How to Build A Better High School

The measure is controversial, but students who take AP exams--even if they don't do well--are better prepared than those who don't.

對於學生參加AP考試這樣的這項措施是有爭議的，即使參加AP考試的學生他們做不好是也比那些沒有參加的學生做了更好的準備。

Morgan Wilbanks was in for a series of shocks when he transferred to the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate (IB) School in Alabama at the beginning of his sophomore year.

Morgan Wilbanks轉學至位於阿拉巴馬州傑弗遜郡國際文憑學校，展開他第二年的生涯時，遭遇到一系列的震撼。

The little-known school near Birmingham, which tops NEWSWEEK's list of America's Best High Schools, is on the leading edge of a growing movement to make secondary education much more rigorous.

這所位於伯明翰附近鮮為人知的學校，是名列新聞周刊美國最佳高中的名單之一，其在中等教育的改革中是位居領先的地位。

Wilbanks, then 16, found himself taking tough courses right from the start.

Wilbanks（16歲），他發現自己從選課的開始就開始體驗艱難的課程。

In his Advanced Placement (AP) European-history class, teacher Jeffrey Clayton gave startled students this initial assignment: memorize the map of Europe and be able to draw every country, along with 10 capitals, 10 rivers and 10 bodies of water.

在他的進階先修（AP）歐洲歷史課上，Jeffrey Clayton老師一開始的課程安排，就讓學生嚇了一跳：記住歐洲地圖，並能描繪每一個國家，還要包含10個首都，10條河流和10條河流的支流

And that was just a warm-up. 這只是暖身而已。

Clayton and other teachers told Wilbanks that he would be tackling nearly a dozen similarly demanding courses before he received his diploma.

Clayton和其他老師告訴Wilbanks，在他得到文憑之前，將近十多樣課程都有類似的要求。

A few of the school's 325 students fled, preferring a less strenuous life at a regular public school.

學校325位學生中的一些人選擇逃離，寧願到不須那麼勤奮學習的普通公立學校。

But Wilbanks, looking back this month a few weeks before graduation, says it was a "great experience" that prepared him well for the University of Alabama--where he'll major in chemistry and aim for medical school.

但是Wilbanks回顧離畢業只有幾星期的這個月，他說：「這是一段偉大的經驗。」為了到阿拉巴馬大學醫學院主修化學，他已經做好準備。

Parents and even some educators might cringe at the idea of turning adolescence into a forced march toward college.

家長和甚至一些教育工作者可能會擔心，學生的青春期被迫變成只為上大學而努力。

What about time --for fun, football games and memories of life beyond test scores?

時間是什麼呢？找尋樂趣，足球比賽和記憶測試成績以外的生活？

But even the most relaxed among them agree that something needs to be done to reform the American public high school, a 184-year-old institution that has been as resistant to change as a teenager ordered to clean his room.

但即使是最寬鬆的高中也同意，為改革美國的公立高中需要做一些事情了，一個184歲的機構就像一個青少年被命令清理房間一樣拒絕改變。

U.S. high schools generally score low in international comparisons.

在國際的評比中，美國的高中普遍表現不理想。

Unlike elementary and middle schools, high schools haven't made significant gains in reading achievement and have been erratic in math.

在閱讀方面，高中不像小學和中學一樣有明顯的成效，同時，數學的表現也不穩定。

Almost a third of all students--and half of blacks and Hispanics--fail to graduate.

將近三分之一的學生（包含一半的黑人和西班牙裔）沒能從高中畢業。

This dismal performance has captured everyone's attention.

這樣令人沮喪的表現，已經引起所有人的注意。

"There is a growing consensus behind high-school reform," said U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. "Never before have so many groups--governors, business leaders, children's advocates--been so united on the need to act."

美國教育部長Margaret Spellings說：「愈來愈多人意識到高中教育需要改革，從來沒有這麼多團體，如政府、企業領導人、兒童的擁護者，需要如此團結的採取行動。」

Heads 'better leaders than MPs'

Head teachers are much more valued for their leadership skills than politicians and football managers, claims an opinion poll.

一項民意調查宣稱，校長的領導能力比政治家和足球隊經理更被看重。

A survey of how people rate professionals and public figures shows that head teachers are viewed as among the best leaders.

一項有關於公眾如何評價專業和公共形象的調查顯示，校長被視為最佳的領導人之一。

It shows heads have risen in status, compared to previous polls from the National College for School Leadership.

比較先前NCSL的調查，校長的地位有提升了。

Head teachers were the second most "respected" professionals after doctors.

在最受尊敬專業人士中，校長的地位僅次於醫生。

The survey, carried out by Mori, says that more than half of the public believe that head teachers are "particularly good leaders" - better than army officers, the police and doctors.

這項調查由Mori先生進行，他說，超過一半的社會大眾相信，比起軍官、警察和醫生，校長是特別優秀的領導人。

And it shows that 43% of the public have "great respect" for heads - up by 4% compared with last year. Doctors command more respect - 59% - with police officers scoring the third highest, with 25%.

同時，這研究也指出，社會大眾「非常尊敬」的排行榜，第一名是醫生有59%；校長則有43%，比去年多了4%；而第三名則是警察25%。

There were also signs that this growing appreciation of heads was increasing confidence in the school system - with many more people believing that leadership in schools was getting better rather than declining.

校長在學校系統中不斷提升的自信心，也使社會大眾給予更多的讚賞。許多人相信學校領導的功能正在好轉。

Professionals such as heads and doctors were much higher rated for their leadership than better paid and higher profile figures - such as sports coaches, business directors and politicians.

