Free Republic

La., 12 other states agree to raise high school standards By BEN FELLER AP education writer WASHINGTON -- A coalition of 13 states confirmed plans Sunday to require tougher high school courses and diploma requirements, changes that could affect about one in three students. The announcement is the most tangible sign that the nation's governors, gathered in the capital for a summit on improving high schools, want to see that progress quickly. The participating states have committed to making their core high school classes and tests more rigorous, and to match their graduation standards with the expectations of employers and...

WASHINGTON - With dropout rates rising, governors nationwide are being asked to lead a high school overhaul that demands more skills of students and help from colleges. The call for action, outlined Tuesday by leaders of an upcoming national summit on high schools, would change everything from core course requirements to state graduation standards. It came as the Educational Testing Service reported Tuesday that high school completion rates dropped nationally from 1990 to 2000, with about one third of students failing to graduate. It is the latest in a string of sobering assessments of high school performance. "Students can make...

Don't overreact, IHSA Barry Temkin November 28, 2004 CHAMPAIGN -- Welcome, students, to Illinois High School Association University. Please proceed to your classes. Sterling Newman Catholic, you're in Class 2A. Driscoll is in 3A, Montini in 4A, Joliet Catholic in 5A--and Providence, you're in 6A. But don't carve your initials in any desks because you private schools probably won't be there for long. You see, the IHSA has this task force studying why private schools win so darn many state titles in some sports even though public schools far outnumber them. And by the next school year, the state tournament...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - High schools nationwide are struggling with rising steroid use, not just among football linemen battling for college scholarships but also among non-athletes who think bigger biceps will make them more popular. Most schools cannot afford the costly tests for detecting illegal bodybuilding drugs. Even those that test for marijuana and cocaine do not check for steroids, which are potentially more destructive. "For a small district to do this kind of testing would be cost-prohibitive," said Joseph Wilimek, school superintendent for Angels Camp. At Bret Harte High School in Angels Camp, all student-athletes and cheerleaders take urine tests...

Najima and Nayaba Bawa were despondent when their parents first raised the subject of sending them home to Ghana. It was three years ago, one evening as their mother was braiding Nayaba's hair. Najima, then in junior high, had lost focus in school. Hanging out with friends had become more important than studying. She had even brought home a few C's on her report card. They had reached a decision, the girls' parents calmly informed them. They were sending them to the Akosombo International School, a boarding school in the eastern Ghananian town of Akosombo, about 80 kilometers, or 50...

MANEUVERS QUESTIONED: School policies differ on how military recruiters get students' names Monday, June 23, 2003By Melissa SlagerThe Grand Rapids Press It was on a whim that Steve Gunderson decided to seriously pursue enlistment in the Army Reserves after graduating this spring. The 17-year-old Kelloggsville High School graduate and a friend went to the recruiter's station near their school, "just messing around, I guess. But then it got serious -- and I was interested." As thousands of area high school teens such as Gunderson plan their futures, Uncle Sam's call for duty is beckoning from more than just a poster....

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/06/27/national1005EDT0546.DTL (06-27) 07:05 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court approved random drug tests for many public high school students Thursday, ruling that schools' interest in ridding their campuses of drugs outweighs an individual's right to privacy. The 5-4 decision would allow the broadest drug testing the court has yet permitted for young people whom authorities have no particular reason to suspect of wrongdoing. It applies to students who join competitive after-school activities or teams, a category that includes many if not most middle-school and high-school students. Previously these tests had been allowed only for student athletes. ©2002 Associated...