COLLEGE AND CAREER READY . . .REALLY?
Associated Administrators of Los Angeles UPDATE | Week of June 4, 2012 | http://bit.ly/M7Y9lK
June 1, 2012 :: A quick perusal of Dr. John Deasy’s newsletters and the LAUSD website in general, as well as, sound bites from Board of Education meetings highlight the frequent use of the phrase college and career (or workforce) ready. Like any good PR term, this phrase easily rolls off the tongue and finds itself placed squarely at the center of most current initiatives, e.g., Common Core Standards and A-G Curriculum. But what does it really mean? Are the two terms synonymous or are they different? Can a student be one and not the other? In California and LAUSD, we know that college ready means meeting a set of course requirements prescribed by the UC and CSU systems, irrespective of the fact that these institutions serve only about one-quarter of high school graduates and the California Master Plan aims to serve only one-third. Yet, there seems to be no parallel for career ready. Dr. Deasy and Dr. Jaime Aquino, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, both promote the philosophy that if a student is college ready (has completed the A-G curriculum), he/she is automatically career ready. While there are connections and intersections between college and career readiness, research has found that they are separate and distinct achievements. To be career ready means that there has been some career planning and counseling coupled with an experiential base. With the virtual demise of vocational and industrial arts education, career counselors and adult education programs, most students are no longer introduced to what might become their lifelong careers.
Pathways to Prosperity, a 2011 Harvard University report, argues that preparing all students to go to college (or be eligible to go) is shortsighted. The study begins with the following introductory statements, “One of the most fundamental obligations of any society is to prepare its adolescents and young adults to lead productive and prosperous lives as adults. This means preparing all young people with a solid enough foundation of literacy, numeracy and thinking skills for responsible citizenship, career development and lifelong learning.” One of the key findings is that meaningful career training is integral to comprehensive school reform and that students need to be offered multiple pathways to become career ready. (To access the full report: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2011/Pathways_to_Prosperity_Feb2011.pdf.) Career readiness implies that students have a foundation to make informed decisions about their post-high school options, including, not only postsecondary education, but entry-level employment, apprenticeships or military service. The implication of this work is that a focus on college readiness alone does not equip young people with all of the skills and abilities they will need in the workplace, or to successfully complete the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Even Germany, which is currently the economic engine of Europe, clearly bifurcates its college and technical education as early as the 6th grade.
Competencies required for both college and career readiness include high personal expectations, self-management, critical thinking and academic achievement, but there are also some striking differences in the requisites. For instance, while career planning, previous work experience, decision making, listening skills, integrity and creativity are all considered vital in the workplace, they hardly figure in college readiness. Interestingly, California has a Plan for Career and Technical Education that somewhat addresses these competencies and focuses on ways to strengthen the career-ready status of students in meaningful and effective ways. In fact, on May 23, 2012, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, launched the state’s first central, comprehensive website of career and college resources for middle and high school students. Students can learn how to match their interests and skills with potential careers, discover tips on job searching, internships, résumé writing and interviewing. It even has a “Challenges” section which is designed for students who may have some unique issues, such as foster youth, undocumented students, those in the juvenile justice system or those with physical or learning disabilities. With the new mandated A-G curriculum and the requirement of a C letter grade to pass, it appears that LAUSD students will have to build their career-ready skills somewhere other than high school.
CALIFORNIA’S COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC EDUCATION
Multiple changes that have significantly impacted the public school system have occurred in the state of California in the last 30 years. Coupled with demographic changes, the public and political commitment to public education has declined, leaving schools to operate with fewer resources and putting California in the bottom ranking in funding categories for education. The facts listed below were provided to us by John Mockler and Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in educational policy and finance. John Mockler was the former Executive Director of the California State Board of Education under Governor Gray Davis and is known as the chief architect of Proposition 98. While our politicians and the business community are spouting their commitment to education, here is the reality:
There has been a 52% increase (2 million) in the number of students in the state since 1980.
The number of English learners has increased 353% since 1980.
Students with special needs have increased by 88% since 1980.
There are 52 certificated staff members for every 1,000 students; the national average is 71 to 1,000, making California the 50th of 50 states.
The typical American school has 30% more teachers (rank 48); 40% more school-site administrators (rank 48); and 75% more counselors (rank 50) than those in California.
In 1972, California’s spending per student ranked 19th in the nation; in 2010, it ranked 46th.
In 2008, California spent $60,000 less per classroom than the average state.
The Proposition 98 Constitutional guarantee of funding for education in 2011-2012 is $61.2 billion; the actual funding is $49.7 billion.
Despite the above, there is good news and reason for us to be proud under trying circumstances:
By API, 81% of all California public schools are now in the top three deciles; up from 31% in 1999.
The total number of students who are ranked proficient or advanced in reading has grown 54% since 2003; with English Learners, Latino and educationally disadvantaged showing over 100% increases.
The number of students who are proficient or advanced in mathematics has increased 43% since 2003.
California secondary students are now taking 63% more college prep math and science courses than in 2003 and the number of those students who are proficient has grown by 121%.
The number of English learners who test at the advanced and early advanced levels has increased 47% in the last eight years.
The achievement gap between white students and their African-American and Latino counterparts has decreased almost 20% in the last eight years.
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN FINANCIAL JEOPARDY
After reading the above article, is it any wonder that Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, recently announced that 2.6 million (1/3) of California students now attend schools in districts that are in financial jeopardy?
This is the highest number in the state’s history. One hundred eighty-eight local educational agencies (LEAs) out of a total of 1,037, comprised of school districts, county offices of education and joint powers agencies, are either in negative or qualified financial status.
Negative certification is the most serious and is assigned to those LEAs that will be unable to meet their financial obligations for the remainder of the current school year or for the following school year. Inglewood Unified is the only district in Southern California to fall into this category.
However, 26 districts in Los Angeles County are currently in the category of qualified certification. LEAs are assigned this category when there is a possibility that they may not meet their financial obligations for the current or two subsequent fiscal years.
LAUSD has received qualified certification. These categories were assigned based on the budgetary status of the districts as of January 31, 2012, and may have changed by now
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