Failing Grades

Pennsylvania Gazette ^ | Mar/Apr 06 | Noel Weyrich

[glowworm]

I would like to see our high schools develop better trade school training for all those kids who aren't college material, but would make good workers. There is lots of money to be made in these fields. You are correct. Trade schools, and I would advocate for an apprenticeship program also.

We have several trade schools, locally, who only admit juniors and seniors with higher academic standing. They just don't want lower achieving students, period. Previous generations used to use "Trade School" to house underachievers and ner-do-wells off the radar screen. (think warehousing?). Everyone should benefit from a FULL curriculum of high school subjects..

There are still some limited forms of post high school apprenticeships but they are getting thin, supplanted by the Technical schools and Community colleges. I believe some high school trade schools are a surefire ticket to life-long poverty..

BTW, there are some "college graduates" who couldn't make it through the most basic trade school program. Many are 6 year undergrads, and students who find the most basic majors to graduate with. Having that kind of performance doesn't give them that much credibility to brag..

High school trade graduate, 4 year apprentice graduate (Electrical), 2 year college attendee (4.0).., Life learner..

[Katya]

I just copied that sentence myself...there is nothing finite in terms of economic numbers. This is a leftist concept, that the pie is static and the pieces just keep getting smaller..total b.s. While I agree that it is completely unnecessary for everyone to get a college degree, I do think we need credentialed trade schools and master tradesmen without the closed door network interference that some of the trade unions have practiced.

[William Tell]

From the article: "This guy has actually practiced medicine, he’s stitching up people on the battlefield. There’s no doubt that this person could be a doctor."

What incredible nonsense.

Like most liberals, the authors described in this article routinely confuse cause and effect.

At one time, employers could be confident that the "effect" of receiving a college degree was "caused" by higher aptitude and discipline applied to advanced learning. It is not the fault of employers that this is less true today than in the past. It is the fault of liberal thinking applied to college admission requirements and college degree requirements.

The only reason that we may someday see a requirement for a college degree to work at McDonalds will be that only those with such a degree have the skill to count out the change dictated by the computers.

[RipSawyer]

“Despite our self-image of rational control, our institutions are no more reflectively chosen than the tribal-initiation rites, secret societies, and implacable gods that our educational and occupational procedures resemble so much.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Exactly what I have suspected for a long time now.

[Logophile]

“The credentials race undermines learning,” he says. “Students are being taught basically that ‘What I’m after here in school is to pick up grades, credits, and degrees. My job is to get the most of all of those things as I can for the least investment.’ That’s just being a smart consumer. No one wants to pay the sticker price for a car if they can get it at a discount. So why not get the degree with less effort, less investment? The system is teaching those kinds of student skills, rather than the idea that, geez, you really ought to be doing this the hard way because that way you learn more. That’s a hard sell.”

This certainly has been my experience teaching engineering students at two state universities.