Posted on 07/26/2008 7:02:07 AM PDT by Amelia
By usual measures of student progress, America's high school career academies have been a failure. One of the longest and most scientific education studies ever conducted concluded they did not improve test scores or graduation rates or college success for urban youth. People like me, obsessed with raising student achievement, saw those numbers and said: Well, too bad. Let's try something else.
And yet, because the career academy research by the New York-based MDRC (formerly known as the Manpower Demonstration Research Corp.) was so detailed and professional, we have just learned that the academies accomplished something perhaps even better than higher passing rates on reading exams. They produced young men who got better-paying jobs, were more likely to live independently with children and a spouse or partner and were more likely to be married and have custody of their children.
This is a remarkable finding. It has the power not only to revitalize vocational education but to shift the emphasis of school assessment toward long-range effects on students' lives, not just on how well they did in school and college.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
We get our Interns from the Masachusetts Maritime Academy. It’s a great school, and the kids are great.
We don’t have any career academies in my area, but the concept sounds great; sort of like a combination of high school and an old fashioned apprenticeship.
Sounds like an excellent idea. I'd like to try a radical idea like "responsible parenting." Think that might work?
“Very interesting study...long term, randomized, and quite expensive...and somewhat surprising results. Test scores didn’t improve, but apparently the young men and society benefited from this sort of education.”
I think our current universal college prep model is flawed. A lot of kids aren’t cut out for that. I’m a strong believer in more vocational education. We need plumbers too.
I'm sure it would, with most children.
How are you going to mandate it?
I agree totally, and so would most high school students I know.
Remember the old joke. The difference between a Vascular surgeon and a Plumber
House calls
"How are you going to mandate it?"
You're absolutely right. It would work with children whose parents were raised in a proper atmosphere and, as a result, are normal people. It won't work in today's atmosphere where parents are distracted and detached. Far too much "facebook" and "myspace," you understand.
As for mandating it, there are always the police and social workers who probably do their best to minimize the societal damage. A recent case in point is the jailed mother of a child who can't be located. I believe that her name is Kaylee and her mother's name is Casey. As far as I can determine, the mother of this child offers zero cooperation in finding her missing child. If there was ever a case of self-absorption and lack of parental responsibility, it is typified in this woman.
Notice that the article is by WorldNetDaily, so it's a bit biased and sensationalized...but there was a lot of discussion that the government would be overstepping their bounds, even though on most threads about schools in low-income areas, the majority of FReepers agree that what those students need is more involved parenting...
I see the point about not getting the Feds involved, but what are you gonna do?
I share your frustration, but at my age, my parenting duties are long over. The only advice I could offer people of parenting age is to exercise due diligence and take care that the government doesn't interfere with what you know to be right and what you know to be your duty. This country needs, and will continue to need, quality citizens brought forth by responsible parents.
Liberals would strongly disagree with my philosophy, but that is to be expected.
You'd be amazed at the number of high school students I teach who have single parents under age 30.
The French public school system is setup the way you thought about. At the equivalent of our 8th grade the students take a test that helps determine if they are to go to Academic high school or Trade school. The ones that go to the Academic school go on to university for free. The Trade school kids graduate at 18 as a skilled laborer.
What messed up our post education here was that the past three decades the schools and parents have been beating it into their kids head that the only way to be successful is to get a degree. Of course now with way to many kids going to college, to be successful you need a MBA. The undergrad degree has been diluted and we are short the vocational workers. Any surprises?
As far as students with bad parenting. Either put them in subsidized boarding schools or let them rot and fund good riot gear for the police.The current going of mixing the three levels of students in a class only ends up bringing down the good kids.
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