Is There Really a School to Work Revolution?
A Forum — April 25, 1997
Overview
A new book from Addison-Wesley, The School-to-Work Revolution: How Employers and Educators Are Joining Forces to Prepare Tomorrow's Skilled Workforce, contains important information on school-to-work programs and their impact on students and employers. The book provides a guide for widespread implementation of school-to-work theory and practice in American education. Author Lynn Olson, Senior Editor at Education Week identified programs with a track record to show how and where they have worked. She was particularly interested in programs that emphasized work-based learning. Programs varied in structure, approach, and career focus from career academies to youth apprenticeships; from travel and tourism to heath care. Most of the programs were in place before the passage of the National School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994.
School-to-Work Success
Among Olson's findings were that school-to-work programs can motivate students to be engaged in their work and academic tasks and have a better sense of career options. Students she met, told her they "worked harder" and set "higher standards for themselves" while in apprenticeship programs. Though not all participants were pleased with their programs, most said they saw the relevancy of learning skills for future work.
There is evidence that school-to-work programs can increase students participation in postsecondary education and training. At Ridge School of Technical Arts in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a higher percentage of students who participated in internships went to college than the rest of the school population. Programs such as Fenway Middle College High School in Boston and those affiliated with the National Academy Foundation also report college-going rates of 80 percent or higher. Other studies have found students engaged in school-to-work do not attend college at higher rates but those who do go are more likely to chose a major and to earn more college course credits. The New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District is an example of a program that has increased requirements and shown dramatic success in boosting academics for career-bound youth. (Olson notes these were relatively small samples.) Some studies have documented lower dropout rates, improved attendance, greater academic course taking, and better academic performance. However, many programs have not focused enough on academics and on changing what happens in the classroom on a day-to-day basis. In a few, Olson found, students missed academic classes to participate in work-based learning with no appreciable change in the school experience.
Employers who partake in school-to-work activities noted their satisfaction. According to employers who worked with the Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship program, apprenticeship graduates were equally or better prepared on a range of technical and social skills than other entry-level workers. Not surprisingly, employers who saw the program as part of their own workforce development plan saw the benefits of the program most clearly. Robert Doud of the Bronson Health Care Group in Kalamazoo, notes "its very economical for us. We know these graduates are competent when we hire them." Companies used students to fill labor needs or diversify the work pool. Others used the programs to attract future employees. Employers who see school-to-work as a charitable activity and do not keep track of investment costs or productivity benefits may be most likely to cut these activities in economic downturns, Olson warns.
Barriers to Implementation
Programs that relied on a single employer risked losing that employer to changes in the economy. Olson also found that adding employers was a "painstakingly" slow process in many programs. The result has been the small size of school-to-work programs across the country. Many programs have grown by expanding into new career fields or adding less intensive options, like "job shadowing." Intermediary groups like the Capitol Area Training Foundation in Austin, Texas, and the Boston Regional Employment Board were helpful in recruiting employers. "They help get a lot of schools talking to employers more easily." They also keep schools from competing to recruit the same employers. Intermediaries can assist with ongoing employer involvement, but they also mean that school-to-work initiatives using intermediaries will need an ongoing source of funding to pay for intermediaries' services.
Among other concerns Olson has is the potential for school-to-work programs in some places to be treated as another form of tracking. Some school-to-work programs are viewed as too narrowly vocational and not college preparatory. The best school-to- work programs have features in common with good education in general. One area school-to-work advocates will have to improve on is building strong parent and student support. This is necessary as the largest national school-to-work funding sources will soon run out. "These programs must provide a foundation for both education and careers after high school."
Olson says school-to-work is not yet a revolution, but it is one in the making, "Right now we have guerilla insurrections."