Thank you, Dan
Excellent questions & valuable info!
Nancy
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 1, 2017, at 9:16 AM, Dan Drmacich <dandrmacich123@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This editorial raises a number of important questions for NYS educators &
policy-makers, particularly for urban education leaders:
1. In light of many NYS districts being data-driven, why haven't districts
like Rochester seized upon this opportunity to offer more options for success
to its students?
2. Why not present the options to students & parents for this type of high
school diploma & let demand drive the curricular agenda?
3. Would not intrinsic motivation for the kind of curriculum and outcome be a
superior motivating force for authentic engagement vs. a politically-driven,
top-down, imposed agenda for students?
4. If this rationale makes sense, why not apply it to other curricular areas
of intrinsic motivation, such as performing arts, School Without Walls
liberal arts, Law & Justice, Sports & Health, American Social Problems &
World Issues?
5. Why not use the NY Performance Standards Consortium model to create
high-standards, performance-based assessments vs. the required Regents Exams
for graduation? Wouldn't it make sense for a student majoring in plumbing to
be able to demonstrate to a committee of contractors that she/he can apply an
algebraic formula to plumbing for a house vs. the non-real world, paper &
pencil test questions that appear on Regents or Common Core tests?
6. Can we combine this kind of student-intrinsic motivation/curricular-driven
approach with services to meet the concentrated poverty & trauma-driven,
psycho-social needs of students & parents to make eduacation a more equitable
opportunity?
7. If this kind of rationale makes sense, why aren't the education &
government policy-makers intensively lobbying State & Federal government
leaders for the flexibility that's needed to create this kind of education
transformation?
If current Boards of Education regard this kind of education agenda too risky
for their mode of operation, let's vote in & hire folks who are willing to
meet the demands of students & parents.
Dan
Many paths to a bright future
JO ANNE ANTONACCI, KEVIN KELLEY AND DAN WHITE GUEST ESSAYISTS
Much attention is focused on the percentage of local graduates heading off to
fouryear colleges — a statistic frequently regarded as the ultimate measure
of a district’s success.
However, with fewer than four in 10 students completing public college on
time in New York, the question becomes: is four years of college the right
path for all students? With a growing unmet demand for skilled workers in
areas such as technology, optics, and advanced manufacturing, is there an
educational course that leads to a rewarding career — in less time?
Harvard’s “Pathways to Prosperity” study predicted that only 33 percent of
the job market in 2018 will require a four-year degree or higher, while 57
percent of jobs will require technical skills and training at an Associate or
credentialed level.
Technical skills jobs are often referred to as “middle skills” — but they
shouldn’t be. They are actually career pathways that lead to employment in
diverse fields, including healthcare, law enforcement, manufacturing and
integrated technologies. They require more education and training than a high
school diploma but less than four years of college.
Demand for these professionals is booming, rapidly outpacing the available
qualified workforce — a gap that will only widen as more baby boomers retire.
In the Finger Lakes Region alone, there are 800-plus job openings each year
and more than 500 that remain chronically unfilled — just in areas of tooling
and machining, optics, electrical and mechanical engineering technologies and
applied integrated technologies/mechatronics.
Some of the gap can be attributed to a negative perception of “middle
skills,” often driven by outdated notions about industries such as
manufacturing, and unfamiliarity with earning potential. For example, the
average income of an electrician ranges from $51,000 to $86,000.
Fortunately, local public schools and employers in the technology and
manufacturing sectors are working together to introduce students to exciting,
profitable careers while they’re still in high school, and are providing
advanced training after graduation.
School students in the Monroe 1 and Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES districts build a
house as part of their studies in the Building and Construction Trades
program. In the Certified Nurse Assisting program, they earn their CNA
certification by the end of senior year. Other students split their school
days between the classroom and local manufacturers. Similar real-world
experiences and career-focused certifications are available in Culinary Arts,
Human Service, Education, Public Safety, Information Technology, Health
Sciences, Manufacturing Technology, and Automotive.
Career-focused students at East High School and Edison Career and Technology
High School also complete high school ready to learn and earn, thanks to
programs aligned with these same indemand fields, plus Optics, Vision Care,
Architecture and Design, and the opportunity to earn a no-cost Associate’s
degree from MCC, as part of the P-Tech program.
This fall, RTMA will launch an apprenticeship program to help companies
identify and mentor apprentices. And on Oct. 4, more than 600 students from
local schools will attend Manufacturing Day to learn about education and
training programs and network with hiring agents from a dozen local companies.
Starting as early as middle school, young people should use these community
resources to explore all their options for rewarding careers. And this year’s
graduates from our area’s high schools should broaden their perspective on
the answer to the question of what’s next, as the path to success and
fulfillment doesn’t always start with a four-year degree.
Kevin Kelley is executive director, Rochester Technology & Manufacturing
Association; Jo Anne Antonacci is district superintendent, Monroe 2-Orleans
BOCES; and Dan White is district superintendent, Monroe 2 BOCES.
