The New York Times – Laura Pappano
“Matriculation is years away for the Class of 2030, but the first graders in Kelli Rigo’s class at Johnsonville Elementary School in rural Harnett County, N.C., already have campuses picked out…“The age old question is: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ You always ask kids that,” Ms. Rigo said. “We need to ask them, ‘How will you get there?’ Even if I am teaching preschool, the word ‘college’ has to be in there.” Forget meandering — the messaging now is about goals and focus…Credit President Obama and the Common Core Standards for putting the “college and career ready” mantra on the lips of K12 educators across the country. Or blame a competitive culture that has turned wide open years of childhood into a checklist of readiness skills. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that college prep has hit the playground set…This may sound overwrought, but Joan Nachman, the guidance counselor at Magnolia Elementary School, points out that colleges want Advanced Placement courses on transcripts but high school students can’t just sign up. They must prepare with honors courses in middle school, which means strong work in elementary school. “You have to set the groundwork now,” she said.”(more)