Turning High School Into Vocational School

For the majority of my life, I had never really known of the diverse lifestyles of others. I could only infer that every person I met was raised in a nurturing environment like mine. As I hit adolescence I began to see the surprisingly harsh as well as the fortunate realities that exist in lives of people just like me. I also became aware of the beliefs of others and I was willing to accept and be tolerable to individuals whose circumstances and beliefs differed from mine; however, my new-found perception would not be put to the test until I joined a Career and Technical Education organization called SkillsUSA.

People are told from a young age that the only way to lead a successful life is to go to college. Although there is no denying of the economic advantage post secondary learning can provide for a student, college isn’t necessarily the only available option. Options like trade school or vocational training are other reasonable choices. However, trade school is not seen as legitimate as a traditional four year college, and a trade school student is not seen as having a secure future. The majority of people fail to realize there are hundreds of well paying employment opportunities that do not require the time, money, and effort needed to get a college degree. Not only does the negative perception of trade school hurt the futures of students, it ultimately hurts the nation’s economy. In order to eliminate the stigma surrounding non traditional schools, students and parents should be exposed to trade schools and the benefits of pursuing a vocational career.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) or “vocational education” provides preparation and skill building for careers. Some high school students will enter the workforce without additional training, but many will receive secondary CTE professional certifications. The goal of CTE is to connect students with growing industries in the American economy and give them the skills and training required for long-term success. However, little is known about CTE. Therefore, students lack access to high-quality secondary CTE.

People can attend trade schools or community colleges to obtain the knowledge needed in a short period of time to join the workforce sooner. While the salary for these occupations do not pay as well as a doctor , lawyer or teacher, they can still help you to be more successful. This option also isn’t as costly as obtaining four or two-year degrees . “Professor Lerman, the American University economist, said some high school graduates would be better served by being taught how to behave and communicate in the workplace”(Steinberg, 2010). Switching from a school environment to a workplace can be an issue for many graduates. Due to college and graduate schools being pushed to the forefront of focus there is a lack of preparation provided to the students who choose to go straight into the workforce after graduating high school. In some cases this results in poor work ethic, the ability to work well with others,professionalism and handling issues in a work environment. “Yet despite the need, vocational school programs, which might teach such skills, have been one casualty in the push for national education

Mertens et al. (1982) analyzed data from the New Youth cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Force Behavior and found a very small (about 0.1 percent) but statistically significant effect of vocational education in reducing the likelihood of dropping out, particularly for at-risk students. Perlmutter (1982) compared secondary retention in a large urban school district among matched groups of students who applied to vocational high schools and were admitted (Vocational Controls), those who applied but were not admitted (Targets), and those who had not applied (Academic Controls). After 1 semester, 18 percent of the Targets had dropped out--but none of the Vocational Controls. After 5 semesters, Vocational Controls had the highest retention rate in district schools (73.7 percent), followed by Academic Controls (68.7 percent) and Targets (58.5 percent). Furthermore, when both Targets and Academic Controls received any occupational training in academic high schools, they showed better retention rates.

All careers from construction workers, to teachers, to attorneys are all important in today’s society, and it is important to let the adolescence to choose the path they take in their life. Sending fewer young people to college will not solve the country’s national debt problem. Companies will still send their work across seas in order for them to pay less and make more, even if the United States has enough labor workers in the country. Sending young people to college, or even a trade school, is better because they are gaining knowledge that they would have never had without attending a higher institution of learning.

One of our class readings stuck out to me. The reading was "The Return of Vocational High Schools: Career Path or Kiss of Death" by Allie Bidwell. In this she talks about career and technical schools, otherwise known as vocational schools. In the article, she mentions, "… it's not enough for students to get an education past high school- they also must have the skills needed for in-demand jobs"(Bidwell). This article relates to me deeply because last year I went to a career and technical school to further my education in the nursing world. At the end of the course, all of the students who took the class for the whole year had the opportunity to test to get their CNA license. I was fortunate enough to be able to get my license at the age of

Charles Murray is writing to The Wall Street Journal, which is a huge and very diverse audience to whom to present such a controversial argument. The point Murray is trying to make is that vocational schools are more effective and logical courses of action for young people entering the job market than is the conventional 4-year-university track. In championing the cause of vocational schools over college, Murray uses logos, appeals to authority, though his tone makes him come across as a little condescending. This may almost damage his argument overall. Murray’s argument is persuasive through his use of

Throughout the United States and even the world, there are many different types of schools that children are able to attend. These schools are also located in different environments, such as rural, urban, and suburban. Not only are there different environments, there are also a wide range of schools to pick from; public, private, boarding, charter, home schooling, online and career/technical schooling. The career/technical school system is very different from the majority of other schools. However, they are very beneficial to the future of the students, especially for college readiness across the nation. Through this website, https://www.acteonline.org/, we see that career and technical schools are very technology driven.

The main thing this school would focus on in our students is a career based education. Having this kind of education would benefit greatly because once they finish school, they will know what they want to do and how to do it. According to The Lincoln Journal Star, people and different organizations are starting to agree that offering a student's education based on what they want their career to be will be successful (Reist, 2012). This just proves that having this kind of education would be beneficial! Another reason my school would have this is because the students would be in classes with fellow students who share that career interests. By doing this it will help the students get used to working with the kinds of people they might work with after school. Symonds from the Lincoln Journal Star said, “This isn’t a call for radical reform, it’s a call for a common-sense reform” (Reist,

There is a large group of students who by high school know what career they want outside of high school. These students deserve to have the opportunity to start learning skills needed for that career by bringing more vocational schools to states like Nevada where the graduation rate is so low. “The latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that about 68% of high school students attend college. That means over 30% graduate with neither academic nor job skills” (Wyman, "Why We Desperately Need To Bring Back

Some schools offer programs that allow high school students to graduate in three years rather than four years. There are several alternatives available for students who would like to graduate in three years rather than the additional four years. Students could go straight into work or military if they decided to only attend high school for three years. Going to vocational school has helped students around my area to graduate a year early. I agree on this topic because some students already have their lives planned out and know what they want to do as a career, there are usually students who does not come to school anyhow, and most students have all of their required classes out of the way by senior year.

People are taught many things in school, but according to Dave from Boyinaband, “I was never taught how to vote. They devoted that time to defining isotopes. I wasn’t taught how to look after my health, but mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell”(Boyinaband, “Don’t Stay In School”). This is just one line from the YouTube video hit “Don’t Stay in School”. With 4,984,295 views people are starting to discussed what their education is preparing them for. Is NC education preparing us for life? NC public schools should require practical skill class in high school because students are not equipped with life skills after graduation like basic finances, state laws, and basic health skills.

     We spend four years of our lives attending high school. Going through high school is supposed to prepare us for college and “the real world.” Throughout these four years we begin to better understand our choices for college majors, but we don’t get presented with the financial and time struggle that we will face. College costs money, along with everyday living. When attending college we become more independent and are faced with the problem of coming up with money and finding a balance between time for work and school. Though it may seem like working through high school is a bad idea, it could better prepare students for “the real world.”

This type of program in school would be hard to place into school as it should be. I believe this to be true because a lot of public education receives state funding and this is not an overly important area to raise testing scores or make more job fields. So for that reason I think the funding may not be well received. This is an area that makes people better as individuals and thus can enhance the work they do but does not necessarily imply because you are a really nice person you will become a really good doctor or whatever job is of interest. I think this area is important to develop overall happier people and is very important for students to develop stronger foundations and better lives. This wouldn’t help people become millionaires but instead find the things that were of greater value; priceless things. The transition stage would go much better for students with the ability to take more responsibility and know what they like and do not like.