Erin Wood

Mr. Knoth

AP Language and Composition

8 January 2014

A Better Future for High School Students

The education system currently used in America does not take into consideration the students with varying needs in a school environment, and if this continues, the success rate of high school drop-outs and graduates finding jobs immediately after high school will not improve. The majority of a high school education is made up of classes that all students are required to take, whether or not they plan on continuing in the particular course of study. This non-personalized schooling system is why America has such unimpressive test scores, high school drop-out rates, and, as a result, high unemployment rates. Not every student enrolled in high school is going to have the same strengths and weaknesses, nor will every student share the same life-long goals. The uninterested will become unmotivated, and that will lead to poor performance or even dropping out of school altogether. College is not the obvious next step for many American students, whether they are unable to afford the tuition or because they are not interested in attending. This, however, does not mean that they want to be a burden to society as unemployed citizens. The solution is to offer courses in high school that focus on specific careers, like medicine and firefighting, or broad areas of interest, such as “business and management, industrial and engineering systems, environmental and health sciences, natural resources, or arts and communication” (Schoelkopf). These opportunities before graduation will give people a head start in their lives and will leave them more prepared for their future as a part of the workforce. It is crucial for the success of American students that the benefits of earlier career-specialization in high school are recognized in order to maximize their high school education.

            Currently in America, the graduation rate of high school students is unimpressive. It is estimated that “more than 7,000 American high-school students” (Bush) dropped out of high school each day in 2011. Then, “only about 70%” (The National) of the remaining students graduated on time, within four years. A significant cause for these statistics is that “too many [students] are not meaningfully engaged or motivated in their academic experience” (“High School”). Not only are kids losing interest in the curriculum being taught across the nation, but they are also being sent off to post-high-school life without the proper education needed to succeed in the workforce or college, assuming they earn a high school diploma. President Barack Obama announced that “’a new challenge to redesign America’s high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy’” (qtd. in “High School”) would be put into action. The current education system “fails to put [students] on a path to college and career success” (“High School”). The process of sending an individual to further education or the workforce with no idea of what it is he or she wants to do for a living will only lead to years of wasting money in college, changing majors several times, or working jobs that do not fulfill the person’s aspirations. For example, Skyline High School in Oakland, California offers classes in its “education academy” that “[centers] around careers in education” (Canales). While attending the academy, one student by the name of Cynthia Gutierrez took classes on “education-related topics like child development and how people learn, combining a rigorous college-prep curriculum with student-teaching trips to local elementary schools” (Canales). These courses offered in the education academy linked school and future career options together in a way that gave high school more of a purpose. With the help of career-focused classes, “Gutierrez found new motivation, and she discovered a love of teaching” (Canales). The goal for the American education system should be to answer the question constantly looming in all high school students’ minds as they sit in the classroom: “’Why does this matter to me?’” (Canales). The only thing left to do is to give these students a purpose.

            “Originally conceived forty years ago” (The National), the idea of an educational reform in America is not new.  Many high schools and school districts in the country have already tested out their own versions of Skyline High School’s education academy. In Kentucky, Campbell County High School “launched an aerospace class” (Brown) in 2012 that offers students a chance to “learn about aerodynamics, how to design and fly planes and all the math and science that goes with those subjects” (Brown). During the course, college credit is earned and students “can even get enough hours to test for a pilot’s license” (Brown). With the help of one career-focused course before graduating, this specific population of students will have the chance to become employed pilots directly out of high school. This school and all of the other high schools in twenty-three other districts in Kentucky are likely to have already guided many students towards successful careers after graduation. Other places in the country, too, have had similar success. Galt High School, in California, offers “Career-Technical Education” (Bonnett), or CTE, courses. There, Michelle Antrobus, who teaches in the Foods and Nutrition program, explains that the “’purpose of CTE courses is to give students the opportunity to explore a variety of careers that lead them to a career or onto college by providing hands-on learning experiences and on-the-job training’” (qtd. in Bonnett). In 2005, programs such as Career-Technical Education were established throughout the state of California; since then, nearly “4,500 students are enrolled in at least one CTE-related class annually” (Bonnett). Aside from these two examples, University High School in Washington (Culver), David Douglas High School in Oregon (Schoelkopf), John Swett High School in California (Radin), and many more high schools have taken action, and have seen similarly successful outcomes among students enrolled in courses in which the curriculum is influenced by specific careers. Based on the success already observed in Campbell County High School and so many others like it, spreading this system across the entire country, giving all students a chance to earn livable wages while also satisfying their interests after high school graduation, does not appear to be a risk.

