P-16 Education: Where are We Going? Where Have We Been?

Abstract

The education reform known as P-16 is intended to provide greater continuity to students' entire school career and entry into the work force. To introduce this special section, Ms. Chamberlin and Mr. Plucker provide a detailed overview of the reform's objectives, the mechanisms used to create P-16 systems, and the progress that specific states have made toward achieving the ideal of seamlessness. OVER THE past decade, a wave of education reform has swept the nation. Yet the general public remains largely unaware of it, even though the reforms are arguably among the most successful public policy initiatives of the past quarter century and have the potential to yield benefits for years to come. Charter schools, school choice, standards-based instruction, expansion of systematic assessment, heightened roles for states and the federal government in education--one can debate the merits of any of these reforms, but it is difficult to argue that the landscape of U.S. education has not undergone major change. One education reform that has the potential to leave its mark on education for many years is the P-16 initiative. The name refers to the range of grades included, beginning with preschool and running through the postsecondary undergraduate years. Though such efforts are most commonly called P-16, they are in some cases referred to as P-20 (or K-20) to demonstrate the importance of preparing a highly skilled work force in the years beyond undergraduate education. P-16 activities usually involve collaborations linking preschool education, K-12 education, and higher education, with major roles often played by state agencies, state legislatures, and businesses. P-16 systems are intended primarily to smooth transitions between the different levels of education and into the work force. To do so usually involves enhancing preparation for college through a rigorous high school curriculum, aligning high school graduation requirements with postsecondary admissions requirements, and strengthening teacher preparation programs and professional development for veteran instructors so that every classroom has a highly qualified teacher. (1) Other activities often associated with P-16 systems include the provision of high-quality preschool programs for all children, an expanded range of course offerings at the high school level, enhanced collaboration among teachers at all educational levels, high levels of parent and community involvement in schools, and smoother transitions between educational levels. In addition, new P-16 efforts include the creation and implementation of P-16 (or P- or K-20) data systems that have been designed to track student achievement from early childhood all the way into the work force. NATIONWIDE P-16 EFFORTS In a June 2006 report, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) identified 30 states with formal P-16 initiatives. (2) A handful of additional states, though not mentioned in the ECS report, have taken the initial steps toward creating P-16 alliances, organizations, or councils. For example, one of the most recent state-level efforts was begun in Massachusetts in the summer of 2006. The Massachusetts Advisory Committee on Education Policy was formed at the request of the state board of education and is a collaboration involving agencies of early childhood education, K-12 education, and higher education. Some states have had P-16 initiatives under way for a number of years and have already produced significant results. Florida's K-20 initiative began in 1994 and was written into legislation in 2003. It has resulted in the consolidation of K-12 and postsecondary education under the Florida Board of Education and led to the creation of one of the nation's first K-20 data systems. Oregon, which began its P-16 efforts in 1995 through the collaboration of K-12 and higher education, has worked to expand early learning opportunities and better ensure college readiness by aligning its high school completion standards with college-entry requirements through the Proficiency-Based Admission Standards System (PASS). …