State Education Director says it’s time to change graduation requirements

The director of the state Department of Education says it’s time to change graduation requirements for Iowa high schoolers. Ted Stilwill says what’s becoming really clear is there must be “greater clarity” about the kinds of knowledge and skills students need if they’re going to succeed in college and in the workplace.Stilwill says graduation requirements should go beyond the idea of a list of courses a student must pass with a certain grade point average. Stilwill says high-paying employers are looking for people who know how to work in teams, who have fundamental respect for others and who are comfortable with diversity. Stilwill says those things are on no Iowa student’s transcripts today, so state officials need to start working with local schools to come up with new student graduation requirements. Stilwill says there’s a lot of work to do to re-think how all this works, but he says employers and parents are saying very much the same thing. Both want students who are broadly prepared, yet the school system is designed to have students complete certain courses and receive “some sort of certificate at the end.”