 Dear reader,
Two main interests of ours at The Hechinger Report are coming together in our stories: career education and middle school. Increasingly, we find the two intersecting in classrooms and after-school programs, with schools across the U.S. shifting toward career-focused education in younger grades.
Even if the early jumpstart raises age-old questions about the purpose of education (is it to prepare students for jobs or to be well-rounded citizens?), we see a lot of enthusiasm for early exposure, particularly in cities like Greenville, South Carolina. In the Greenville County school district, where 60 percent of students live in poverty, school officials, students and families are finding that getting a handle on the work world has important benefits.
We also have a provocative opinion piece this week from developmental scientists, in favor of exposing middle schoolers to the digital world (with proper supports), along with a look at the life of an online tutor and a peek at what could happen this year in the world of declining college enrollment – and closures. As always, we love to hear from our readers, and warmest of welcomes to our new members.
Liz Willen, Editor
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