Dueling priorities in K-12 education

College prep standards vs. workforce development strategies

If you asked me to make a list of big picture goals for public K-12 education in the United States, I would separate the list into the “essential” functions of the lower grades and the “supplemental” tasks of the upper grades. 

The essentials:

• Teach the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic to all students

• Teach the civic principles that underpin our democratic republic 

• Teach baseline levels of knowledge about science and society — the things everyone should know

The supplementals: 

• Prepare students for higher education 

• Prepare students to enter the workforce

Of course we could list many other important features of a well-rounded education, like the arts and physical education, but even starting from this whittled down list of goals, there are already tensions.

Where do we set the bar for academic rigor? What should be included in the canon of required baseline knowledge?

These tensions, present in the lower grades, build into a more fundamental challenge in the upper grades.

How do we offer pathways for workforce training without stifling opportunities for higher education?

This is a delicate balance.

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A man repairs a cell phone tower in Mesa, Arizona. Photo by iStrfry via Unsplash.

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In Arizona, less than half of high school graduates are enrolling in post-secondary education programs.

This is a problem because we have a statewide goal to Achieve 60 AZ, meaning we are trying to get 60% of working adults to have a post-secondary education — a certification, license, or college degree — by the year 2030.

The idea is that if we can get more people professionally trained, it will boost our economy and benefit society as a whole.

We are working hard to Achieve 60. 

To increase college enrollment, the Arizona Legislature recently expanded the dual enrollment program, which allows students to simultaneously earn college credit while taking high school classes. I like the dual enrollment program because it incentives teachers to advance their careers by getting certified to teach college-level classes. It’s also good for college-bound students. I have always thought there is too much overlap between the required coursework in high school and the generic prerequisites in college. Dual enrollment enables these prerequisites to be streamlined. 

For workforce training, high school students can gain credits toward an industry certification through the state’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. Arizona has 14 career and technical education districts across the state, allowing students to get hands-on experience with things like welding, mechanics, culinary arts, construction, nursing services, etc.

Dual enrollment and CTE programs are not available to every student in the state, but they are good programs that help students make concrete steps toward post-secondary education during high school. 

Additionally, Superintendent Tom Horne and the Department of Education recently announced the formation of the Arizona Education Economic Commission. This commission will be a public-private partnership tasked with enhancing pathways to workforce training. Taking cues from Switzerland, the commission is pondering an apprenticeship program where students could become fully trained in a professional field by the time they graduate high school.

I like where this is going, but I’m not sure we can build a Switzerland-like apprenticeship program in Arizona without restructuring some of our foundational education policies.

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In Switzerland, school is only compulsory up to age 15. Afterward, students can choose to enroll in either a vocational school, a general college prep school, or a specialized college prep school. 

The concept of a dual-track education system, where students choose between college aspirations and vocational training, is controversial here in the United States because we don’t want to stifle opportunities or dissuade academic ambitions. The politically correct wisdom is that everyone has the aptitude for college, and should go to college, if we can teach properly.

Indeed, we should strive for a K-12 system where every student has the opportunity to pursue higher education. This is why improving the essential functions of our public schools is so critical.

But the reality is that many of our students will seek professions that do not require a four-year college degree. Even if we Achieve 60 here in Arizona, 40% of students will not be studying past the high school level. 

It would make sense to offer a permeable — not rigid or forced — system where students can, at a certain age, choose to take more practical and applied coursework in preparation for a trade school or while enrolled in an apprenticeship program. 

Right now our system doesn’t allow this option. 

We love school choice in Arizona, but when it comes to measuring academic performance, we have a universal yardstick, as required by federal law. The yardstick is normed to college prep standards. 

To be considered academically “proficient” at age 17 in Arizona public schools, you must score in the average range on a college aptitude test (the ACT).

CTE students get to dip their toes in workforce training, but our CTE programs are attached to regular public high schools. Arizona grades these schools based largely on how well students perform on the ACT.

A single-track education system has some pitfalls. It can lead to students falling through the cracks, as is happening in Arizona, where a majority of students are graduating high school without workforce training or a plan for college. It can also lead to misguided attempts at “equity,” as is happening in California, where some schools are eliminating honors classes to keep everyone at the same level.

We can do better.

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If populist politicians in this country had the ability to focus on doing anything constructive, they might be focused on crafting and selling workforce education policies. As it stands now, the reform efforts seem to be coming from corporations and industries that are having trouble filling jobs.

To achieve a better balance between workforce development and college preparation, we need more flexibility in how we assess student performance, especially in the upper grades. This is not the only fix needed, but I emphasize state testing because I think people underestimate the degree to which it constrains how schools can operate.

The federal requirement for single-track state testing was enacted decades ago. Nobody likes the current structure anymore. Liberals think the tests are burdensome and counterproductive. Conservatives now argue that parental choice is the only form of school accountability that matters. 

Last week, we learned that average ACT scores have gone down 1.5 points (on a 36-point scale) since 2015. The news triggered a wave of discourse about how we need to increase ACT scores.

Increasing ACT scores is a worthwhile goal.

Building apprenticeship programs is also a worthwhile goal.

We can create multiple pathways to educational and economic success. We just need a set of blueprints and a halfway functional Congress.

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