Career technical education

Vocational ed gets a new lease on life

Stories by Sherry Posnick-Goodwin
Photos by Scott Buschman

Errol J. Campbell talks with Adriana Miranda, Maria Miranda and Lizbeth Vazquez about an advertising project.

Teachers and legislators worry that the emphasis on testing and college prep is causing the dropout rate to increase. The business community says that young adults are leaving school without the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace. And technical jobs that pay well are begging for qualified workers.

Any solution to these problems?

Yes, as a matter of fact. Resurrect that old familiar friend — vocational education — which school officials and legislators did their best to kill over the past few decades. Actually, it’s already beginning to happen.

Vocational education’s newfound popularity — combined with a hefty increase in funding — has earned it the title of the comeback kid in statewide media coverage hailing its renaissance. “Suddenly Vocational Training is Back in Vogue,” declares the Christian Science Monitor. “Vocational Education Rebounding as Answer to Dropout Crisis,” asserts the San Jose Mercury News. “Vocational Education Poised for Comeback,” trumpets the Associated Press.

“The elitist myth that leaving high school with employable skills was automatically a lesser achievement than heading to a four-year university has unraveled,” pronounces an editorial in the Los Angeles Times.

Legislators have, of late, become vocal proponents of vocational education, now commonly referred to as career technical education (CTE).

“Finally, legislators are seeing the fallacy of taking vocational education out of the classroom,” says Errol J. Campbell, who teaches retail merchandising and sales at Huntington Park High School in Los Angeles and serves as vice chair of CTA’s Alternative, Career and Technical Education Committee. “The dropout rate has continually increased in direct relationship to the lack of vocational programs. Finally, we are realizing that kids need to participate in something they really enjoy as an incentive to come to school.”

While everyone is jumping on the career tech bandwagon these days, there are some who have never stopped believing in its relevance.

“CTA has always supported vocational education,” says CTA President Barbara E. Kerr. “Educators understand the value of incorporating strong skills and knowledge across the curriculum to prepare students for postsecondary education or postsecondary entry into the world of work — or both.”

Pablo Torres, Saul Villalobos and Alan Orellana discuss marketing ideas at Huntington Park High in Los Angeles.

CTA convened two Career Technical Education Summits in recent months to strategize with more than 25 career tech groups about how to make sure that all students, whether they go to college or not, get an opportunity to compete in the global economy.

Last year, CTA worked for passage of Prop. 1D, a $10.4 billion school bond that earmarked $500 million for rebuilding and equip­­ping
career tech programs at comprehensive high schools. Funding from the bond measure will soon be distributed.

The 2006 state budget included $80 million to be split evenly between high schools and community colleges for career tech equip­ment and supplies — including regional occupational programs — as well as $20 million for curriculum and program articulation. In addition, the San Francisco-based James Irvine Foundation spent $6 million to launch a new statewide center, ConnectEd, which will support high school programs that connect academics with career education.

While proponents of career technical educa­tion are pleased with the fiscal developments, they are also concerned that it’s not nearly enough money to make up for the devastation and neglect of the past few decades. So far, these efforts to rebuild are one-time actions.

“What has occurred is encouraging, but we’ve lost so much over the last 20 years that it’s just a start,” asserts Mike Patterson, an auto shop teacher who serves as vice president of the South Tahoe Educators Association. “Because we don’t have middle school programs feeding students into high school programs any longer, there are fewer students enrolling in high school CTE classes.”

This year’s budget proposal includes $52 million for CTE — $20 million for ongoing instruction in high schools and community colleges, plus $32 million in new funding for instruction and programs, thanks to CTA’s Quality Education Investment Act (SB 1133).

Other developments are also having an impact on career tech programs:

• AB 368 requires the creation of a state registry for equipment that is not being used by school districts. Districts in need will have “first call.”
• SB 1543 requires the California State University system to recognize high school courses that meet model curriculum standards. It requests that the UC system do the same. While the standards were adopted in 2005, most career tech classes are not presently accepted by either college system.
• A new curriculum framework unanimously approved by the State Board of Education last January shows school districts and teachers how to link academic standards with career preparation [www.sonoma.edu/cihs/cte]. It is based on 15 growing industries, including agriculture and natural resources; media and entertainment; building trades and construction; education, child development and family services; energy and utilities; engineering and design; fashion and interior design; finance and business; health science and medical technology; hospitality, tourism and recreation; information technology; manufacturing and product development; marketing, sales and service; public services; and transportation.
• The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing has agreed to consider streamlining the process for credentialing teachers and aligning credentials with the 15 targeted industries.
• The newly amended Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Training Act boosts to $1.3 billion the amount states will get in federal funding for programs in high schools and community colleges in the next fiscal year. An earlier proposal from President Bush would have killed program funding.
• SB 70 provides $20 million for high school and community college curriculum and program articulation. It includes funding to train new career tech teachers.

