March 21, 2012 | 12:42 PM | By

All D.C. High School Students Have To Apply To College

A new D.C. measure requires all public high school students to take a college admission exam and apply to college in order to graduate from high school. The bill also gives $10,000 to top teachers who relocate to struggling schools in low-income neighborhoods.

The measure could make a dent in D.C.’s unemployment disparity. Joblessness is high in D.C. neighborhoods where few adults hold bachelor’s degrees, partially because so many of the available jobs in the District require higher education credentials.

Critics of the new measure say it may backfire by making it more difficult for students to graduate high school. At least 20 to 30 percent of D.C. students don’t graduate high school. Maybe even more.

One of the intentions behind the move is to change the expectations of those students who don’t view college as an option. But will mandating taking the SATs change that?


D.C. students would be required to apply to college or trade school and take the SAT or ACT under the most sweeping education legislation passed by the D.C. Council since a 2007 law set the stage for former Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s aggressive reforms.

Under the Raising the Expectations for Education Outcomes Omnibus Act of 2012, the District is set to become the first “state” in the nation to require students to apply to a postsecondary institution, according to council staff.

Read more at: washingtonexaminer.com