UW Stout CTE 708Issues in Career & Technical Education

October 8, 2010Presented by:

Betsy Feaster, Molly Will, & Ronald Zillmer

The Influence of High School

Career & Technical Education Classes

on Post-Secondary Educational Decisions

OverviewIntroductionBackground of the Issue

Background of Career & Technical Education

What is a Traditional High School?What is a Charter School?

Impact on Career and Technical EducationData Collection and AnalysisStrategies to Solve the IssueConclusions and Further Issues for

Consideration

Do Career and Technical Education

Classes in Traditional High Schools or Charter Schools

Influence the Post-Secondary Educational

Path?

Background Information

Career and Technical Education

Develops knowledge needed to attain post-secondary education.

Provides a high level of educationOffers education to fit everyone’s

needs

Traditional Secondary Public High School vs. Charter School

High school is no longer defined as one building with one way of offering an education.

Students wants and demands for an education to fit their needs has become very prevalent. "Secondary

education institutions and current schooling practices need to align with the demands of a globalized and

technology-driven world." (World Bank Secondary Education)

Traditional Secondary Public High School Education

Traditional High SchoolAccording to the US Journal of Academics

website (2010) high school is characterized as, "Academic programs specifically designed for students between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, focusing Liberal Arts (studies such as language, philosophy, history, literature, or abstract science, intended to provide general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities)."

Traditional Secondary Education Statistics

Wisconsin CTE StatisticsNumber of Public High Schools: 540 Number of Public High Schools Offering Solely (or primarily) CTE courses: 3Number of Students in Public High Schools: 292,100Number of Secondary Students Enrolled in CTE: 37,605 Number of Public Community Colleges: 18 Number of Students at Public Community Colleges:

115,357 Number of Postsecondary Students Enrolled in CTE:

143,847

Traditional Secondary Education Statistics-continued

Public High

Schools

Graduation Rate

2003-04

Post-Secondary

Enrollment

% 4-year College

% Voc/Tech

College

2002-03 U.S

22,500 89.8% 72.3% 44.1% 28.2%

2002-03

WI

91.8% 49.4% 23.1%

National and State Postsecondary Enrollments

Traditional Secondary Education Statistics-continued

 Number of Graduates

% 4-Year College

% Voc/Tech College

2008-09 65,410 51.2% 23.3%

2007-08 65,183 52.2% 23.0%

2006-07 63,962 52.2% 21.9%

Post Graduation Plans - All Options - All Students

Entire State of Wisconsin 2008-09 Compared to Prior Years

Charter Schools“are nonsectarian public schools of

choice that operate with freedom form many of the regulations that

apply to traditional public schools.

They are accountable for both academic results and fiscal practices to several groups: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them, and the

public that funds them.” (WI DPI)

Charter Schools – continuedCharter school’s:Are exempted from most local and state

educational laws Provide a program of elementary or secondary

education or both Are Non-sectarian, not affiliated with a religious

school in any form Do not charge tuition Comply with federal laws related to special

education and discrimination Admit students on the basis of a lottery if more

apply than can be served Comply with state and federal audit requirements Meet all local, state and federal health and safety

requirements”

Charter School Statistics

The DPI website (2010) states, Wisconsin currently has 206 charter schools in operation. Of those schools, 109 serve students through grade 12. Since the establishment of charter schools in 1993, 95 schools have closed.

The DPI does not have stats on the correlation between students who attend charter schools and go onto post-secondary education. Therefore, we have decided to conduct a survey of local charter schools to identify their tracking measures.

Impact on Career and Technical Education

Increased efforts by Government

Changes to Career and Technical Education Curriculum

Alternate delivery methods available

Charter School’s Impact on CTEFlexibility of career exploration

Charter schools can be very specific to one career interest, such as health, business or technology or they can be very broad and explore multiple career areas.

No matter what path a charter school takes it has the ability to expose students to more in-depth career discovery, which is a critical piece career and technical education.

Integration of career exploration.

Data Collection and Analysis

How many graduating students go on to post secondary education?

What do you track regarding graduating students?

Do you have statistics that connect the courses they took in High School with their post secondary path?

How is post secondary Career and Technical Education viewed in your school?

How have budget cuts affected your Career and Technical course offerings?

Post Secondary Traditional High School Survey Results

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Students Enrolling in Post-Secondary Education

4 Year College

Technical Education

How many graduating students go on to post secondary education?

