Can You Trust your High School to make your child "Career Ready?"
How did you answer? How well does your child stack up?
OK, maybe your kid is "exemplary." Think about their friends; or your neighbor kids. They are supposed to be "career ready" also. Look at my questions again. Are they all career-ready? Would they all get hired, or keep their jobs?
My Standards Too High? Some parents (and many teachers) will complain that students are "too young and immature" to meet my "adult-work" standards. They'll say: "You can't start expecting that until they graduate." (Oh, that's great -- it won't be the school's problem!) That means most students will lag behind the few most employable grads. Do you want your child to hang with the laggards? They'll have lots of company and competition!
Schools don't Meet Workplace Demands
Few high school courses emphasize work-appropriate "adult" language, customer service, workplace expectations, contracts, or self-supervised work. Most students can learn to do those things. They can interact with adults. They can read and analyze contracts. High school students CAN meet those standards if they are asked, taught, and expected to meet them! (But relatively few classes expect them.)
Why is there a disconnect? Because schools aren't designed to emulate the work world. Students don't have to compete to get education. It's free, and guaranteed to all. Students get lots of help from adults, theoretically in equal amounts. Schools try to give all students "equal" opportunity. In fact, some teachers have told me they want "all their students" to be "winners!" (Me: "Well, why is there only one teacher in front of your class? What happened to the other adults who interviewed for your teaching job?") The teacher's all-too-common mindset sends the wrong message about the real world to the students.
Harsh Reality
All that "help and guarantee" talk stops when students graduate from high school. All those well-paid adults will no longer help them. Nobody owes the Grad anything. The Grad's value is based on what they can exchange with others. In the work world, not everybody gets hired. There is no guarantee of a job, a raise, or a promotion ... unless the Grad can out-compete other applicants.
Some colleges try to continue the fiction of "guarantees" by admitting "everybody" who wants to attend. (Michelle Obama's "Better Make Room" initiative implies -- from its name -- that people can or should "demand" entry to college: https://www.bettermakeroom.org/.) Nonetheless, many universities, special programs, graduate programs, medical programs and law schools remain very competitive and exclusive. Some crowded, "impacted" institutions are getting choosier. For several years, my alma mater C.S.U., Fresno has wisely turned away students with below-satisfactory GPAs, shunting them to Community College to prove they can "handle" college. Many scholarships (including athletics) are still very competitive.
My former school created a "low rigor" chemistry class so students with poor math skills could "get credit" without having those skills! (I spoke against the proposal in Curriculum Council. Not all parents realize it's substandard.) In high school classes you still see "fill-in-the-blank" lessons and study guides -- where the students aren't even writing with complete sentences! I have found [what I consider] many middle school- or elementary-level assignments left behind in my high school's copy room! In many cases, the teacher or textbook is doing most of the thinking or writing!
I have struggled to find supposed “A” students entering my class that have the mindset to be hired. Why is that? First, schools train students to be passive. The student shows up, the teacher tells them what they need to learn, and how to do it. The student has almost no freedom of initiative, nor are they trained to take initiative, nor required to do so. The student will need initiative to get hired, however.
Additionally, the teacher is required to take responsibility, telling the student to get to work, often nagging them to stay on task. (Most schools call that classroom management or "good teaching.") But employers are not babysitters. They do NOT want to hire someone they must stand over and "nag" to work.
My Local District
My local school district produces television commercials claiming ALL their graduates are college-ready and career-ready. Do you really believe that? All of them? Do you think all students are equally anything-ready? Maybe every kid at your high school all has straight As, but not in my town!
The District defines career-ready as: "A career-ready graduate is a student who has all possible options available to them ... and has acquired the workplace skills and competencies necessary for success after high school."
Let's dissect the statement. A student needs to identify the best career options, not "all possible options" (an equal opportunity reference). The "workplace skills and competencies necessary for success" will vary by career. How can they guarantee that if they don't cater to all careers? Delivering those skills is up to the "interpretation" of individual teachers, and they will be few guidelines in non-pathway careers. (The pictured Profile also mentions "fluff" descriptor words that are general, undefined, and not career-specific.)
Many high schools are now claiming their graduates are "College AND Career Ready." Depending on your state, they may be "required" to make some token effort in that direction. Are high school Graduates really ready for the adult world of work? Will your child be employable?
Career Readiness Quiz
Let's start with your children.
Let's start with your children.
- Does your child always use mature thinking?
- How are their customer care skills?
- Does their level of effort and concentration on tasks match a hectic eight-hour workday?
- Do they work without supervision or nagging (yours, or the teacher's)?
- Do they exhibit work-appropriate "adult" language and behavior?
- Could they enter a legal contract with a sharp, tough-minded business owner?
How did you answer? How well does your child stack up?
OK, maybe your kid is "exemplary." Think about their friends; or your neighbor kids. They are supposed to be "career ready" also. Look at my questions again. Are they all career-ready? Would they all get hired, or keep their jobs?
My Standards Too High? Some parents (and many teachers) will complain that students are "too young and immature" to meet my "adult-work" standards. They'll say: "You can't start expecting that until they graduate." (Oh, that's great -- it won't be the school's problem!) That means most students will lag behind the few most employable grads. Do you want your child to hang with the laggards? They'll have lots of company and competition!
