High School Students Need a Bridge to College

Annually, over 10 million high school students beginidentifying high schools that frequently send them
the process of applying to college.  Theirstudents who have graduated from their college. 
expectation is that college will be the same as highThey can identify a high school college admission
school.  They remember getting 15 minutes ofgrade point average that stands out.  It may also be
homework and studying on the bus on their way toa good idea for high school administrators to talk to
the first class of the day.  Everything seemed sotheir former students about their college
easy and studying sufficiently was not a big deal. experiences.  They can provide their perspective on
Unfortunately many students arrive to collegewhich classes actually prepared them for college life.
unaware that they may not have adequate 
preparation for the rigors of college.  SomethingThere is a benefit when entire colleges and school
needs to be done to bridge the gap in collegedistricts work together.  The teachers who are
preparation.completing degrees become more sensitive to the
 challenge of preparing high school students for
It seems that school superintendents and collegecollege.  The teachers who express an interest in
presidents rarely talk about college preparation bestteaching high school students can incorporate new
practices.  Therefore the high school curriculumknowledge into their courses.  These teachers can
seems far apart from the college curriculum.  Thealso talk to high school students about their college
local high school is mostly concerned about meetingexperiences.  They can give them some ideas
state standards that are established concerning eachregarding books that they can study while they are
course.  They are also entrapped by No Child Leftcompleting their high school requirements.
Behind policies that threaten schools with Adequate 
Yearly Progress requirements.  Teachers areHigh school students don’t have to feel that
spending more time preparing students for statepreparing for college is only a dream.  They
tests rather than preparing them for college.  Highdon’t have to go to college and stumble through
school administrators understand that a significantclasses that are too difficult.  They can receive
amount of funding could be affected by an inabilityinsights in their classes about college life that make
to meet state and federal testing standards.the college transition much easier.  Some students
 might decide to take a college course while they are
In spite of these challenges college presidents needin high school so that they can get a first hand
to do a better job of meeting with high schoolexperience regarding the amount of studying
principals to discuss the type of courses that preparethat’s required.
students for college.  They can do this by also