High School Issues

Opting to enroll in any high school Advanced Placement (AP) course requires incredible determination, intelligence, and personal drive. Of course, the rigors of these classes arrive with their own rewards. Students who earn a passing score on an AP exam can earn college credit, saving students and their families thousands of dollars on future tuition costs. However, will your AP exam scores even count? Unfortunately, if your school fails to abide by the testing guidelines set forth by the College Board, your AP exam scores may be canceled.

Strict AP Testing Procedures

As the College Board articulates, every public and private school student opting to participate in AP exam(s) must adhere to specific and strict testing guidelines. AP administrators demand that "all students are given the same opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and to prevent any student from gaining an unfair advantage over another because of testing irregularities or improper conduct."

The full scope of exam procedures are outlined in the College Board manual for teachers and students, but specific violations include:

• Students taking an AP exam after the original date of administration
• Students taking an AP exam at a different time of day than is mandated
• Teachers "interviewing" students for test information after a student finishes his or her AP test (teachers can then use this information to unjustly provide their own students with advantages in the future)
• AP teachers looking at the actual test questions, answers, and/or processing any unauthorized test materials

These guidelines, along with

Contrary to popular belief, not all prominent, high-demand careers require a college degree. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 10 out of the 28 top fastest-growing careers could be pursued with vocational training available through public schools.

Subsequently, many believe public schools should provide more extensive vocational programs for interested students. While all high schools are required to provide students with general education courses, only a handful provide vocational alternatives.

What Type of Learning Coincides with Vocational Education?

Vocational-technical education programs provide students with practical learning opportunities and hands-on experiences to prepare graduates for a career following high school. As Massachusetts Public Schools explains, vocational programs allow students to develop technical, academic, and professional skills that can be used for either a professional pathway or a continuing education alternative.

While all states have vocational programs at various community colleges, some areas still struggle to establish or maintain functioning programs at the public high school level. Because the cost of these programs can often add an extra burden to a public school’s limited budget, these vocational courses are frequently one of the first venues to be cut during a time of financial struggle.

Despite the balancing, financial planning, and professional accommodations needed to establish these programs, many states have shown tremendous strides in offering vocational opportunities. For example, Massachusetts is one of the leading states

Biology, algebra, English, and history classes may no longer be sufficient for your child to graduate. With today’s trend of increasing standards for graduation, many schools are mandating that students complete community service or stewardship prior to earning their caps and gowns. As a result, many teens are finding unique and engaging ways to become involved in their local areas.

Volunteer Requirements

Maryland, Chicago, and Los Angeles are just some of the locations across the country mandating volunteerism as a requirement for graduation. Specifically, as the Los Angeles Legislative Analyst’s Office reveals, all public school students must engage in at least 40 hours of community service with a nonprofit organization or government entity in order to receive a diploma.

Schools implementing this volunteer mandate are confident that students will benefit for both the short and long term. As students volunteer, they are exposed to different cultures, social settings, personal backgrounds, and new experiences. With these experiences, public students are able to add depth to their learning and development, which helps them both as teenagers and adults.

In contrast to the cities and states that require community service as a graduation requirement, some areas are instead simply requiring that public schools provide students with the option to engage in community service. For example, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City is one of the many city leaders across the country encouraging optional service opportunities for students. As the Daily News reports, Bloomberg is set

Whether our economy is growing or declining, high school prom is almost always guaranteed to be a costly event. With the price of tickets, the cost of renting a suit, buying a dress, paying for hair appointments, and even hiring fancy transportation, students often shell out hundreds of dollars for this ultimate high school dancing celebration.

To provide students who are struggling to scrounge up the cash for all of the prom’s accouterments, many schools and leaders are creating programs and groups to stimulate community-wide support. As prom allows soon to be graduates to celebrate their long paths of education, many school leaders assert that the students should be rewarded for their efforts without worrying over how to pay for all of the costs.

This video offers suggestions on how to save money prom expenses.

The Price for Prom

As proms have become increasingly more extravagant over the years, the price for students desiring to attend has similarly soared to often outrageous heights. As USA Today reports in their article, “Prom Costs HOW Much?”, many families are struggling to afford all of prom’s “necessities.” According to USA Today, a single night of prom can cost around $400 to even $3,000 and up! According to the report, students tend to add items to the prom tab that include:

• $90 to $150 for transportation
• $10 to $125 (and up) for prom tickets
• $25 to $100 on cameras and photography
• $70 to $250 on a rental tuxedo
• $150

Teenagers today experience a myriad of benefits from competing in sports in public schools, from developing camaraderie and team building to honing physical and personal skills. Athletes discover the challenges of both winning and defeat as well.

With the many benefits, however, teens competing in high school sporting events must simultaneously balance athleticism with the potential dangers, such as an overly intense focus on the goal of winning. This goal can become a catalyst leading to destructive behaviors to an athlete’s overall physical health and well-being.

While sports are certainly an integral component of the public high school experience, teens and parents must foster positive athletic experiences by maintaining awareness of all positive and dangerous behaviors and making informed decisions when their children are involved in athletic competition.

Team Building and Public School Athletic Benefits

Personal Development

Whether teens compete in team sports or engage in more individualized activities, all high school sports are fundamentally designed to help teens develop stronger personal and interpersonal skills and talents. Athletics offers teens a physical outlet to exert their troubles, anger, and emotions.. As hormones alter teens’ moods and thoughts, competition fosters an opportunity for teens to interact with fellow peers, coaches, and mentors, while helping them understand their own abilities and talents.

When children and teens participate in group competitions and activities, they learn skills that apply to opportunities both on and off the playing field. Through competition, teens establish