Schools don't Meet Workplace Demands
Few high school courses emphasize work-appropriate "adult" language, customer service, workplace expectations, contracts, or self-supervised work. Most students can learn to do those things. They can interact with adults. They can read and analyze contracts. High school students CAN meet those standards if they are asked, taught, and expected to meet them! (But relatively few classes expect them.)
Why is there a disconnect? Because schools aren't designed to emulate the work world. Students don't have to compete to get education. It's free, and guaranteed to all. Students get lots of help from adults, theoretically in equal amounts. Schools try to give all students "equal" opportunity. In fact, some teachers have told me they want "all their students" to be "winners!" (Me: "Well, why is there only one teacher in front of your class? What happened to the other adults who interviewed for your teaching job?") The teacher's all-too-common mindset sends the wrong message about the real world to the students.
Harsh Reality
All that "help and guarantee" talk stops when students graduate from high school. All those well-paid adults will no longer help them. Nobody owes the Grad anything. The Grad's value is based on what they can exchange with others. In the work world, not everybody gets hired. There is no guarantee of a job, a raise, or a promotion ... unless the Grad can out-compete other applicants.
Some colleges try to continue the fiction of "guarantees" by admitting "everybody" who wants to attend. (Michelle Obama's "Better Make Room" initiative implies -- from its name -- that people can or should "demand" entry to college: https://www.bettermakeroom.org/.) Nonetheless, many universities, special programs, graduate programs, medical programs and law schools remain very competitive and exclusive. Some crowded, "impacted" institutions are getting choosier. For several years, my alma mater C.S.U., Fresno has wisely turned away students with below-satisfactory GPAs, shunting them to Community College to prove they can "handle" college. Many scholarships (including athletics) are still very competitive.
Confusing Academic Success with Employability
You may protest: "My kid has straight As" ....
Well, grades aren't always a reliable indicator of career readiness. Many teachers are pressured to inflate grades to keep the "graduation rate" high. Many lessons involve time-wasters like repetition or classwork below grade level. (If you don't believe that, see The Opportunity Myth in "The New Teacher Project" | website https://tntp.org).My former school created a "low rigor" chemistry class so students with poor math skills could "get credit" without having those skills! (I spoke against the proposal in Curriculum Council. Not all parents realize it's substandard.) In high school classes you still see "fill-in-the-blank" lessons and study guides -- where the students aren't even writing with complete sentences! I have found [what I consider] many middle school- or elementary-level assignments left behind in my high school's copy room! In many cases, the teacher or textbook is doing most of the thinking or writing!
I have struggled to find supposed “A” students entering my class that have the mindset to be hired. Why is that? First, schools train students to be passive. The student shows up, the teacher tells them what they need to learn, and how to do it. The student has almost no freedom of initiative, nor are they trained to take initiative, nor required to do so. The student will need initiative to get hired, however.
Additionally, the teacher is required to take responsibility, telling the student to get to work, often nagging them to stay on task. (Most schools call that classroom management or "good teaching.") But employers are not babysitters. They do NOT want to hire someone they must stand over and "nag" to work.
My Local District
The District defines career-ready as: "A career-ready graduate is a student who has all possible options available to them ... and has acquired the workplace skills and competencies necessary for success after high school."
Let's dissect the statement. A student needs to identify the best career options, not "all possible options" (an equal opportunity reference). The "workplace skills and competencies necessary for success" will vary by career. How can they guarantee that if they don't cater to all careers? Delivering those skills is up to the "interpretation" of individual teachers, and they will be few guidelines in non-pathway careers. (The pictured Profile also mentions "fluff" descriptor words that are general, undefined, and not career-specific.)
What allows my school district to claim all students are career-ready? They have every child view packaged online video "lessons" that supposedly boost their “emotional intelligence” (only one factor in employment, but it's not sufficient for success). It's an expensive, "canned" approach that allows the district to "check off" career readiness.
Teachers have shown me some of those videos and the content therein. They are NOT a substitute for real career assessment and planning. (Also, the amount of career readiness and preparation varies widely between the district's different high school campuses; with some sites more focused on entrepreneurship or particular career pathways.)
---------------------
Call to Action
"Outsmarting College" means you and your child need to form some career ideas to determine if college is required.
College is an expensive way to find out your child:
If you're NOT independently wealthy, stay tuned!
What should a parent do to rectify this lack of Career Readiness in high schools? Outsmart College and the Contribution Project will provide the answers!
Stay tuned for the next post, "What is REAL Career-Prep?"
If you are interested in REAL career prep for your child, contact me NOW!
Teachers have shown me some of those videos and the content therein. They are NOT a substitute for real career assessment and planning. (Also, the amount of career readiness and preparation varies widely between the district's different high school campuses; with some sites more focused on entrepreneurship or particular career pathways.)
---------------------
Call to Action
"Outsmarting College" means you and your child need to form some career ideas to determine if college is required.
College is an expensive way to find out your child:
- Didn't need the degree
- Couldn't finish the degree (with lots of debt; or less retirement $ for you)
- Can't find a job in their major
- Hate the career resulting from the degree
- Can't succeed because they lack skills or aptitudes not teachable by "classes."
If you're NOT independently wealthy, stay tuned!
What should a parent do to rectify this lack of Career Readiness in high schools? Outsmart College and the Contribution Project will provide the answers!
Stay tuned for the next post, "What is REAL Career-Prep?"
If you are interested in REAL career prep for your child, contact me NOW!
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