Date of Award

10-2-1991

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education, Health & Behavior Studies

Abstract

This study examined the Minnesota public senior high school curricula (grades 10-12) and determined how many graduating seniors attended postsecondary education after high school. Specific research questions were (1) What percentage of the course offerings available in 1988-89 were college preparatory? (2) What percentage of the courses actually taught were college preparatory? (3) What percentage of the 1988 graduating seniors in Minnesota public schools attended postsecondary education after high school? (4) Did this percentage change during the previous decade?The study included all public school districts in Minnesota that reported 1988-89 Secondary Professional Staff Assignments to the Minnesota State Department of Education. The curriculum analysis included those course offerings available and those courses actually taught to senior high school students (grades 10-12). These courses were categorized as college preparatory or non-college preparatory. Postsecondary education activity of seniors was obtained from the Minnesota follow-up study entitled Follow-up 89, Minnesota High School Follow-up Class of 1988: One Year Later. Course offerings available and courses actually taught were compared to the percentage of seniors who pursued postsecondary education after high school.Of the 288 course offerings available to Minnesota students in grades 10-12 during the 1988-89 school year, 70 (24.3 percent) were college preparatory and 218 (75.7 percent) were non-college preparatory. Of the 38,858 courses actually taught, 16,821 (43.3 percent) were college preparatory and 22,037 (56.7 percent) were non-college preparatory. The graduating class of 1988 had 56.8 percent attending colleges/universities compared to 36.8 percent for the class of 1978--a 20 percent increase during the ten year period. Therefore, the curriculum did not reflect the postsecondary educational activity of its graduates.Recommendations include: (1) Program evaluation work should be expanded and the high school follow-up program should be included in the Planning, Evaluating, and Reporting (PER) process for public schools; (2) Senior high school curricular offerings should include a greater number of core academic subjects; (3) Occupational skill opportunities and programs of vocational specialization should be reduced at the secondary level and should be viewed primarily as the mission of postsecondary educational institutions.

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