對於專業人士領導能力的評價，校長和醫生高於其他如運動教練、企業主管和政治家等高收入和高知名度的人士。

Only 10% of people valued the leadership skills of MPs and sports managers scored 15%.

只有10%肯定國會議員的領導能力，運動教練則獲得15%的肯定。

But these were better than union officials, who only scored 7% and health service managers - 4% - and civil servants - 3% - who were the lowest ranked,

不過還高於工會官員的7%、衛生服務管理人4%和公務員的3%，

This high levels of support for heads and doctors - and lack of confidence in civil servants and health service managers - suggests that the public places much more trust in "front-line" staff.

校長和醫生得到高度的支持，以及對公務員和衛生服務管理者缺乏信心的現象，表示社會大眾對於「第一線」的工作人員較為信任。

The head of the National College for School Leadership, Heather Du Quesnay, said the survey reflected the growing awareness of the professionalism of head teachers.

NCSL的校長Heather Du Quesnay說：「這個調查反映了對於校長專業化的認識有所成長。」

"There is obviously an increasing awareness of the head teacher's complex and challenging leadership role and an appreciation of the huge impact that this has on our children's learning experiences and the success of our schools," she said.

她又說：「對校長工作複雜性和領導角色挑戰的認識，明顯地獲得提升，因為校長領導深深影響學童的學習經驗和學校的成功發展。」

Heads' college builds for future-

And the new building could be seen as a metaphor for the arrival of the knowledge economy, "re-cycling" land formerly used by the city's bicycle industry.

這幢新建築可以視為知識經濟到來的隱喻，它的基地從前是這城市的腳踏車工業所在地，現在「回收再利用」。

The college's chief executive, Heather du Quesnay, says that the quality of the building should reflect and reinforce the status of the profession.

學院的執行長Heather du Quesnay說，這建築物的品質，應該反映和增強它專業的地位。

And the government will be looking to the college to upgrade teachers' professionalism - training the next generation of heads and introducing professional qualifications for leadership.

政府希望學院著眼於提升教師專業化，訓練下一代的校長，引導他們成為合格的專業領導人。

Anyone who has been to a training centre will know the kind of set-up - name badges, coffee, feedback sessions, jargon, aspirational stuff about creativity and flexibility, and lots of management-speak on whiteboards.

任何人進入這個培訓中心將會知道體貼的設計，包含：姓名徽章、咖啡、行話、有關創造力和彈性化的理想物品，以及白板上有許多的管理規定。

But the difference is that this kind of centre has never been available to education before - and head teachers, looking after hundreds of lives and millions of pounds, have never had a focal point for their particular needs.

不同的是，從前的教育從未見過這樣的校長培訓中心。校長要照顧數以百計的人和花費數百萬英鎊，但卻從未聚焦到他們特別的需求。

Heather du Quesnay wants the college to help school leaders to create a more systematic and consistent approach to improving teaching and learning.

Heather du Quesnay希望領導學院幫助校長們創造更有系統性和一致性的方法改進教學和學習。

"There are too many inconsistencies, not just between different schools, but within schools. We've been bad at spreading knowledge, even between classrooms in the same school," she says.

她說：「我們一直用不好的方式傳播知識，不只是不同的學校，甚至同學校的不同班級間有太多的矛盾。」

Head teachers can be shown research-based ways of raising standards, which they can apply in their schools. "Less opinion and more fact," she says.

她又說：「少一些雜音（意見、輿論），多一些事實。引導校長們以研究為基礎的方式提高標準，他們可以應用於自己的學校。」

Help Wanted: Qualified Principals

WOMEN AND MINORITIES

婦女及少數族裔

Recruiting minority candidates was more often a problem than recruiting female candidates, survey respondents said.
受訪者表示招募少數族裔候選人往往是一個問題比招聘女性候選人困難的問題。

Seventeen percent of all respondents said increasing the number of women in management positions has been an issue in their district; 86 percent said that qualified females were considered for the vacancy they filled last year.
17%的受訪者表示，在他們的學區內，女性參與學校管理職位的議題已經逐漸增加，86%受訪者表示，具一定資歷的女性於去年已經填補了學區內的校長空缺。

Thirty-five percent of the superintendents indicated that increasing the number of minorities in management positions was an issue in their districts. Only thirty-six percent said that qualified minorities applied for last year's opening.
35%的督察表示，在其學區內增加少數族裔在學校管理職位已經成一個議題。 但也Only thirty-six percent said that qualified minorities applied for last year's opening.只有36%符合資格的少數民族裔申請去年的學校管理者空缺。

The great majority of principals are male and White (non-Hispanic), the study states. The percentage of minority principals in public schools, however, did increase from 13 to 16 percent between the school years 1987-88 and 1993-94, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). During the same time period, the percentage of female principals rose from 25 percent to 35 percent.
本研究中絕大多數校長是白種男性（非西班牙裔）。 然而根據全國教育統計中心（NCES），在一些公立學校，其他少數族裔的校長於1987-88和1993-94學年間，有些微增加13%至16%。 During the same time period, the percentage of female principals rose from 25 percent to 35 percent.在同一時期，女性校長的比例上升到25%至35%。

"Instead of waiting for individuals to self-select administration, educational leaders must be identified and groomed in a systematic way that facilitates the recruitment of potential leaders among women and minorities," concludes a 1992 report about a joint program of the New York City Board of Education and the Bank Street College Principals Institute.

“與其等待個別學校自行選擇校長，教育領導者必須有系統地確立並扶植具潛在領導人的女性和少數民族。