Yawn

MANIFESTO

I was out of the state yesterday and so missed this item:

The state Board of Education today approved a costly proposal to remake Connecticut high schools by raising graduation requirements, requiring students to pass state exams in certain classes and ensuring every student has an adviser and an individualized plan of study.

The proposal, which will now be submitted to the legislature, comes amid a tough economic climate, with projections of a $300 million state deficit this year and lean times ahead. Over the next eight years, the plan is projected to cost the state $183.9 million, according to the state Department of Education.

This may happen, but if one looks at the comments after the article, it's clear that the $184 million price tag is bothersome to more than a few people. We'll see how it shakes out, but the resolution may be appreciably more complicated than simply

increasing the number of required courses to 25, up from 20, [laying] out specific courses students must take and call[ing] for students to complete a "capstone" project before graduating.

The good news, I suppose, is that the earlier proposal that

included a requirement that students take two years of world language before graduating ... was not included in the version the board passed today.

Good thing. There literally aren't enough world language teachers in the state to fulfill that mandate.