Yesterday, I was listening to a report that stated that only 30% of high school graduates continue on to obtain a college degree. So that leaves 70% without a degree. And what do we do for those students? From everything I’ve seen and read; we have not provided much in the way of support for careers for the majority of high school students. What about technical training? What about training for life?
Many years ago, these skills were often referred to as the “manual arts” and were appreciated, even given high value by educators. Today? Correct me if I’m wrong, but there are few carpentry classes in high schools and even fewer plumbing classes. Life skills? Not even considered.
In California, a carpenter can make $60,000 a year or more. An electrician close to $75,000. Not rich, but certainly not poor. But even those middle income wages are under attack by conservatives who wish to eliminate all union power and wages. So as wages go down, the attraction of the trade diminishes and the schools won’t even consider training for “manual arts”. Soon, the only choices are dismal at best for the high school graduate numbered among the 70%.
When I was in high school, I took Mechanical Drawing for two years, Auto shop for two years and one year of Agriculture. I was also on a College Prep course of study. I even went to college…a couple of times. But I found that college interfered with “life” and I soon gave it up. Some people do. But what I found in construction made up for it. Here I was productive; I built things! And my Mechanical Drawing courses gave me the skills needed to read blueprints and to understand how things were built.
We need more classes like that today, not less. Yet, the majority of educators continue to press for more college prep courses in high school, repeating their mantra that you must have a college degree or life will pass you by. And that is simply not true.
I forwarded this on to Dalene, as she is the Superintendent of ROP for Redlands Ca. She agrees with you wholeheartedly. She has been fighting the battle for almost 20 years to get more occupational training available to the high schools and even after high school training. Their budgets just get cut more and more each year.
ReplyDeleteThe numbers just astound me...70%! There are two things wrong with this picture. If we're spending money to educate children so well that they can go to college; we have failed miserably if only 30% go on. And if we continue to ignore the 70%, those students will end up being a drain on society (and our tax dollars).
ReplyDeleteAnd now what happens to those seniors who fail that all important Exit Exam? It will be interesting to see how many of those who fail will just give up...but since the state doesn't even know which school they are attending, no one will ever know.