Michael Sullivan: Bring back the comprehensive high school

Published: 03-01-2023 5:29 PM

The demand for seats in vocational high schools far exceeds supply. The push to enroll high school students in early college programs is intended to “jump start” their preparation for the future. At the same time, school and health officials plead for more resources to patch up the alarming rise of suffering, alienated teens.

Meanwhile, in the adult world, red folks and blue folks can’t fathom each other’s world views. Last century, America invented an institution to forge inclusive communities of learners, teach democratic values by living them, and provide flexible pathways for future success without losing the value of learning together in the present moment. This was the comprehensive high school. Let’s bring them back. Increased specialization and fragmentation are not what our adolescents and society need most.

Michael Sullivan

Florence 

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