MDE Director of CTE writes editorial - Plan Demeans CTE

Thursday, June 18, 2009
Detroit News, Commentary: Lansing
Two-diploma plan demeans Michigan's technical students
Patricia Cantu

Some in Michigan insist that high school students in career and technical programs don't need to meet the state's new graduation requirements. This idea not only demeans the students, but puts their futures at risk.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has evolved into something vastly different from the wood shop or metal shop classes of the past. Yet, no matter what the name is, or how we've improved the standards, the perception of "vocational" education is that it is still for "those" kids who can't make it in regular high school.

A state legislative proposal creating two kinds of high school diplomas -- one for the Michigan Merit Curriculum and one for CTE -- continues that perception. The fact that the bill reduces required academics for students in career and technical education puts our students in the less-than category once again. Students who want to be electricians, Web designers, construction experts or health care workers need, are entitled to and can master the same education as those who are college bound.

Let's dispel a common misconception about CTE students. Seventy-four percent of CTE graduates continue on to post-secondary education. Of those, two-fifths continue on to a community college and more than half attend a four-year institution. The students realize post-secondary education is necessary in every career pathway.

A high school diploma is no longer enough. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that half of all jobs in the next decade will be in middle-skill (not low-skill) careers. That means our students will need additional training beyond high school.

We owe it to career and technical students to ensure that the door to college is open to them no matter what career they choose. Yes, there is a great need for welders, but a well-prepared welder also must have knowledge and abilities to become a small business owner (entrepreneurial skills) so he or she can be flexible and garner business wherever there is a market in Michigan.

The time has come to reimagine all areas of our educational system. Reimagining the CTE delivery model, established in the late 1960s, will take careful planning to fit these valuable programs into student schedules. However, it's time to take a fresh look at how CTE is taught.

Some schools and districts are doing just that. They are looking at lengthening the learning day, expanding the learning year, scheduling classes in late afternoon or early evening and on Saturdays and in summers.

Districts are also meeting the challenge of integrating the new high school standards with CTE programs. It was no accident that the legislation for the new graduation requirements encouraged the delivery of academics through CTE programs. Many districts already have aligned their instruction so their programs will meet the math-related, third science and visual, performing and applied arts requirements. Other districts have creatively developed 11th-grade language arts units with a CTE focus.

The guidelines, standards and assessments are there. The tools and flexibility are there. Let's be true to our career and technical education heritage, and pick them up and use them.

Patricia Cantu is director of the Office of Career and Technical Education for the Michigan Department of Education. E-mail: letters@detnews.com.