Five school board members are heading to Georgia today to learn about vocational programs.
Eleanor Goettee, Patti Head, Ron Margiotta, Anne McLaurin and Horace Tart will visit the Central Educational Center (CEC) in Newnan, Ga. The trip is the brainchild of Tart, who's been pushing for a vo-tech high school for Wake since he joined the board in 2005.
Tart has argued that Wake needs a stronger vocational program (now called career and technical education or CTE) to reduce the high school dropout rate.
Tart has been a strong proponent of the model used at CEC. Through his efforts, Wake school administrators visited the school last month. Now board members will see what Tart calls "a proven approach."
The charter school is a partnership of business, school and community college leaders. Students take classes in their base high school and then go to the main campus for specialized courses.
CEC leaders tout that the school has increased test scores and lowered the dropout rate. They say that 98 percent of their graduates go on to two- or four-year colleges, many having already earned technical certificates, or enter the workforce already trained in specific jobs.
In tandem with this trip, school administrators will meet Friday with local business leaders to talk about CTE classes in Wake. The idea would be to divide the county into four areas, each with seven different themed career academies.
David Rockefeller, Wake's CTE director, told school board members this week that career academy themes could include environmental health, engineering, communications and business systems and marketing.
Click here for the handout that Rockefeller gave the board on Monday.
Comments
We already have a vocational school.
Fri, 11/14/2008 - 16:20 — tall_guyI don't know about "a majority of jobs in NC only require a 8th grade (or less) education," but according to the NC Employment Security Commission (http://eslmi23.esc.state.nc.us/projections/OccEmpAvgJobNeeds.asp?areatype=01&area=000037&PeriodID=08&version=&OccGroup=110000&whichMethod=1&socCode=0), approximately 80% of all jobs in North Carolina require LESS than a Bachelor's Degree.We have a great vocational school and it's called Wake Tech!
Did you know that our high school students can take courses at Wake Tech for FREE and earn both community college and high school credit at the same time. (http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/Programs/docs/Huskins/16May08_Op_Proc_HS_Students_in_CC_courses.pdf) I wish they had free college courses when I was in high school.
VoTech would be the best thing that WCPSS could offer.
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 21:58 — H2OGuyI don't agree with all the jobs that require an 8th grade education is/or will be out sourced. WE have plenty of jobs, and trades that high schools could offer education to the children/students that just don't want to go to college. We will continue to lose children if we think EVERY child is going to college. Never will happen, EVER!!! They have other interest, which can provide them a good living and giving them something to be proud of instead of sitting in an Algebra class frustated and feeling "worthless" or "stupid". There's many many many jobs that the "rich" folks hope never go away here in America because if they do....the "mighty ones" will be S.O.L and up the creek without a paddle.
I feel this would be a valuable , useful, and effective way to reach that goal of 100% of students graduating from high school. However our incoming Gov. doesn't see it that way, she feels every child should go/trained to go to college...LOL...not sure what world she lives in, but needs to take the smoke colored glasses off and see the world and how things REALLY are.
View of Vo-Tech Outdated
Fri, 11/14/2008 - 09:09 — Voice_of_Reason_Vo-Tech teach more than the old carpenter, mason, electrician jobs today. There are millions of jobs in this country that don't need 4-yr degrees (or even 2). Vo-techs when they are run right partner with local industries and often provide instant jobs for students. In addition, they also provide children with skills that can be strengthened in community colleges in some cases. It is important that these children that go this route, receive a very good foundation in 1st thru 8th. And yes there are also some jobs still out there that don't even need Vo-Tech for those that can't cut it. I am all about giving opportunity, but you cannot dish out education unless the child wants and can eat. And yes, parenting, mentoring, and coaching can help...but there are some that refuse to "eat." I blame it part on the "entitlement society" we live in.
I would like to caveat VoTech. Government programs sometime pay kids to attend and the schools sometimes lower standings to get the money without the children learning anything. I don't agree with this wasteful use of tax money. There has to be consequences to poor performance.
Another proposal I have is an adult education program that fills the need of people that matured enough to realize that education is truly important and squandered that opportunity when they were young.
Not all...
Fri, 11/14/2008 - 00:26 — Bob_SconceSome jobs just can't be outsourced. But, the jobs that only require an 8th grade education are vanishing as we find less labor-intensive ways of doing the same job and the jobs themselves get more complicated. For example, we no longer have gas station attendants.
There are plenty of kids who have the intelligence to go to college, but who don't, often because they are not adequately prepared by the public schools. The people paying taxes, designing roads, practicing medicine, developing and manufacturing new products, etc... over the next 50 years are all going to have college educations. Everybody else will be increasingly marginalized. So, we should work to keep that "everybody else" group as small as possible.
I would love to see Wake get
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 14:41 — jenmanI would love to see Wake get some Vo-Tech/Career Centers. It might be a good use of some of the older schools ITB that aren't in highly populated areas anymore.
NO hope for Horace!
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 14:31 — g88ky07He's an idiot and is only out to line his pockets. Teach them ignorant kids to lay brick and they can work for him making HIM more money!
2009 brings a change and it means Horace Tart is history!
This is a positve move
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 12:10 — Chris_HNot sure if they need this trip but I hope to see this happen. I have a Senior who will graduate and go to college but have watched some very nice boys who just weren't attracted by the traditional high school curriculum - drop out. When I grew up we had something called BOCES - Kids went to their local high school in the AM for Core classes and then went around lunch time to the BOCES High School and took Auto Mechanics, Cosmetology, Nursing, Electrician courses etc..... These kids had no desire to go to college but wanted to learn a trade. this kept them in high school and helped them not only get them a degree but also helped them get a job when they got out of high school. I hope to see it as I think many of the high schools these days have anything for these kids and they feel left out.
