NC high schools struggle to prepare graduates for secondary studies

As the curriculum at N.C. public schools continues to be reviewed, research indicates some high school graduates are floundering post-graduation.

Enrollment numbers in remedial courses at universities and community colleges have skyrocketed — despite a shortage of funds to pay for these courses — and officials are concerned about how well the state’s high schools prepare students.

“I think even the state would admit that we have too many high schools that are allowing too many students to drop out or not be successful in their post-secondary endeavors,” said Terry Stoops, director of education studies at the John Locke Foundation, a conservative N.C. think tank.

He said his research showed that 50 to 60 high schools across the state have struggled to produce successful students.

“The high schools that are successful tend to be located in suburban and urban areas, but we have some excellent high schools scattered across the state,” he said.

The top feeder high schools to UNC-CH are mainly located in the Raleigh and Charlotte areas.

According to a report by the UNC system, the percentage of N.C. public high school graduates who enrolled in fall 2007 and returned for their junior year in 2010 varied among universities.

UNC-CH had the highest retention rate — almost 95 percent — but at smaller schools such as UNC-Pembroke and Fayetteville State University, the rate fell to about 50 percent.

From 2006 to 2009 N.C. community colleges’ remedial course enrollment growth rate was 7 percent, which is faster than the public school graduation rate, Stoops said.

He found that 64 percent of N.C. high school graduates who attend a community college have to take a remedial course in reading, writing or math.

“That is an extremely disturbing statistic because that indicates students aren’t even meeting the basic literacy expectations of community college,” Stoops said.

The percentage of freshmen across the system who took at least one remedial course in fall 2008 was almost 8 percent, according to a UNC-system report.

But community colleges might soon move away from offering remedial courses because of the high price tag.

There will be fewer remedial courses available at higher education institutions throughout the state next year because of funding cuts, said Rep. Marvin Lucas, D-Cumberland and vice chairman of the education committee in the N.C. House of Representatives.

To help schools affected by state funding cuts, the N.C. General Assembly will continue to work with the state’s Department of Education to improve the quality of schools and the students they produce, he said.

“We have successfully (produced good students) for years, and I think we will continue to do that,” said Rep. James Langdon, R-Johnston and chairman of the committee.

Lucas said keeping N.C. public high schools nationally competitive remains a top priority.

“We have not done as well in the SATs and the ACTs as some of the other states have done, but we’re making progress,” he said. “Ten years ago, we were at the bottom when it came to SAT scores.”

U.S. News’ annual list of high school rankings put North Carolina at number 19 this year, with only two schools on the “Gold Medal” list of 100 public high schools.

“It’s never going to be perfect because education is a moving target, but we’re making a lot of progress,” Lucas said. “You’re going to see things improve.”

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