New Report Outlines What School-to-Work Movement Can Contribute to Revitalizing American High Schools
Jobs for the Future (JFF), one of the nation's leading organizations focusing on the successful transition from school to careers, today outlined a vision of how the school-to-work approach can help to reform and revitalize American high schools.
The report, titled REVITALIZING HIGH SCHOOLS: WHAT THE SCHOOL-TO-CAREER MOVEMENT CAN CONTRIBUTE, is based on JFF's extensive work with local and state-level school-to-work initiatives around the country and is co-published by the American Youth Policy Forum of the Institute for Educational Leadership and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
The report describes the "school-to-career" model for secondary education reform which combines classroom learning with work-based learning; phases out "tracking" by postsecondary destination; increases career options; and encourages a stronger integration of secondary and postsecondary education for high school students.
"The principles described in this paper are based on the fact that in today's global and technology-driven economy, the preparation needed for college and for work is not very different," said Hilary Pennington, President of JFF. "At a time when the public is both highly skeptical about the value of education that offers no practical use and strongly supportive of higher academic standards, the school-to-work approach is necessary now more than ever because it motivates students to master academic basics by showing them their relevance," Pennington said.
"High school reform efforts simply cannot succeed without these school-to-career principles. They are essentials to ensuring that students are well-prepared for productive careers and for lifelong learning," said Samuel Halperin, Co-Director of the American Youth Policy Forum.
The five basic design principles of a high school reorganized around the school-to-career approach are:
- Non-tracked, thematic programs of study should prepare all students for entry into both higher education and high-skill employment. Many of today's high schools put the cart before the horse, placing students in high school education tracks defined by their postsecondary plans. These tracks should be replaced by programs of study organized around high academic standards, broad career themes -- such as arts and communications, health services, or natural resource systems -- that foster interdisciplinary approaches to instruction, and the integration of classroom and work-based learning.
- Selection of a career-focused program of study in high school should be based on general interests and should not be a final, high-stakes career decision. Students should select programs of study based on their general intellectual and career interests. Rather than having to make a definitive career choice, students should opt into a broad curriculum that teaches academic and practical skills in an engaging and hands-on way through the lens of a career or discipline that interests them. For example, a student selecting a program in health care might have the opportunity to work on a student newspaper, in a school-based health clinic, in a science lab, or possibly a hospital or neighborhood clinic.
- Work-based learning yields benefits that classroom-based education alone cannot provide and should be an integral part of the core curriculum for all students. Providing students with meaningful work experiences that reinforce what they learn in school and expose them to a variety of career options will increase the chances of their being valued and hired by employers and their making good career choices. In the earlier grades, students should be exposed to workplaces through job-shadowing opportunities and through employer involvement in classroom and community-service projects. Starting in grades 11 and 12, hands-on learning should begin in earnest as students become more mature and acclimated to learning experiences outside of the classroom, in workplaces and the community.
- Separate vocational and academic tracks should be replaced gradually at the high school level with programs of study that emphasize practical education for all. In the redesigned high school, technical and academic instruction should be merged, transforming high schools into active learning environments, similar to today's high-performance workplaces. Students, as individuals and as team members, should be expected to master the basics, plan and complete projects, pose and solve problems, and present and explain their work through various media.
- The integration of secondary and postsecondary learning environments is critical to the development of rigorous programs of career-related education. Enrollment in postsecondary courses should figure prominently in program majors designed by students to add depth and focus to their high school education. Postsecondary institutions that offer advanced training and focus to their high school education should be involved, including two-year and four-year colleges, skills centers, trade and technical schools, and registered apprenticeship programs.
"The school-to-career strategy has strong potential to reform and revitalize high schools across this country," said Tom Koerner, Deputy Executive Director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "We believe that these principles are key to placing all students in every community on the ‘high road' to further learning careers anad Careers," Koerner said.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the nation's largest school administrator organization, representing more than 40,000 high school and middle-level educators. Organized in 1916, NASSP focuses on professional development programs to help school leaders become more proficient and effective in serving America's youth.
American Youth Policy Forum provides policy makers and their aides with information and experiences helpful to the development of an effective youth education, training, and transition-to-employment system for the United States.
Jobs for the Future (JFF) is a national, non-profit organization that conducts research, provides technical assistance, and proposes policy innovation on the interrelated issues of work and learning. Founded in 1983, JFF's goal is to encourage policies and practices that prepare all citizens for effective transitions between learning and work.
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