A Path to High Academic Standards In her article “A Path to High Academic Standards,” Lynn Olson argues that “A major misconception about the transition from school to work is that it detracts from intellectual achievement.” and that “school-to-work can encourage young people to pursue education and training beyond high school.” A school-to-work program allows a student to attend a regular school and attend classes just like any other regular high school student, but they are also required to attend additional training in a “real world” work environment. School-to-work programs are feasible and attractive to the students whose schools participate, and Lynn Olson does a good job of arguing her point. “High-quality school-to-work programs combine learning in school and in the workplace.” This is logical, since without effective and willing employers to participate in the school-to-work program, school support would be weakened and the system would most likely fail. The school-to-work program allows students to get hands-on experience on the job while giving them a respite from textbooks. Lynn Olson says there have been studies suggesting that “school-to-work can help address one of education's biggest problems: motivation.” This makes sense and I think it is a very accurate and significant point. Without motivation students will find it very difficult to get things started and complete their tasks. This doesn't just happen in academia but in life in general. Lynn Olson argues: “A majority of American teenagers in national surveys describe their education as “boring.” I can attest to that. In both high school and university I had to learn subjects that I couldn't handle and because of this the motivation factor was extremely low. “Even though they think it's important to graduate, they don't think doing well in school is important.” I tend to agree with this. I think graduation is the key factor, and that's why kids go to school. School-to-work programs can alleviate some of the boredom that studying from textbooks can cause. “School-to-work can help young people answer the question: “Why do I need to learn this?” Lynn Olson says research from various companies and research firms supports that “school-to-work activities can reduce boredom and re-engage students in school.” Again this makes sense. Giving students the opportunity to step out of the classroom and into the world of work as interns gives them the opportunity to better understand the "real world" outside of textbooks and the classroom environment.