Education for the 21st Century

It has been five years since the Sacramento City Unified School District redesigned its high schools, and the student progress reports show rising achievement statistics.

Education for the 21st century or "e21" is an effort that aims to keep kids engaged in high school by separating large school districts into small, personal, and career-oriented districts. The program also intends to limit each school to a maximum of five hundred students. There are seven high schools in total; the article mentions three schools: New Technology High School, Health Professions High, and School of Engineering and Sciences.

Since the programs debut, the four-year gradutation rate for SCUSD students has risen from 76.1% to 86.8%, and the amount of students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses has increased from 1,637 to 2,133. The article states, "They are graduating in greater numbers, taking more advanced classes and completing more college admissions requirements. Their test scores are up and, perhaps above all else, many report that they feel engaged, challenged and valued for the first time."

If the school district does not have enough money to sustain its "revolutionary but expensive effort," it will not be able to continue the program. It was originally funded by grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

As much as this program has helped raise student achievement, I don't think that it is financially feasible for other schools to model their structure and curriculum along the same blueprint. This school received over twelve million dollars to redesign these high schools. How are other schools going to raise this amount of funding when there are thousands of underfunded districts struggling to make ends meet?

One concerned parent that was interviewed in the article said, "If it is such a great program, then why isn't the word out there and why aren't the kids flocking to it?" This is a very valid question and concern.