Center for the Future of Arizona | Pathways Project

Pathways to Postsecondary



George W. Hynd, Ph.D.		Eugene E. Garcia, Ph.D.

Viewpoints
Arizona Republic
September 14, 2008

Goal: Career-focused pipeline

By George W. Hynd, Ph.D., Senior Vice Provost & Dean
Mary Lou Fulton College of Education
Arizona State University
and
Eugene E. Garcia, Ph.D., Professor and
Vice President for Education Partnerships
Arizona State University

Within five years, most jobs paying a livable wage will require education beyond high school. Currently, fewer than two in 10 Arizona ninth graders graduate high school and finish college within six years.

Over the past year, Arizona State University has collaborated with the Center for the Future of Arizona in exploring the development of a seamless education pipeline to improve these outcomes.

We envision a reengineered education system that embeds postsecondary preparation in high school or earlier and provides a seamless transition to the next educational level.

This would entail:

Early career interest exploration in middle school;
Streamlined educational pathways linking high school and postsecondary, tailored to student interests;
Rethinking high school and college curricula together, especially the senior year of high school and freshman year of college;
Focusing on high return areas such as science, technology, engineering and math;
Enhanced academic support, advisement, tutoring and counseling; and
Reexamination of teacher preparation programs enabling these outcomes.

ASU and its community partners are committed to leading efforts to create seamless pathways for all students, building on ASU’s current partnerships and initiatives serving high-need school districts.

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