes that not everyone should attend college he does believe that there would be more students who would want and succeed in college if students were being properly prepared for college right away in high school. Although Anna states a compelling argument Pharinet understands that the No Child Left Behind Act was made in hopes of it helping most students become effectively prepared for college in some way, however, the No Child Left Behind Act is simply not making the cut, in fact, weve made virtually no progress in the last 10 years helping them to become ready.

Blasco 4 CITY University understands Jennifers view points and admits that Jennifer does show a good amount of knowledge when it comes to high school students level of preparedness for college. Although CITY understands Jennifer they do not, however, agree. CITY University states that in todays educational and economic climate where higher education is no longer an accessory but more a necessity, the push to get high school students to make college plans is more important than ever. CITY University is making it known that college planning is more important now than it has ever been and with time, students will be able to be effectively prepared for college but it is not an overnight occurrence. In todays educational and economic climate where higher education is no longer an accessory but more a necessity, the push to get high school students to make college plans is more important than ever. The point that CITY University hopes to make is by having schools take the proper steps needed to help students that by next year there will be a significant rise in the number of students who graduate high school and who are effectively prepared for college. The idea of head starts on skills and academics and increased focus on STEM found at City Poly is a popular one, with this high school being just one of many similar schools introduced in the last decade. Deborah would almost go to say that high school both does and does not effectively prepare students for college. As a mother of a son just graduating high school Deborah knows firsthand how stressful preparing for college may seem. Deborah agrees with Anna and CITY University as she knows that the common core state standards focus on ensuring that all students are college and career ready. The problem Deborah faces is how difficult and stressful it has become to ensure that her son was effectively prepared for college in high school. As an education system, Deborah argues that they must acknowledge the value of other pathways to success providing students with more high-quality career counseling and career education. With

Blasco 5 students having more benefits to career counseling and career education they would find it easier to get properly prepared for their college experience. There is no doubt that Deborah feels that high schools prepare students for college because that is what the education systems responsibility is to their students, however, Deborah feels that high schools lack effectiveness in their preparation. A solid education system lets students and their families feel more at ease and less stressed when it comes to preparing themselves for college because Deborah feels, as a parent that she is going through almost exactly what her son is so she understands the stress involved. Being not only a mother but someone who cares about the benefits of our society Deborah knows that the education system should force people to consider what their evolving society needs, as well as what they most desire for their children. What our society desires for their children and what the evolving society needs is the hope that one day every student will be properly prepared for college coming out of high school and eventually get a solid education in college and go on to get a four year degree or more. Ignoring a problem such as how effectively our students are being prepared for college affects the well-being of a future society is detrimental to students futures. Although some people may argue that the education system is properly preparing the students for college, statistics show that students are suffering; it is more apparent that as a society people need education and so it makes sense that education systems should use their abilities to mold young minds to the best of their ability. Education systems should not deny students of their right to able to learn effectively in high school so they are most effective in college. Now is the time where education is important and must not be taken for granted; the more students are unprepared for college the more they will grow up uneducated and in low paying jobs. In order to effectively prepare students for

Blasco 6 college the education system must take advantage of what resources they have and take control over students in high school and what exactly theyre learning. Works Cited: CITY University of New York. High School Prepares Students for College, Careers with Accelerated Programs. Curriculum Review 2013: 8. EBSCOhost. Web. 28 March 2013. Jacobson, Jennifer. High-School Curricula Do Not Prepare Students For College, Report Says. Chronicle of Higher Education Oct. 2004: 38. EBSCOhost. Web. 20 March 2013. Mulrine, Anna. Getting Kids Set for College. US News and World Report Sept. 2010: 30-34. EBSCOhost. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. Perkins-Gough, Deborah. Whats Next? Are We Ready? Education Leadership Oct. 2012: 7. EBSCOhost. Web. 20 March 2013. Pharinet. Is College for Everyone? Practical Argument. Laurie Kirszner, Stephen Mandell. Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 635-636. Print.