School-to-Career Blog 070807
The views expressed here are Chris' and are not necessarily the same as the Wake County Public School System.
Schools should support students not headed for college. The Mercury News, July 8, 2007.
Link to the article.
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Highlights from the article
... a public education system that nurtures state mandates over individual need. A system narrowly focused on building a pipeline to a bachelor's degree when in fact only 25 percent of high school freshmen in California end up graduating from college.
In our frenzy to boost standardized test scores, and with the funding padlocked to them, we have lost sight of our mission: to serve every student, whether she dreams of harvesting stem cells or installing drywall. It is time for our public schools to renew their commitment to vocational, career and technical education.
Make exposure to career and technical classes a graduation requirement. Students want to learn skills, such as auto repair and woodworking, beyond those measured by standardized testing. Interesting and relevant classes can help lower absenteeism - which is at an all-time high in many districts - and make the next generation of workers feel more secure in the global economy.
All students ... deserve to feel proud of their choices, free of any stigma. Public schools must encourage our students' passions instead of trying to prescribe them. I like to imagine Alex is a head mechanic somewhere, maybe even part of a NASCAR pit crew. What's certain is he had a lot to teach me, to teach all of us, about matters far beyond crank shafts.
Chris' thoughts -
As an education system we are focused on getting students to the next level of education without much thought as to what happens when they get to the end. Most educators, and most of society, seem to think that all students should get a four-year college education. I have to ask why since less than 20% of all jobs require a four-year degree.
Our kids need to be exposed to all careers, given a chance to identify their interests and skills, and then help them plan their education path that will lead to the career that is best suited for them.
Chris writes for the following Blogs:
- Wake County School-to-Career Blog
- Association for Career and Technical Education's (ACTE) New and Related Services Division, School-to-Work/Careers Section (ACTE blog)
- Association for Career and Technical Education's (ACTE) New and Related Services Division, School-to-Work/Careers Section (ACTE blog) (alternate view)
- Wake County Public School System's Morning Announcements (WCPSS blog)
Wake County Public School System programs are staffed and offered without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, political affiliation, or disability.