Dr. Stone reports that more students are graduating from college, but many are getting jobs that do not require college degrees. He states that 47% of graduates are getting jobs do not require a B.S. or B.A. degree and more than 1/3 of those graduates have jobs that only require a high school diploma. The "college for all" movement has resulted in more rigorous high school course requirements (for example, 3 or 4 units of math instead of 1 unit) with no real increase in test scores. Moreover, Dr. Stone submits that we may be pushing our boys out education. He cites a July 2012 New York Times opinion piece that reports fewer boys than girls are finishing high school, going to college, or graduating from college - they also have 75% of D's and F's.
He contends that we need to make high school matter, since the reality of the job market is demanding more workers with with industry-recognized credentials (e.g. certified technician, welders, machinists).
So Dr. Stone proposes the following to meet the demands of the job market and keep students engaged in their education, which I have simply reproduced here:
1. Schools can engage young people by providing education that is both rigorous and more relevant. Recent research from the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) shows that including CTE as part of the high school experience keeps kids in school and is linked to higher rates of high school graduation. As cited in thisEducation Week blog, we found a stronger connection between high school CTE course-taking and graduation for boys when they take three or more CTE classes in a focused program area. Finding meaning in learning is important for all youth, but it may be even more important for boys.**
2. Another way to make high school matter is to provide opportunities to acquire IRCs while in high school as part of a robust CTE program. States like Florida, Kentucky, and many others are expanding these opportunities. If done well, students can start a career pathway built upon stackable credentials beginning in high school that articulate seamlessly with postsecondary credit- and credential-earning opportunities.
3. Finally, if we want high school to matter, youth need to begin the career development process well before high school. Emerging research from the NRCCTE is pointing toward the importance of engaging students in thinking about their future selves no later than 8th grade. Many states now require individualized graduation plans that are predicated on career inventories or other strategies to start the conversation with students and parents in planning their future career pathway.***
http://public.careercruising.com/us/en/blog/bl/2013/03/3-ways-to-make-high-school-matter/
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