Pathways to High School Success

By Clifford B. Janey

Students in urban districts across the country continue to demonstrate that when given appropriate instruction and support, they will do well in rigorous courses and perform more than satisfactorily on state assessments.

My own district of Rochester, N.Y., is a good example. We have more than doubled the number of students taking and passing higher-level coursework such as the state regents' courses. In the 1998-99 school year, 56 percent of our high school students took and passed these more rigorous courses, an increase of 108 percent from 1994-95.

But in Rochester as in other urban districts, we know that not all students perform to the high standards expected of them in the same period of time. Some require more time to demonstrate their knowledge and...