College Education Not The Answer For Everyone

Editor’s Note: Following is the third in a series of articles submitted by area school superintendents for National Education Week. Today’s article is by Lee Harman, Warsaw Community Schools’ superintendent.

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

Our children are entering a world that looks much different than the one most of us found when we finished school. Today’s graduates find themselves in a highly competitive, technology-driven, constantly fluctuating marketplace. What kind of preparation will best enable them to successfully enter the work force? Is a college education the answer?

The attention being given to SAT scores may indicate that the importance of a college education is being exaggerated. Originally intended to measure a student’s aptitude for success in college, the SAT has instead become the end-all of the American public education system. One danger is that students who would be better served in another course of study end up on a college prep track because of this “college for everyone” thinking.

Common sense tells us that the better we prepare for a test, the better we will perform. The SAT is no different: Students who prepare well by taking advantage of the academic course offered in the typical high school curriculum score higher on the SAT. A recent study by the Indiana Education Policy Center shows that students who take more years of academic study, with emphasis in mathematics, science and foreign language, outscore their regular-diploma peers by an average of more than 240 points. The study also points out that if we desire higher SAT scores in Indiana, we should encourage more students to take the college prep courses that will lead to better performance on this measure.

While all of this is well and good, we must be careful not to diminish the value of vocational courses at the expense of a desire for higher SAT scores. Did you know that only 20 percent of U.S. jobs in 2000 will require a bachelor’s or higher degree; that over the next decade, 33 percent of new college grads are projected to be unsuccessful in finding work that requires their degrees; and that one of every three Washington, D.C., metro area Domino Pizza delivery drivers has at least a bachelor’s degree?

However, since only 15 percent of jobs in the near future will be unskilled, today’s students do need to understand the importance of being a lifelong learner. This means that they will need to extend their formal learning experience in some fashion beyond high school. Futurists predict that high school graduates today can expect to change careers an average of six times, and the ability to adapt and learn new skills can make the difference between being employed and unemployed.

Vocational programs in area school systems offer students a chance to learn a trade, become proficient in a business-related occupation, experience on-the-job training through co-operative placements with local business, and in certain cases, earn joint credit with Ivy Tech. If they apply themselves, noncollege-bound students can exit high school with a running start on further training or a successful entry into the work force.

Important measures of success for schools should include SAT scores and evidence of students’ successful entry into the work force – not one or the other. Creating meaningful links between schools and workplaces can bring greater relevancy to our classrooms. Ways we can do this include: Employers

jj Support apprenticeship, mentoring and job shadowing opportunities for students at your place of work.

jj Use high school transcripts in the employment process to demonstrate to students that how they perform in school is valued in the workplace. Parents

jj Take your child to work with you or volunteer as a mentor. Educators

jj Learn what local employers want and need from employees for today’s workplace. Show students the connection between school and work. Students

jj Assume your responsibility in putting forth the effort to get a good education.

A college education is not for everyone – but lifelong learning is. Let’s work together to provide all our kids with the encouragement and opportunities needed for them to become a productive part of our 21st century work force.