Are Students Working Too Hard for a High School Diploma?

Arrupe Jesuit senior Estefany Hernandez eyes Dieter the dog's oxygen level for her school job.

At Poland Regional High School in southern Maine, 85 percent of seniors who graduated last year had plans to go to college, compared with 53 percent of graduates statewide. For four years, that school has required its seniors to submit at least one college application. Counselors guide each student through the process, and teachers help with college essays. Asked about the added pressure on students, Principal Bill Doughty says, "We're not talking about getting kids into the Stanfords or the Ivy Leagues. We're talking about moving kids up a notch."

Still, not everyone agrees on the best strategy for getting students ready for college and careers. "I'm not sure that slapping a requirement that says, 'Thou shall do this to graduate' is producing a positive return," says former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education. "We ought to be doing these initiatives so that the students want to get to graduation as opposed to mandating them."