JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Leaders from at least 20 states met here November 13-14 sharing ideas to determine how states can improve career/technical education in Southern Regional Education Board states and across the country.
The annual SREB State Leaders’ Forum on Career/Technical Education gathered state career/technical education directors, state legislators, national experts and others to the summit on improving this important area of education — and a major key to economic prosperity in the SREB region. Each state’s attendees developed plans for further improvements they plan to pursue.
"This work can help states raise high school graduation rates and improve students’ success in college and careers," said Gene Bottoms, SREB’s senior vice president for school improvement and a national expert on career/technical education policies and school practices. "States need to make career/technical education courses more academically tough and relevant so that students can retain the option of postsecondary education — and so they can find better jobs in today’s economy."
"Vocational education needs to be more intellectually demanding," said David Wakelyn, a senior policy analyst for the National Governors Association, speaking at the SREB conference. Two of three future jobs require some postsecondary education — double the percentage of 20 years ago. Evidence also is mounting that higher earnings follow workers who have learned critical thinking and problem-solving skills, he said.
Wakelyn suggested several strategies to help states raise the quality of career/technical education: convince governors and other leaders to make the issue a major statewide focus, set higher academic standards for career courses, connect career studies to state economic development efforts, include career endorsements in high school paths of study, improve teaching in these courses, and ensure smooth transitions for students into postsecondary education.
Mike Rose, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of the book The Mind at Work: Combining Hand and Brain Learning, noted that traditionally blue-collar fields now require many advanced skills. "Good work requires lots of mental agility," he said. In a class of aspiring electricians, for examples, he observed students using the language of scientific experimentation, theory and hypothesis, and more. Students also need higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills to succeed in restaurant and skilled carpentry jobs, he said.
Improving career/technical education is "the answer to a lot of our problems in a lot of our states with a lot of our kids," added Bill Walker, the deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education and a former state legislator. "As a policy-maker and as a legislator,(I see that) this is something we really need to focus on. … It is the greatest, most exciting secret" in education, he said, noting that some career/technical students in Arkansas now are taking Advanced Placement courses. "My passion has grown so much," he added. "We have got to go back (to our states) and tell this story."
SREB President Dave Spence called for states to set college- and career-readiness standards that all high school students should be expected to meet. As a longtime higher education policy leader in several states, Spence has worked to help schools raise students’ math, reading and writing skills to the levels they need for success in college or career training. SREB soon will formally announce a major project to help states with this work.
Lloyd McCabe, a policy consultant for the California Department of Education and a longtime leader in career/technical education in his state, and Joe Meyer, the deputy secretary of education and workforce development in Kentucky and a former state legislator, suggested that states improve links between high school career programs and higher education.
Lucy Hadi, the Florida chancellor for workforce education and Bob Couch, the director of career/technical education in South Carolina, gave the details of their states’ work to help high school students select career areas of study as a strategy to help more students graduate and find the career training they need.
Virginia Secretary of Education Tom Morris, SREB consultant and former longtime Educational Testing Service official Doug Rhodes, and Oklahoma State Senator Susan Paddack said states face challenges in linking more students to employer certification exams in high schools, career/technology centers and community colleges.
Other state leaders who participated included Florida Commissioner of Education Eric Smith, Maryland Senator Nancy King, West Virginia Senator Roman Prezioso, Florida Senator Stephen Wise, Georgia Representative Fran Millard, former South Carolina Representative Ronny Townsend, Kansas Representative Ann Mah and Missouri Representative Joe Aull.
Earlier this year, SREB released a major report calling for states to improve the quality of career/technical courses by joining more rigorous academics with career-oriented courses to help more students graduate and succeed. Crafting A New Vision for High School: How States Can Join Academic and Technical Studies to Promote More Powerful Learning shows that high-quality career/technical education, combined with a college-preparatory academic core, can help improve student achievement so that more students graduate and are college- and career-ready. The report, released in conjunction with the Washington-based Council of Chief States School Officers, provides actions states can take and highlights current best practices and policies. The report is online: http://www.sreb.org/publications/2008/08V07CraftingNewVision.asp.
For more information about your state’s efforts to improve career/technical education and to speak with SREB or your state’s experts in this field, contact SREB Communications.
The Southern Regional Education Board, or SREB, based in Atlanta, was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. More information is available online at www.sreb.org.
