June 9, 2005

Contact:

Gary Reinecke, (510) 465-6444 ext. 300,  greinecke@edtrustwest.org 

New Report Highlights Students' Perspectives on the Need for A-G Curriculum 

(Oakland, CA) – Students can and do succeed in the so-called "A-G" curriculum, according to a report released today by the Education Trust-West. The report, Students Speak Out: Why the AG Curriculum is Important to Students features the voices of graduating seniors from San Jose Unified School District, where all students are required to take the A-G curriculum to graduate. The low-income and Latino students featured in the report reflect on the importance of high expectations and the opportunities they’ve had in taking the A-G curriculum that they might not have had otherwise.

As the Los Angeles Unified School District debates whether or not to increase graduation requirements to match the A-G curriculum, the students in this report counter the claims made by some adults who suggest that LAUSD students don’t need a more rigorous curriculum, that students don’t have the desire or ability to go to college, and that more students will drop out if graduation requirements are changed.

Through the students own words, the report shows that those who may not have been considered to be college-bound in the past can excel in the A-G curriculum. Ana Castro, a student at Pioneer High School noted: "I [will be] a first generation college student, when I went to high school I didn’t speak English well… [The A-G requirements] showed what I can do and what I am capable of doing in my life."

"The students’ statements bear out in vivid color what we have seen in the data," said Russlynn Ali, executive director of the Education Trust-West. "If you raise the bar, and provide the instructional supports necessary, students will rise to meet the challenge."

The Education Trust-West timed the release of this report to coincide with a special hearing of the Senate Select Committee on College and University Admissions and Outreach taking place today at Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley (Los Angeles) from 4:00-6:00 pm.