“All of these things taken together mean a number of things,” says Pat Ainsworth, assistant superintendent of secondary and adult education for the California Department of Education (CDE). “It shows there is a general awareness among the public and politicians that there are problems, such as students dropping out of high school or graduating from high school unprepared to enter the workforce.

In addition to teaching culinary arts, Bev Spiker (2nd from left) oversees the on-campus restaurant where students like Kayla Mallow, Daphne Alvarado and Curran Lynn prepare lunch at Ramona High in San Diego County.

“People are finally realizing that students need to be prepared to work and be economically productive whether they are going directly from high school to the world of work or continuing on with post-secondary education. Most students who continue with post-secondary education will still need to work.”

He says research conducted in the process of passing Prop. 1D showed that the public is more interested in seeing career tech improvements than in changing any other aspect of education.

A poll of California ninth- and 10th-graders, conducted for the James Irvine Foundation, found that six in ten students did not enjoy school and were not motivated to succeed. More than 90 percent said they would be more motivated if their school offered classes putting them on a career path.

Among their many benefits, career tech programs motivate students to learn and reach higher academic standards because the relevancy of their studies is more apparent. Students can see the connection between their academic coursework and their career interests. The result is not only lower dropout rates, but an increased likelihood that students will pursue higher education.

Over a one-year period in a career tech program, a study showed, the grade point average of at-risk students increased on average from 1.2 to 2.3. Sixty-five percent of career tech students have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and 95 percent graduate from high school.

“One of the most important things about these programs is that they give students a wide range of things they can be exposed to, so they won’t get stuck in an area they don’t like for the rest of their lives,” says Sierra Unified Teachers Association member George Greenway, who teaches auto body repair at Sierra High School. “ In my class, they may find that they don’t want to straighten out fenders all their lives .”

Greenway, whose school offers courses ranging from criminal justice to meat cutting, believes the shortage of such courses at other schools leaves students uncertain of the path they should take after graduation. Career decisions may be postponed for years because students don’t know their options.

Career tech courses also offer students alternative ways to learn core concepts. Many incorporate algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics and various sciences. While schools have canceled these classes over the years in their panic to raise test scores, many administrators now believe career tech courses actually benefit test-takers: making use of what they’ve learned actually reinforces it.

The old stereotype of grease monkey no longer holds true in today’s world. “An auto mechanic today needs to know computer science and electronics and how to use sophisticated electronic tools, none of which requires a degree,” Rick Stephens, the senior vice president for human resources of the Boeing Company, told the Associated Press.

Irene Perez teaches computer applications and small business ownership skills to students like Kirk Smith at McClatchy High in Sacramento.

There was much discussion at CTA’s Vocational and Technical Education Summits [ see story ] on the challenge of transitioning career technical education from the industrial model to the post-industrial model, says Don Miller, director of the Academy of Creative Technologies at Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley. “The postindustrial model has to build on what American industry can do as opposed to what it used to do.”

A member of the Moreno Valley Education Association who teaches video and televi­sion production, Miller says, “I think we need to reshape career technical education so that it can cross over and be both academic and vocational.” Although there’s “a lot of resistance from traditional shop teachers,” it may be necessary.

While there is strong support, huge challenges remain as the state tries to revitalize the field. Three quarters of technology education programs at the high school level have disappeared since the early 1980s, according to the California Industrial and Technology Education Association. And California has lost the vast majority of its vocational programs — more than 80 percent since 1978 — due to fiscal and administrative neglect, as well as pressure to meet the demands of No Child Left Behind and to improve API scores.

The effort to raise test scores has taken resources — labs and facilities, funding and teachers — away from vocational programs and redirected them to remedial programs and other purposes. The number of high school courses has dropped from about 40,000 in the late 1980s to approximately 24,000 in 2005. This is happening even though state law requires schools to provide both academic programs leading to post-secondary education and programs to prepare students for careers.

“Schools have painted over the racks where tools used to hang, and are now teaching math and science in those buildings,” says Campbell. “Schools won’t be able to recoup all the rooms that were once used for vocational education, and may have to build new buildings or bring in portables when these classes are reintroduced.”

Michele Duffy, a registered nurse, demonstrates CPR equipment in her health care careers class at Ramona High in San Diego County.

There are also the challenges of finding qualified teachers. “Money is coming back, but the problem is that we have teachers retiring and nobody to replace them,” says Gary Wolfe, a wood shop teacher at Norte Vista High School in Alvord and a member of the Alvord Education Association.

“New teachers are not in the teacher preparation pipeline,” says Lloyd McCabe, a CDE policy consultant. Last year, there were 57 agriculture education teachers, 12 business education teachers and just one industrial technology teacher in the pipeline in California. While agricultural ed had the most prospects, the number falls far short of the 137 openings.

McCabe estimates that half of all industrial technology teachers are close to retirement. To fill the void, professionals with industry experience can get Designated Subject Credentials to qualify to teach. While many knowledge ­able professionals with these credentials are teaching through regional occupational programs (ROP), they are often untrained in instruction delivery or classroom management.