            This education reform not only has the ability to greatly benefit the general population of American students, but it has already proven that it can significantly enhance the schooling and working experience for the students with autism, as well. Unfortunately, schools often recognize where students do not perform well, such as in particular tests or general subjects, and spend a great deal of time trying to fix those problems that are faced in the classroom. That simply isn’t the way to teach students, especially at higher levels of education. A study performed by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University was published within the last year that demonstrated how “the strengths of youths with autism can be parlayed into gainful employment given the right educational program” (Geer R4). What the researchers did was split a group of students with autism into two groups: “a control group of high-school seniors with autism [that remained] in their regular schools”, and “a treatment group [that spent] the year in an intensive, custom-designed study and job-training program” (Geer R4). The students enrolled in the treatment-program spent each school day “[rotating] through a series of three internships, honing their skills and testing out which jobs best fit their strengths and personality” (Geer R4). After their senior year of high school, the students from both programs graduated. An astounding “87% of the treatment group landed jobs such as pharmacy assistant and teacher’s aide that paid above the minimum wage”, while only “6% of the control group found jobs” (Geer R4). This study gave the students in the treatment-program an education and an opportunity after high school that they never would have received had they attended a controlled high school. While this example of earlier career specialization in high school significantly helps those diagnosed with autism, due to their necessity for specific learning environments, the same basic learning-method can be applied to all of the remaining high schools in the country. Educators need to stop obsessing over what students cannot do and instead need begin encouraging the students to study and excel using the strengths they already possess.

            Despite all of the positive outcomes observed in the career-based classes in high schools across the country, a reform could never happen if there was no way to fund it. Fortunately, a number of high schools in America have been brave enough to be the test subjects in this nation-wide experiment. In the past few years, high schools have shown that these programs are entirely worth the cost. The U.S. Department of Education’s Smaller Learning Communities Award Database stated that “a total of 1,535 schools in 634 school districts received grants” (National) between the years 2000 and 2007. Galt High School was provided “$20 million to improve CTE at both the community college and high school levels” (Bonnett). These schools have since used the donations and funding to better equip the programs with more classes and resources for the students. Of course, a reform would include all of the high schools in the nation, so the cost of establishing career-focused programs in every school or district would be significantly more expensive. Research, though, shows that on the current small scale, the funding has been well-worth the cause and result of the career-focused programs.

            As the benefits and research build a strong case for this proposed education reform, there are important disadvantages to take into consideration as well. Education systems consisting of organized, job-training classes have succeeded nation-wide in European countries. Germany, for example, leads students through a system that points each individual into a general area of studies (“Schools”). As the students complete more classes in the secondary education, their curriculum becomes more specific to the career path they have chosen (“Schools”). Dr. Lauren McClanahan, Professor of Secondary Education at Western Washington University, admits that Germany has had success, but still strongly believes that such a system would never work in America. Dr. McClanahan states, “The poor will always be poor and the rich will always be rich.” In our country, this statement is more relevant than in European countries. The education system cannot simply help everyone in the country by handing over a better education, even if it has worked so well elsewhere. Every country is different, and in America, because of the wide variety of race, culture, and lack of money in many families, an organized system like the proposed reform simply wouldn’t be able to function (McClanahan). Also, Dr. McClanahan concludes that “the number one indicator of success is the family’s income”, and in our country an education reform will not change that. Another possible outcome for the reform is that with more students receiving the schooling they need to make a living in high school, the annual enrollment in college would decrease. As a result, the staffs at every college would feel these negative affects the most. Professors and other staff members could lose their jobs. In a way, the reform would then be taking jobs away from people while also giving more jobs to the high school graduates, which would not be beneficial to the reform’s reputation. Taking into account both of these very significant details and their severity, it is understandable and expected that many people in America would not be in favor of this reform.

