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In today's educational system, the requirements that are put on students continues to grow, and the variances among school districts and states in what they require is vast. However, when students emerge from high school, they should be prepared to be citizens of this country and the global community. To do that requires some basic skills and background knowledge that everyone should be given access to in school. In today's society, with the growing emphasis on post-secondary education, the list should be expanded to adequately prepare students for the rigors of a college education. However, at a bare minimum, students should not be allowed to face the world without these basic skills (in no particular order):

1. English - English is the language of daily business and government in this country and if a person struggles to communicate in this language, it will hinder their progress in society. This includes not only being able to read proficiently, but also speak correctly and most importantly, write effectively. Having an appreciation for Shakespeare and poetry is wonderful (and would be helpful for college-bound students), but these other skills are essential.

2. Practical Living - Students should not be allowed to come out of high school without knowing basic life skills such as how to make a budget and balance a checkbook. In theory, parents should be teaching there children the importance of these skills at home, but since that is obviously not happening on a wide scale in today's world, students need to be exposed to these skills in school. Many students get to college or jobs out of high school and have no idea how to manage money and end up getting in credit card hell. Better exposure to these skills before getting into the real world could help to stave off the flames.

3. Science - at a minimum, students should have a survey science course that hits on the main points of earth/space, physics, and chemistry. This will give them a background in the basics of how things work. Students should also have biology. Studying living organisms is essentially to understanding ourselves and our place in the natural world, and the technological advancements in biology will continually be impacting our lives. Chemistry and Physics would be essential to college bound kids.

4. Math - at a minimum, algebra and geometry. Everyone needs to be able to do basic algebra. It's essential to finances (how are kids going to make those budgets and balance their checkbooks without

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