CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST: High School Career and Technical Education
It's not obvious what a high school can or should do, but it's worth thinking about.
How will those who do not attend college... make a connection to jobs...? The most popular answer is that public policy should encourage... college, but I'm skeptical about that answer.
From the student point of view, imagine someone who has struggled to make it through K-12 schooling, perhaps consistently ranking in, say, the 30th percentile of academic performance. That person has for years received a consistent message that academic studies are not their strong point. Telling such a person that the route to adult success involves yet more years of study, this time in a more academically intense environment where they are likely to be closer to the bottom and to struggle even harder, doesn't seem like a positive message to send.
This point is an uncomfortable one to make. It's emotionally much easier to remember true stories about a student who didn't seem to be doing well, but then soared. ... We need alternative pathways to job and career success that don't assume a college degree is the right path for everyone.
It's not obvious what a high school can or should do, but it's worth thinking about.
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