Jeremi Lyford
Teaching Methods II
6/15/17
The role of CTE in today’s Education System
Today’s economy demands a better educated workforce than ever before, jobs now require more complex knowledge and skills than jobs in the past. By increasing the number of students with the education, skills, and training we will be indeed boosting the economy. Some of the steps to achieve this goal include making teaching and learning in schools more rigorous, engaging, with real world relevance; ensuring that students are college and career ready. Career and technical education (CTE) is a educational strategy for providing students with the academic, technical, and employability skills and the knowledge of how to pursue postsecondary training
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In an economy that requires well-trained and highly skilled professionals it is a proven method for installing the skills necessary to be a reliable asset to the workforce. If schools are to make good on the commitment to have more students graduate, and more students ready for a career, they must continue to improve CTE, and enable students to have the knowledge of the path to their success. The ways that schools can make sure their CTE programs are successful are …show more content…
(2015). Documentation to the Common Core of Data states no fiscal survey of public elementary/secondary education: School year 2012-2013. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pdf/StNonfis081cgen.pdf
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U.S. Department of Education. (2004b). New No Child Left Behind flexibility: Highly qualified teachers (Fact Sheet). Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/methods/teachers/
Subsequently what is done is that selected high schools develop a curriculum that is organized around a specific career cluster, which are like a specialized charter school. The goal is to feature a series advanced “pathway” courses that can help students to enrich their knowledge through work-based learning and academics. In turn, this specialized education will allow student to demonstrate their understanding through assessments and industry credentialing opportunities. As well these schools are enrolled in a learning exchange that have partnerships that are organized to support the programs of study by coordinating statewide networks of education partners, businesses, industry associations, labor, and other organizations (2013, p. 21-23). Consequently, the program is driven to help high school students develop a career path and to receive exploratory education that will given them an advantage in either college endeavors or in the job market.
The university-statehouse-industrial complex has grown such that the traditional models of primary and secondary education have survived two or three decades beyond their practical use. With a public school system that segregates and discriminates based on, “college material or not?” (Brolin & Loyd, 1989) and a university system that places only one in five graduates in work in their field of major (cite), our educational system has passed its prime and is still training and educating for 20th century job markets that no longer exist. The way that we educate and what we educate for and why needs rethinking from the top down and needs to be more practical and pragmatic. Career and technical education (CTE) consisting of specialized, targeted, and focused vocational programs at all levels do more than just prepare a student for a real job – these programs have practical education and socialization value that conventional classrooms centered around a teacher’s monologue for many do not. Nowhere is the added value of such targeted programs more useful and valuable than in special classes, courses, and CTE training aimed at students with disabilities.
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
High Schools That Work (HSTW), a school improvement initiative of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), has documented achievement gains by career and technical education (CTE) students at participating sites (Bottoms and Presson 2000). At HSTW sites participating in 1996 and 1998 assessments (Frome 2001), CTE students showed math and science achievement equal to the national average of all high school students—and exceeded the national average of CTE students in math, science, and reading.
In the United States, the history of Career and Technical Education evolved within four major periods. First, the Awakening period which began in 1776-1826, when the right to a free public education was expressed. During this era, educational opportunities in labor and industrial education were being demanded. The rising working class began to press for an education that were more appropriate for their labor and industry’s needs (Awakening 1776-1826, 1976). Even Benjamin Franklin who represented the Awakening middle class was on board with the rise of technical and vocational education which were taught primarily by private masters or contracted apprenticeships (Cohen, 1976).
Among the sterile field of the cardiac catheter laboratory, a student is observing over a cardiologist’s head while a surgical technician narrates their role in the standard ablation. This is just one of the many pivotal experiences that a student in Liberty High School’s Allied Health CTE program can expect. The student is on a path made available by the Western Maricopa Education Center and, if followed properly, that student can expect to graduate high school as a skilled worker in the medical field. Allied Health is just a small portion of a much bigger picture that provides ever growing opportunities to high school students prior to graduation.
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When plumbing goes bad, hair needs cutting, or the car goes on the fritz, who is going to get the call? Most people will answer “the plumber, the stylist, or the auto repair place down the road at Wal-Mart.” That answer is mostly correct. Although, the focus needs to be on how those people got where they are today. These people, who do so much work for us every single day, need to get some consideration. In most cases they would have gone to a vocational high school or technical college. These are special schools in which students learn the exact skills they need to complete their desired career in an accelerated period of time. More people should be encouraged to go to these schools, because we will need more Blue Collar workers in our future.
Birman, Beatrice F., et al. "State And Local Implementation Of The "No Child Left Behind Act." Volume VIII--Teacher Quality Under "NCLB": Final Report." US Department Of Education (2009): ERIC. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Reducing the dropout rate is the most common outcome of vocational education for at-risk populations
America’s future lies in the youth and building an educated youth that is interested in their career would benefit society. Rising college tuition is hurting the higher education of America. As more financial pressure is placed on these kids, the more they aren’t able to focus on their goals and dreams. Although inflation is a problem, the students who are able to graduate will benefit society if they worry more about their job. They should be able to satisfy their duty in society and a rise in college tuition will hinder that vision substantially.
U.S. Department of Education. (2006). No Child Left Behind executive summary report. Retrieved September 14, 2006 from http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html
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Washington, DC: National Center for Teacher Quality. Hinchey, P. H., & University of Colorado at Boulder, N. (2010). Getting teacher assessment right: What policymakers can learn from research. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.com.
Going to school and getting a great education is important for a successful future in today’s world. Years ago, many children did not go to school and many young adults opted to work instead of attending college. In today’s society, gaining a high level of education is almost always mandatory for many jobs. There are many changes being done to the education system along with new items and ways of teaching in the classroom. There is a growing amount of changes in the classroom such as technology, teaching time, teaching styles, and freedom of space.