I believe that a curriculum that supports trades would help reduce the dropout
rate also. Being forced to take all your classes geared toward college
readiness makes some students very discouraged. Teaching core classes for high
school credit that are designed to be taken in tandem with trades could help
keep at risk students in school.
Whenever I have brought it up among policy makers they always say the same
thing. "We used to have a tracking system and the underprivileged were denied
access to college" (as if there are only two choices).
Bernie Lanciaux
On Jul 1, 2017, at 9:17 AM, Dan Drmacich
<dandrmacich123@xxxxxxxxx<mailto: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.
