Posts published on April 27, 2009

Historical Divide Persists between k-12 and Postsecondary Education

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In recent years the deeply-embedded chasm which uniquely separates K-12 from postsecondary education in the United States has received unprecedented attention.

Policies for curriculum assessment, alignment, finance, data, accountability, and coordination are separated by a K-12 and postsecondary education disjuncture.

Major foundations such as Lumina, Gates and Carnegie, influential governmental organizations such as the National Governors Association, and diverse, important entities such as the Southern Regional Education Board, Achieve, and Education Trust have focused upon the national stake in bridging the dysfunctional divide which exists between the educational levels. This salient issue encouragingly is receiving a great deal more attention but this attention has been largely rhetorical and superficial in nature. The interlevel divide persists despite these recent efforts and the deterrents to better integrating K-16 continue to be very formidable and historically deeply rooted..

Many state universities started as teachers colleges that were much better connected to  k-12. Community Colleges were junior colleges that were part of k-12 education systems , and provided 13th an 14th grade. Now they are basically separated from k-12 with little conversation about policy and curriculum alignment.