Conley, David (2005).
College Knowledge: What It Really Takes for Students to Succeed and What We Can Do to Get Them Ready.
San Francisco, CA: Wiley/Jossey-Bass.
Not only is the title of this book a "mouthful" but what Professor David Conley heaps on the reader's plate may also be a little hard to digest. Based on the findings of Standards for Success, a three year project of the Association of American Universities in partnership with the Pew Charitable Trust, this volume focuses on the basic knowledge and skills college-bound students will need in English, math, natural sciences, second languages, and the arts, in order to be ready for college.
In explaining why many secondary school graduates are not prepared for the rigors of the college classroom, Conley emphasizes that there is a big difference between college-eligible and college-ready. A student may have taken and passed the courses that have been approved by college admissions officers but, alas, that doesn't mean he is actually prepared to meet the expectations of his college instructors. The author does not infer that all college bound students are unprepared but there are enough to merit a book of this nature. As the name implies, the goal of Standards for Success is to identify the specific knowledge and skills necessary for success in entry-level university courses.
Assuming the findings of the study are correct, it becomes obvious that any attempt to align state and district content standards with
the material set forth here will be a very tall order. In theory there should not be a wide disparity between what the study indicates students need to know for entry-level university courses and what the state, county, and local education bureaucrats deem is necessary for graduation. Unfortunately, that gulf exists. Even if one focuses just on the college prep, honors and Advance Placement courses that schools offer and then look at the compendium of material college-ready students are suppose to have mastered, the shortfall is staggering.
Should we should throw up our hands in anguish and cry the situation is hopeless. Certainly not! But there will be a tendency, as teachers ponder the material in this book, to be overwhelmed by what they read.
The best way to approach what Conley sets forth is to consume the material in small doses. If you are a district curriculum coordinator, principal, or department chair, don't dump this on the table at one sitting. Small portions will not only be easier for your staff to digest but also won't make them gag when they see what needs to be done. In most schools, some of this is already in place, so emphasize the positive. Next, prioritize the things that need to be done. Create a realistic action plan that addresses the changes or additions to course curriculum that you wish to make and then get on with it.
A professor of educational policy and leadership in the College of Education at the University of Oregon, Conley presents the findings of Standards for Success in as palatable a format as possible. There's much to mull over and discuss in each of the content areas so dig in, but don't bite off too much to begin with.
Pages: 350
Price: $24.95
ISBN: : 0-7879-7397-1
Reviewed by Robert F. Walch, Retired educator, Monterey, California
