Effect of Chicago's Tougher Science Policy Mixed
Policy Did Not Boost College-Going or Grades, Study Finds
A policy change that made college-preparatory courses the default high school curriculum in the Chicago public schools increased the number of science courses that students took and passed. But it also kept some students from taking higher-level science courses and did not increase the college-going rate, according to a study by the Consortium on Chicago School Research .
The study, released March 15, examines the effects of increasing science coursetaking in the nation’s third-largest school district.
In 1997, the Chicago district made it mandatory that all entering freshmen from then on would take three years of science coursework, as part of a college-prep curriculum that also included expanded requirements in English, social studies, mathematics, and foreign languages. The study tracked nearly 168,000 Chicago school students in 75 schools who entered 9th grade each year...
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