            Everyone deserves an education and a fulfilling career in adulthood, but not nearly enough people actually receive them. For too long, the education system has treated students like clones of one another, expecting each and every one of them to understand the same information and strive for the same goals. Obviously, that method has not, does not, and will never help every student achieve greatness in their education or career. A reform is what the schooling system needs in order to keep students in school and give them options after graduation that better coincide with their interests and skills. Although the idea of enhancing the high school education and experience has been discussed for many years, now is the time to put all of the ideas into motion and make a change. When offered personalized, career-based classes, the country’s students succeed more often by focusing their attention on their natural strengths in school. In order to alter the education system of America, everyone must understand that each student preparing to transition into the workforce is an individual with a lot to offer with, simply, a different way of reaching their goals that does not follow the mainstream path.

Works Cited

Bonnett, Jennifer. "Career-based high school courses growing in popularity." Lodi News-Sentinel 9 Mar. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

Brown, Jessica. "Career-focused classes give students head start." Cincinnati. N.p., 14 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

Bush, Vanessa. "Dropping Out: Why Students Drop out of High School and What Can Be Done about It." N.p., 15 Oct. 2011.ProQuest. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

Canales, James E. "Linking courses to careers improves grad rates." SFGate. N.p., 25 July 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

Culver, Nina. "HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE; High school students try out construction careers." The Spokesman Review 3 Oct. 2009. ProQuest. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.

Geer, Carolyn T. "How Students With Autism Are Graduating Into Jobs." The Wall Street Journal 9 Oct. 2013: R4. Print.

"High School and Career Readiness: Strengthening the Pipeline to the Middle Class." ED.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

McClanahan, Lauren. Personal Interview. 2 Jan. 2014.

The National Career Academy Coalition. High School Career Academies: A 40-Year Proven Model for Improving College and Career Readiness. November 2009. Web. http://www.aypf.org/documents/092409CareerAcademiesPolicyPaper.pdf. 17 Dec. 2013.

Radin, Rick. "John Swett High School students learn hands-on skills through Careers Academy." Oakland Tribune 31 May 2013. ProQuest. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.

Schoelkopf, Jim. "Frequently asked questions about tech prep/school-to-work career pathways." National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP Bulliten. N.p., Nov. 1995. ProQuest. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

"Schools in Germany." InterNations. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. <http://www.internations.org/germany-expats/guide/15985-family-children-education/schools-in-germany-15992>.

Interview with Dr. Lauren McClanahan, Professor of Secondary Education, Western Washington University

This morning Katy and I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Lauren McClanahan, a professor at the local university. We asked questions that concerned the likelihood of students being accepted into college with prior career training in earlier years of schooling, as well as the ways in which a college would be positively and negatively affected by our proposed reform. In this interview, we received thorough and genuine responses that reflected the educational reality in America.

Question 1: In what ways would the college be positively effected by an educational reform such as this?

Students would be entering with better basic skills to succeed in their classes. Writing skills are lacking among incoming students, but reading, writing, and math could all benefit from the opportunities presented in this reform. 

Question 2: In what ways would the college be negatively effected by an educational reform such as this?

Students would begin to think that they do not need college to succeed after high school due to the prior vocational training. This would result in a dramatic decrease in college enrollment, which would cause many colleges to shut down, and that could lead to other societal problems. 

Question 3: In what ways would the likelihood of acceptance into the school be increased for prospective students?

Their chances would definitely be increased because they would start their college education with more sufficient skills and possible college credit.

Question 4: In what ways would the likelihood of acceptance in to the school be decreased for prospective students?

I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't be accepted in to the school with prior preparatory classes.

Question 5: Would you be for or against this reform?

Because of the cultural and economic diversity within America that is not seen in countries such as France and Germany, this reform would be extremely difficult to adopt. It is a fact that "poverty is the number one indicator of school success in the United States." I agree that the removal of vocational classes is a mistake in the American school system. They were first removed in order to fund more literacy and math programs, and while that is a positive step, we still are not seeing great improvements in those areas. Now the students graduate with limited academic AND vocational skills!  There has to be a better way.

Thank you Dr. McClanahan!