Career/Technical Education

He who hath a skill hath a profession

That motto hung in the Rindge Tech classroom where I took an auto mechanics course in college.

Too few of our young people see the connection between what they're learning in school and what they can or want to do in life.  They are bored and disengaged.  Many drop out — either physically or mentally.

Almost half our DC Public School 9th graders fail to graduate.  We're working to change the sad statistic that those who do go on to college often spend their first year in college taking remedial math and English.  No wonder that fewer than 10 percent of our high school graduates who enter college will earn a degree.

Career and technical education is the alternative career path.  Remember that auto mechanics course I took back in the days when automatic transmissions and power windows were options?  With all the computer technology and electronics in today's cars the scope of that same course today is formidable.

So, we're not talking about your father's old vocational education.  Career and technical education is no longer a dumping ground for problem students and "dummies."

Students get academic coursework with relevant skill-building experiences to qualify them for careers in high-demand fields.  Europe and Asia's polytechnic schools are impressive examples.  Offerings include specialized career "clusters" in construction, healthcare, law and criminal justice, technology, and even the performing arts.

Today's career and technical education is well suited for any student.  Done right, it can stem our dropout rates, boost achievement, engage students and graduate students with real skills for real jobs.

About the only thing the students don't get is a fancy academic diploma.  Instead they get an industry certificate that proves to employers and unions that they know their stuff.

What We're Doing

Since January, I have been serving with colleagues from 18 other states on a national study group with the National Association State Boards of Education.  Our policy recommendations for state and local education agencies will be published this winter.

I also serve on a Career and Technical Education (CTE) working group within the District's Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).  The District is fortunate to have one of the nation's top CTE experts heading the State Career and Technical Education office, Chris Lyons.  He and his staff have just developed a five-year plan that calls for rolling out 12 new CTE programs annually.  In addition, DC Public Schools (DCPS) will reopen a newly renovated, state-of-the-art Phelps School for Architecture, Construction and Design.  Enroll here:

The District already has several high-performing high schools that focus on CTE.  Wilson High School in Tenleytown, for instance, is one of the earliest schools in the nation to embrace "career clusters."  Basically schools within the school, these clusters include international studies, humanities-arts-and-media, and sports and entertainment.

List of Schools to follow:

What can you do?

Let friends and family know that college isn't the only only, or best, option.  Skilled tradespeople actually earn more than most college graduates.

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