Improving vocational education

An organization started last year by the James Irvine Foundation to promote career and technical education -- the newfangled term for what used to be called vocational ed -- issued a report today with policy recommendations for California schools. But the president of ConnectEd, Gary Hoachlander, says that of the 10 recommendations, only four are probably realistic this year, considering the severe funding cuts that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing for education.

You can find all 10 recommendations here. Hoachlander's on-the-cheap version -- and you have to admire him for not folding his tent altogether -- is:

1) Get the state Department of Education and the Legislature to agree with the policy goals of what ConnectEd calls "multiple pathways" (the idea that there is more than one way for kids to succeed in school).
2) Change state and district policies to give students time to take more classes. One problem with career programs in California is that, compared with other states, California students take fewer classes in a year, and therefore have to spend a higher percentage of their time on basic graduation requirements. Solutions could include more periods in a day -- but that costs money -- or adopting a rotating block schedule.
3) Find ways to make more "worked-based learning" available. By that, Hoachlander stressed that he doesn't mean mere work experience, but employers who are willing to ensure that students learn while they work.
4) Improve teacher preparation. Some of this costs money; other aspects, such as developing supplemental credentials for career-tech teachers, would be relatively cheap.

Hoachlander's bottom line is a belief that smart, well-run career programs can keep kids in school by making their education seem relevant. Unlike the old vocational ed model, which assumed that some kids should go straight to work after high school, the new idea is to prepare students for college by pointing them toward a career in fields as varied as medicine, construction, filmmaking, engineering, and even that old standby of vocational ed programs, auto mechanics.

The policy paper concludes: "Waiting any longer to support such an approach may mean failing a generation of students who will leave high school without a diploma or the preparation to succeed in college and careers. Multiple pathways would give more students a reason to achieve and persist in school -- and the tools required to transition to further education, productive employment, and good citizenship."

But, of course, waiting longer is precisely what appears likely to happen unless the next storm starts raining dollars on Sacramento.

-- Mitchell Landsberg

Comments

[Kate Alder]

I say hoorah! to all 4 recommendations. I'm certain the other 6 are of equal caliber but it is time we MOVE on these 4 and stop crying about what we can't do.

[Mike Hogan]

Another way to further any type of education in a cost constrained environment is to use free educational websites on the Internet to supplement in classroom learning. There are planty of free educational websites like www.flashcardfriends.com, eduhound.com, bestedsites.com and more.

[ericember]

In Nevada when I worked for an automobile repair shop consulting agency we noticed most of the new auto techs were coming out of Nevada's great vocational programs.

I hope that we can see the same here in California.

http://www.thegluckmethod.com

[SP]

Provides more options for those who would like to continue their education but have constraints.

[cisco training]

More video based training course would also help with certification. Just look at how successful Microsoft is with their own training programs.

[Alanna]

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Alanna

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