One boy built a self-sufficient doghouse; another, who wanted to
study money (because he wanted to be rich), sought out a young
banker to interview and ended up with an internship at that bank,
with the banker as his mentor. Not only do the students learn to
use their own ingenuity to discover more about the world, but many
are interested in school for the first time. One student, for
example, missed more than 100 days at his previous school but had
perfect attend-ance at the MET.
WORKPLACE NAVIGATION
Why: Comfort with the working world gives students a leg up
on the job.
Examples: At the Knowledge is Power Program academies in the
Bronx and in
Houston (where formerly "at-risk" students
consistently perform in the above-97 percentile range on
Texas-based TAAS exams), kids earn points for good behavior, for
meeting deadlines, and for school performance. The points are
calculated on coupons that look like payroll checks, which can be
used to buy merchandise at the school stores. Every Friday,
students go the reverse of casual day and are required to dress in
suits and ties or business-worthy skirts. Joining the workforce is
these students' aim. "If you have the wrong attitude, then you
might not get a job," one student told The New Republic during a
site visit.
Internships also help initiate kids into the working world. At the
MET, students start internships in the community their freshman
year, enabling them to sample early on the world outside school
walls. Exposed to work life, students often change their goals; one
girl who wanted to be a cosmetologist interned with a social worker
and decided instead to pursue social work.
Students at New Technology High School in Napa work in a
businesslike atmosphere every day, where there are no hall passes
or monitors, and no school bells. This flexible environment, where
students are expected to meet deadlines on their own and to be
responsible with their time and to others, is designed to teach
them the skills they need to get along in the workplace.
"Responsibility has become more important," observed one student.
"I have the ability to organize, keep on task, stay focused, and be
on time. Tech High ... carries into your daily life."
TRACY STATON is a senior editor of
American Way.
BILL MARVEL is a feature writer for The Dallas Morning News.
BETH MAYALL is a Los Angeles-based writer, and former editor at
U., The National College Magazine.
LEE EMMERT'S work as an advertising and editorial photographer has
taken him to 18 countries and 26 states since completion of
post-graduate study at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington,
D.C.
COLLEGE.COM
Welcome to the new higher ed, where you must have a computer, a
Palm Pilot, and wireless Web access around campus. But no, you
still can't have a hot plate.
By Beth Mayall
Consider this: Today's college freshmen were born in 1983.
They grew up around computers, many with one in their home. And now
they're flocking to universities across the country, expecting to
be plugged in and enlightened. They won't be disappointed.