Some of us ASBJ editors have been debating the merits of New York City’s plan to put some struggling students into postsecondary courses to keep them from dropping out. Whether that becomes a model for other districts or a disaster swept under the rug, or something in between, I’m sure Naomi Dillon will let us know in a couple years.

But a similar concept that’s quickly gaining ground is high school majors. Yes, majors for 13- and 14-year-olds, just like colleges. Florida, South Carolina, and numerous school districts have policies that require students to choose a course specialization, and other states and districts are taking similar approaches through similar concepts, such as career academies.

My first reaction when I started research for a School Board News story was to roll my eyes, and apparently a lot of parents have the same reaction. After all, what eighth-grader (most of the plans required students to choose their topic of specialty even before entering high school) has much of an idea what career path they will pursue? And when I looked at Florida’s laundry list of approved subject majors—which included strands like sculpture and culinary journalism—my response (which cannot be printed in its entirety) included the question, “Who do they think is going to teach all this?!”

But after talking to a few folks I was persuaded that the programs have potential, albeit with a lot of caveats.

Administrators who favor majors think they will give students more focus and more ambition during their high school careers, much like a specialized magnet school or career academy, and boost their college applications. Most majors would only be taken through electives, usually one course the first two years and two courses in the junior and senior years, although the theme of the major could also influence the teachings of some of the core classes. Plus, administrators say many students already know their interests, and this could be a way to help students engaged. Gene Bottoms, a vice president at the Southern Regional Education Board, notes that while so many national groups are sounding alarms about 21st century skills and more rigor in core classes, not much is being done to figure out how to keep kids interested in school.

The concept has merit, at least for some students, in some schools, some of the time. Certain conditions need to be met: Students need flexibility to try out different majors, and shouldn’t be forced to choose if they aren’t passionate about their schools’ offerings; majors should be broad enough to allow students to explore different areas within a field; and, perhaps most importantly, the school must have the capacity to teach these courses well.

Will these programs become a model or be impossible to implement? Stay tuned; I’ll check back in a couple years.

Joetta Sack-Min, Associate Editor