Alarming trend in U.S. high schools — and why Thai parents should pay attention
A Slate parenting column this week captured a growing concern for families: more recent high school graduates are arriving at college underprepared for the academic demands they face, losing scholarships, ending up on academic probation, or needing to repeat introductory courses — even when they left high school with mostly A’s and B’s (Slate parenting column). New research from U.S. education organizations confirms the columnist’s anecdote and shows a wider pattern: high school grades have risen while standardized test scores and some measures of college performance have dropped, leaving many students — and their families — shocked by the rigour of college-level work (College Board report; ACT/EdWeek coverage). For Thai parents planning university paths for their children, these findings underline practical steps families and schools must take now to avoid similar shocks when Thai students transfer to provincial, private, or overseas universities.