This article from the CA drives home a point I have been trying to make for years. Shelby County Commissioner Terry Roland is right on target by questioning the level of spending and commitment of Shelby County Schools to vocational and technical education at district high schools (April 10 article, “Budget delivery wows county”). The number of classes and the enrollment in vocational education have seen a steady and precipitous decline. The design of secondary education in America has experienced an unhealthy and covert shift in focus. Students who passionately desire to become plumbers, welders, electricians or vehicle mechanics will receive scant encouragement from within most high schools today. One of my colleagues, an agricultural teacher, told me that the demand for experienced brick masons was so severe that charges for their services were basically entirely up to them. The individuals making these unilateral decisions about the school curriculum apparently have no concept of jobs and careers that do not require a college degree. Unfortunately, this naive position indirectly contributes to a distaste for school for many students. Research also indicates that violence, classroom disruptions and open defiance by some students may be related to students being forced to take classes that they cannot master or are not interested in. The educational hierarchy has eliminated numerous courses that could propel students to a meaningful and financially stable career path. The continued decline of vocational/technical education will only further deplete the ranks of the middle class. This will hasten the looming descent of the workforce into an elite group that gets all the goodies; other workers will become increasingly deprived of even a chance to get a piece of the “American dream.”
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 11:47:10 +0000
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