Florida Requiring 9th Graders to Declare Major?

I think it's cause for concern that Florida may try to lock 14-year-olds into a certain academic or vocational track at such a young age...it's difficult to know for sure what you want to do with your life when you're beginning college, let alone when you're just beginning high school.

(Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs.)

Karen at Spunky Homeschool has a provocative post up suggesting that Florida's program is not about providing students with the best education possible, but is instead a step on the path to socialism: "It is none of the state's business what my child or any child wants to be when they grow up...This is social engineering with the goal of tailoring the children toward the needs of the state."

I'm not sure I'm ready to go that far in my criticism, but I do think this program raises serious questions and Karen's thoughts are worth keeping in mind as we watch such new educational "programs" develop. Potentially cutting off students' career options at a very young age -- including shuffling some kids into vocational work at the beginning of high school -- doesn't strike me as healthy, and also seems to run counter to traditional American ideals about this country being "the land of opportunity."