Post Secondary Traditional High School Survey Results - continued

How have budget cuts affected your Career and Technical course offerings?

LHS - All departments had to go through some sacrifices, just some more than others.

PHS - A couple of years ago, when our Business Ed teacher retired, a new one wasn't hired due to budget constraints. However; we had a new teacher here by 2nd semester that year.

PEHS - They have not. business and tech. ed. instructors are full-time, their schedules and classes are full.

MCHS - Tech Ed department is only Part time but classes are full.

 

Charter School Survey Results2 of 10 Responded

Ladysmith School District – Health Care Academy

Mellon School District – Mellon Technical Charter School

No Tracking on Post-Graduation PlansBoth Believe 100% of Students do go onto

Post-Secondary Education

Ladysmith Health Care AcademyStudents graduate with a CAN, EMT or

Dental Assistance degreeBudget cuts have not effected the schoolCommunity Support

Mellon Technical Charter School

Mellon works with 4 other small schools in the area to recruit students for the charter school

Develop Individualized Learning Plans which is career-based

Emphasis giving back to community by requiring 25 hours of community service a year

Graduates must complete a Senior Project that is either career-based or giving back to the community in some way.

Secondary education has a key role to play in the development of youth to provide them the knowledge needed to attain post-secondary education, in addition to the level of education that is indispensible in creating a bright future for those individuals and to create a strong global economy.

Strategies to Solve the Issue

"Policymakers and educators must address the twin challenges of increasing "access to" and "quality and relevance of "secondary education for all young people.“

"Secondary education systems everywhere will need to be more flexible, relevant, and responsive to both local needs and the global environment in the 21st century." (Worldbank, paragraph 11)

What Can We Do?Implement Career Clusters and Career Pathways

at the Middle/Junior High School grade levels as well as Charter Schools.

Continue with the options of flexible secondary education through charter schools.

Provide “Hand-holding” of all high school students. Increase the assistance offered to high school students throughout their secondary education to inform and assist with the decision process of post-secondary educational goals.

Conclusions and Further Issues for ConsiderationCan Career and Technical Education be incorporated into

all high schools (traditional public, private, and charter) to address the needs of learners and the economy?

Can a better bridge be developed at the postsecondary level, both two and four year institutions, to continue the education/training environment that is successful in the high schools that excel in Career and Technical Education programming?

Can the charter school model be replicated within traditional public high schools that do not have the resources to support a separate charter school program based on low population?

Conclusions and Further Issues for Consideration - continued

Can Career and Technical Education survive within high schools due to budget cuts and financial restraints currently driving K-12 schools to cut programs?

Can the K-16 education system in the United States adapt to the rapidly changing needs of a global economy?

"Successful Schools are dynamic places with high expectations for everyone. Effective improvements happen planfully and are built around goals that educators, parents and other community members know and support.”

ReferencesEvers, T. (2009). Wisconsin Charter School Yearbook. Retrieved from

http://dpi.wi.gov/smv/pdf/2009-10yearbook.pdf

National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Consortium, State Profile for Wisconsin. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from http://www.careertech.org/state_profile/show/Wisconsin

NGA Center for Best Practices. Retooling Career Technical Education. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0706TECHED.PDF

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Career Education. Career Clusters. Retrieved October 6, 2010, from http://dese.mo.gov/divcareered/career_clusters.htm

Schnaiberg, L. (1998). Milwaukee, State Battle Over Charter Schools. Education Week, 18 (8), 3.

US Journal of Academics website. (2010) U.S. Academic Levels, Definitions and Expected Durations. Retrieved September 27, 2010, from http://www.usjournal.com/en/students/help/degrees.html

 

WINNS Successful School Guide. What are students’ postgraduation plans? Retrieved September 30, 2010, from http://data.dpi.state.wi.us/Data/PostGradIntentPagetion=RE

 

 

References - continuedWisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2010). Career and Technical Education. Retrieved

September 26, 2010, from http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/cte/

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2010). Charter Schools Q & A. Retrieved September 26, 2010, from http://dpi.wi.gov/sms/csqanda.html

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2010). Charter Schools for 2009-10. Retrieved September 26, 2010, from http://dpi.wi.gov/sms/cs_2010schlist.html

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2010). Wisconsin Information Network for Successful Students. Retrieved September 28, 2010, from http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/sig/improvement/index.html

The World Bank. Secondary Education. Retrieved September 27, 2010, from http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,,content MDK:20521252~menuPK:738179~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282386,00.html