American Diploma Project Helps Students Prepare for College

A little extra work won't hurt teenagers much. I've taken honors classes and AP (Advanced Placement) courses at Moragn Park High and it has made me a better person. And the work wasn't as vicious as people think (at least it wasn't during my time).

Teenagers need the American Diploma Project, a new program that encourages high school students to go beyond the usual school curricum and give college courses a try. The project's goal: to get students ready for college.

Maryland has joined the 21 other states who are using the project, says the Washington Post. This means that, according to the article, "high school students would be required to add Algebra 2 to their math courses and pursue higher-level studies in science to be able to graduate. "

Here's a survey done by Achieve, the education organization that created the program:

• About 40 percent of graduates said they felt they weren't prepared to deal with the demands of college and the workplace.
• 77 percent of those who were not in college and 65 percent of those in college said that they would have worked harder in high school if they had been aware of what they would face after graduating.

My English 101 professor in SXU once said that the goal of his class was to correct all mistakes that high school English professors have made. I admit that what he said applied to college in general; to me, college seemed to be at a level that high school doesn't prepare you for.

Hopefully, the project will change everything.