When it comes to producing certificated teachers, McCabe believes the university system will rise to the challenge. Sixty letters of intent to apply for SB 70 money are already in hand.

Community colleges have not suffered vocational program cutbacks to the extent that middle schools and high schools have, says Tony Jones, a member of United Faculty North Orange County Community College District.

“In most cases, community colleges have kept their commitment to occupational education,” says Jones, who has taught automotive collision repair at Cypress College for 30 years. “But they have been impacted by what has happened at the K-12 level.”

Students enter occupational training programs at the college level less prepared than in years past because feeder programs have been cut back or eliminated. “Our recruiting grounds are much less fertile than before,” says Jones. Instead of recruiting students from high school classes that could feed directly into college programs, recruiters have to do a lot more generalized outreach at job fairs, college fairs or career day events.

In addition, many students lose valuable time because they enter community college without knowing what opportunties are available.

Increasingly, community colleges are setting up “articulation agreements” with high schools so that students can receive college credit for their career tech classes and transfer with ease into college-level occupational programs. Community colleges, in turn, are setting up articulated programs with four-year colleges.

“It’s definitely a growing trend,” says Jones.

Meanwhile, the business community is chomping at the bit over the prospect of finding employable young people.

In the trades, many jobs are going unfilled because of the dearth of career tech programs in California, says Adrienne Monroe, executive vice president of the California Coalition for Construction in the Classroom. Recent bond measures for state infrastructure improvement are creating jobs for another 144,000 construction workers, already in short supply.

Even though blue-collar jobs may pay well, white-collar programs may be favored over class­es where students operate tools or equipment. A recent Senate hearing in Sacramento billed the new wave of career tech courses as “No more building birdhouses.” A press release stated, “The ‘new’ career technical thinking is now focused on culinary arts, tourism and transportation technology.”

The focus on “clean” careers is sometimes one of economics — computer-based courses are cheaper to operate. Critics believe there may be a bias against anything in which students get their hands dirty. However, most advocates believe there’s room for both types of training.

“We have students who are good at working with their hands — and their heads — who should be allowed to take construction classes and automotive classes to keep motivated,” says Patterson.

Nancy Martinez tilts a dummy’s head back and practices rescue breathing.

“I don’t want to see schools leave out things like plumbing, bricklaying, and all kinds of jobs where people go to school and learn how to make money and take care of themselves,” says Campbell. “Lots of kids don’t go to college because they don’t have money. And some kids may find out that what they want to do is start their own company; they may make more money than people who have their degrees.”

While it should be a slam dunk to bring back programs to reduce the dropout rate and prepare students for fields begging for qualified workers, it’s easier said than done. Schools are setting their standards ever higher, based on the premise that everyone will go to college, which most education experts believe is out of sync with reality. Some cynics refer to students who enter the workforce after leaving high school as the “forgotten 70 percent.”

With so much emphasis on courses that meet A-G requirements for CSU and UC entry, parents and advisers sometimes pressure students not to take career tech classes. And with so much remediation — including double and triple periods of core subjects — students who could benefit the most from career tech classes don’t have enough time in their schedules to take them.

“An unintended consequence of this shift to a university preparation curriculum has been to reduce the career-oriented courses most attractive to students at risk of dropping out,” reads the governor’s California Performance Review report. “Continued movement toward the A-G requirements is likely to increase the number of students who fail to graduate from high school.”

Some schools have been working fast and furiously to align their career tech courses with A-G requirements. Over the past four years, the number of such courses has jumped from 258 to 4,700. Most are in the categories of eng ineeri ng, h ealth care, agriculture and white-collar areas .

“There’s been a general perception that CTE was for somebody else’s kids as a dumbed down alternative that was less than rigorous,” says Ainsworth. “But now, in fact, almost 5,000 courses have enough academic rigor to qualify for UC admission. That is pretty phenomenal.”

But not everyone agrees that it’s necessary. “Not all programs lend themselves to meeting these requirements, especially if they are strictly hands-on,” says Campbell.

“A-G classes don’t prepare people for the workforce any better than traditional shop classes do,” says Miller. CTA’s Summit participants envisioned schools “starting over” and abandoning rigid definitions and requirements.

The purpose of public education needs to be considered, says Miller. If it’s truly to prepare people to be successful in the workplace, “maybe we should stop worrying about whether students are taking enough English, math or science classes and ask what they need to be happy, successful adults. Maybe we should stop having experts and university dons tell us what needs to be done and look at the world as it is and how it should be.”

The focus on college entry keeps people from realizing that CTE classes will help students earn a living and be productive in society, says Wolfe.

While Wolfe is pleased with the comeback of vocational education and the renewed support for career tech programs, he believes the state needs a more structured approach and cohesive strategies to ensure future success.

“There are a lot of players — school districts, community colleges, ROPs, apprenticeship programs and businesses — but they are all separate,” says Wolfe. “We need to get the players together and draw up a design for the future of California. We have to sit down at the table and ask, ‘Where are we going? Where do we want to be?’ It needs to be a continual, ongoing dialogue for the sake of our students.”