Monday evening, Columbus Municipal School District Superintendent Dr. Philip Hickman laid out a new program he hopes will inspire students to stay in school and prompt them to make the connection between school and careers.
Given the district’s recent past, some skepticism is natural, but we are inclined to put those doubts aside as we consider the changes the CMSD is implementing in the context of what is happening throughout the Golden Triangle.
Next fall, the Mississippi Department of Education, in conjunction with East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi State University, will open a new school — Early College High School.
The school, which will begin with a freshman class of 50 students on the EMCC campus, will allow students to pursue a dual track education. Upon completion of high school (the school will add a grade each year, with the first graduating class receiving their diplomas in the spring of 2019), graduates will also have earned an associates degree from EMCC.
Next year will also mark the start of a joint effort by EMCC and The Golden Triangle Development LINK to provide WorkKeys testing for high school juniors and seniors in the Golden Triangle. WorkKeys can be considered as an ACT equivalent for students interested in joining the workforce in industry jobs rather than pursuing a four-year degree.
The CMSD’s “Pathways to Graduation” program is consistent with both of those programs. All three, if successful, will encourage high school students to give serious thought to life after high school graduation. All three programs help students identify aptitudes and areas of interest and expose them to career choices than align with those interests and abilities.
All too often, high school students see little relevance to “real life” in the courses they take.
But in allowing students some freedom to fashion some of their own course-work to fit the careers they want to pursue, students will be able to draw the connection between what they are doing in the classroom to their lives beyond graduation.
Hickman believes the program will allow students to burnish their high school credentials through attaining special distinction offered through the “Pathways” program, which could lead to more scholarship opportunities in a district where 90 percent of the students qualify for reduced or free lunches.
How successful any of these programs will be remains to be seen.
But at this juncture, we are encouraged by these efforts to help students see the “big picture” of how the work they are doing in high school can shape their future as adults.
To achieve this, there are two other critical factors that are in play and, in fact, have always been in play.
First, we remain convinced that our students must be supplied with the basic components of education, especially reading skills, early in the educational process. The fundamentals matter, for they are the basis of success throughout the educational process.
The second factor, and perhaps the most important, is parental support.
Hickman said it well as he laid out the “Pathways” plan Monday evening:
“We need everyone,” he said. ” We need all our parents engaged. In order for this to work and our students to be successful we need engagement.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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