Vo-Tech High School is a great idea
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 10:47 — Bob_SconceIt makes little sense for a typical high school to offer much in the way of Vo-Tech classes; they're very equipment-intensive and do not have a large amount of interest from most student bodies. Having one centralized vo-tech school where students from across the county can come makes a lot of sense.
This is the perfect model for a magnet school -- a school that draws students from all over the county to offer limited-interest programs. Unfortunately, it's backwards from the district's primary magnet model: using magnet schools to restrict access to popular programs.
Beg to differ
Fri, 11/14/2008 - 11:51 — kmisegadesBob, I beg to differ. Watching my kids and their friends grow up in western Wake County I see just as much interest in learning the things that all kids did in the 1960s and 1970s in American schools in obligatory home ec and shop classes. Yes, the cost of equipment is higher than a chalkboard, but far less than all the unused computers and gold-plated football stadiums that are used 8 times a year. Having just one vo-tec school would exlude classes to most kids. Many will never know if they are interested in the trades until they are exposed to them, since fewer moms and dads teach them these basic, essential skills at home these days, which is a real shame. I say dump all the fluff classes, focus on the three Rs and make shop, home ec and PE obligatory for at least grades 8-10. Perhaps also consider a 2nd track into the trades at age 16, as is the case in Germany. Kids spend the last two years attending some classes in high school as well as classes in trade school and in actual businesses as part of an apprenticeship.
It's about direction
Fri, 11/14/2008 - 15:43 — Bob_SconceSo, I see nothing wrong with shop class--I took several shop courses in middle school. I learned a lot that I still occasionally use today. But, my point was that a vo-tech school with classes on things like HVAC, auto repair, welding and so on etc.. is a good idea. Otherwise, you end up replicating these classes across the entire county, and end up with a bunch of underenrolled classes, which is not a very efficient use of resources.
In Western PA, a bunch of local school districts banded together and created a vo-tech high school for kids from grades 10-12. The school teaches everything from auto body repair to cosmetology along with academic courses for people not intended to go to college. See www.parkwaywest.org .
Isn't PE already obligatory?
Football stadiums are used a lot more than 8 times a year--they're used for football games, soccer games (both men's & women's), track & field meets & marching band competitions. (Plus, the field is used for athletic practices and gym classes). I would also like to see them used for things like graduation exercises (why have them all downtown?)
Ask Wake Tech!
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 10:38 — kmisegadesWhy go to Georgia? Just ask William Terrill, Director of Apprenticeship and Focused Industry Training at Wake Tech. He knows what industry needs. But don't expect many changes. Few in the government, especially WCPSS, have a clue how business and industry operates. Take former AHS principal Tom Dixon, as a typical example, who told this parent "Teenage boys aren't interested in cars these days," when he tried justifying the termination of the popular auto shop class at Apex High. The last I heard, the room was used for cheerleader training. My boys both race cars and work in the NC motorsports industry, one of the largest in the world. But no thanks to WCPSS dismal support for the trades. They'd prefer to see all graduates study philosophy at UNC-CH then go on to a stunning career on the night shift at Wal-Mart.
The ground is shaking here
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 10:25 — Voice_of_Reason_A glimer of hope for Horace.
Self-Interest....
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 12:47 — WuptdoWith no real work in Southern Wake County, I'm sure Horance's primary "work" force is heading to other places to find work. Hopefully, taking their families with them as well. In Horances case, he is just making sure he has the skill workers he needs for his workforce.
The BIGGER Picture. The cycle has made full circle. Back in the 80's when "Johnny couldn't read" was the big story and the "Big Ed" folks tought that by killing the Voc-Tech programs and forcing Johnny to go English cases, he would finally be able to read and appreciate "Pride and Prejudice." In other words, redirect money from Vo-Tech program into a Classroom programs. This also worked well for the NC Community Colleges who got the money for High School Vo-Ed redirected their way. The NC "Big Ed" mindset became make them finish 4 years of HS, then go to Community College for their vocational training. It was a win/win for NC "Big Ed" because more money for all sides. The only real loser of Johnny, who still dropped out, but then again, in NC who cares about HS drop-outs.
Note: The NC "Big Ed" mindset is that every kid should be prepared to go to college. This is a big mistake as a majority of jobs in NC only require a 8th grade (or less) education.
Huh?
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 13:18 — Bob_SconceI'd like to see a citation for your "a majority of jobs in NC only require an 8th grade (or less) education." Even if that were true today (which I doubt), you also have to ask the question whether it will still be true in 30 years.
I suspect that most jobs which only require an 8th grade education have either been outsourced overseas or are being done by recent immigrants (both legal and illegal). A significant chunk of the remainder are probably being done by teenagers between 8th & 12th grade.
50 years ago, it was possible for a guy to graduate from high school, go to work in a factory, and make a decent living. That world no longer exists. Even though US manufacturing output is higher than it's ever been, the number of manufacturing jobs is down signifiantly, largely due to automation and other productivity gains. As a result, a task that used to employ 10 guys with high school educations now takes 1 guy with a college degree.
I understand your point.....But.....
Thu, 11/13/2008 - 13:36 — Chris_HStill not everyone is college material and we still need plumbers, electricians, hair stylists, auto mechanics, computer techs, etc..... Do we forget about these kids? Mfg jobs are mostly a thing of the past but there are still plenty of the above type jobs.