High School Anxiety

Today’s Great Read: http://www.forbes.com/sites/christeare/2015/12/30/high-school-anxiety-a-call-for-college-admissions-reform/#67398d602a2d

“Once an ancillary part of a student’s high school experience, the admission process has overgrown high school life to such an extent that it chokes authenticity and forces students to behave like Machiavellis instead of themselves. By the time they actually get to college, students are burned out by the effort it took to get there; they haven’t had time to be truly involved in their classes or activities, because they’ve needed to construct lives that look good to admission officers. For underserved students, it’s become mostly a bewildering jungle of requirements that they find out about too late anyway. Already at a disadvantage, they get discouraged before they start….”

‘Soft Skills’ Pushed as Part of College Readiness

Today’s Great Read! (Oldie but Goodie) #MissionDefined

From: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/11/14/12softskills_ep.h32.html

“To make it in college, students need to be up for the academic rigor. But that’s not all. They also must be able to manage their own time, get along with roommates, and deal with setbacks. Resiliency and grit, along with the ability to communicate and advocate, are all crucial life skills. Yet, experts say, many teenagers lack them, and that’s hurting college-completion rates.”