An Avenue to High Academic Standards
In her article “An Avenue to High Academic Standards,” Lynn Olson argues that “A prominent misconception surrounding school-to-work is that it downplays intellectual achievement,” and that “school-to-work can encourage young people to pursue education and training beyond high school.” A school-to-work program enables a student to go to a regular school and attend classes just like any other regular high school student, but they are also required to attend additional training in a “real world” work environment. School-to-work programs are achievable and attractive to students whose schools are participating and Lynn Olson does a good job of arguing her point.
“High-quality school-to-work programs combine learning in school and in the workplace.” This makes sense, without efficient entrusted employers who are willing to participate in the school-to-work program, the support of the school would be undermined and the system would most likely fail. The school-to-work program enables students to get hands on experience within the workplace while at the same time giving them a reprieve from their textbooks.
Lynn Olson argues that there have been studies that suggest “school-to-work can help address one of the greatest problems in education: motivation.” This makes sense and I believe this to be a very accurate and significant argument. Without motivation students will find it very difficult to get things started and to complete their tasks. This not only happens with academics but in life general. Lynn Olson argues, “A majority of American teenagers in national surveys describe their education as “boring.” I can attest to that. Both in high school, and in college I have had to learn about subjects that I can careless about and because of this the motivation factor was extremely low. “Although they think it’s important to graduate, they don’t think that doing well in school matters.” I tend to agree with this. I believe that graduation is the key factor, and this is the reason why kids go to school. School-to-work programs can alleviate some of the boredom that studying out of textbooks can have.
“School-to-work can help young people answer the question, “Why do I have to learn this?” Lynn Olson claims that research from various corporations, and research companies argue that “school-to-work activities can slash boredom and re-engage students in schooling.” Once again this makes sense. Give students the option to get out of the classroom and into the workforce as interns, gives them the opportunity to have a better understanding of the “real world” outside of the textbook and classroom environment.
Because the education system does not relate classwork or homework to the lives of students, they do not see how writing essays or solving math problems can help them in everyday life. “By the time Roadville children reach high school they write off school as having nothing to do with what they want in life, and they fear that school success will threaten their social relations with people whose company they value. This is a familiar refrain for working class children” (Attitude 119). As students begin to realize how low their potential is within school, they chose to cut school out of their life and start working. These students do not understand how they can benefit from what they are learning. “One woman talks of the importance of a ‘fitting education’ for her three children so they can ‘do better’, but looks on equanimity as her sixteen-year-old son quits school, goes to work in a garage, and plans to marry his fifteen-year-old girlfriend ‘soon’” (Attitude 118). Students are settling for less than what they can actually achieve to have, just because they see no purpose of being in school, and believe they can do better without the help of the education system. Even parents are not actually supporting and encouraging their child to stay in school. “Although Roadville parents talk about the value of school, they often act as if they don’t believe it”
...use of this issue. Even I prefer learning for my own pleasure over school work, but this competition is what molds students into high-achieving individuals. Having to work up to a deadline, conducting research, and collaborating with peers for group projects are all necessary tasks in the "real world". It is true that success can be achieved without school, but school is only one of the many pathways an individual can choose in order to become educated. School provides students with the ability to strive in the real word by providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. When asked what I am studying for, I can say that I am studying to become someone who can make a difference. I may not enjoy the stress and anxiety that comes with school, but I cherish the fact that school is providing me with the knowledge and skills I need to further my dreams.
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
In July 1994, Congress passed the School to Work Opportunities Act (STWOA), allocating funds to establish statewide partnerships designed to prepare students with knowledge and skills required for employment in the workplace. Recent reports show that STW has varied considerably across these partnerships, resulting in differing views on the viability of its programs. Now that federal funding from STWOA has ended, what is the aftermath? What are the chances for sustaining STW now that funding has ceased? To what extent have STW efforts been institutionalized and supported by local business? How do the perceptions and commitment of teachers, educators, students and parents influence the self-sustaining future of school to work (STW)? This Myths and Realities looks at the issues as they apply to life after STWOA.
Students spend four years of their lives attending high school. Going through high school is mandatory as it prepares them for college and strength to face “the real world.” Having part-time jobs has become the phenomenon among high school students and many students follow this trend as well. Moreover, there are some pros and cons attached with it. Though it may seem like working throughout high school is a bad idea, it could better prepare students for “the real world.” Although some people believe that the primary duty of a student is studying, I am of the opposite position. I strongly support the idea that high school students should work throughout high school. This is because they can earn money, become responsible and get experience.
A high school education is no longer sufficient to succeed in America’s increasingly complex economy. However, because of the high price point of a college education, far too many Americans are unable to afford education beyond high school. As shown in the graph below, the higher level of education received greatly increases the chances for employment and also dramatically increases the average salary potential of an individual.
Because of this students are just attending school without the feeling of wanting to learn causing students to not obtain the education they need. “I taught for thirty years in some of the worst school in Manhattan, and in some of the best, and during that time I became an expert in boredom… if you asked the kids…why they felt so bored, they always gave the same answers: They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it…teachers were every bit as bored as they were” page 33. I agree, with John’s statement that schooling can cause many students to disinterest in school causing them the disadvantage to gain an education. I myself, just as John, have seen many students that get bored in school and loose the desire to continue an education, some leading to dropping out of
Recent educational approaches that have career and technical education (CTE) components, such as Tech Prep, career academies, and High Schools That Work, have striven to integrate work experience with traditional academics; similarly, school-to-work (STW) by definition is composed of school-based learning, work-based learning (WBL), and bridging activities. How have these approaches affected their student participants both academically and personally? This Digest brings together research on the effects of approaches involving WBL on students' educational outcomes, attitudes, and short- and long-term employment prospects.
College preparation is not the only area in which schools are failing students. According to Achieve, Inc. (2005), 39% of high school graduates in the workforce say that they have deficiencies. When asked about being prepared for future jobs, forty-six percent say that they are deficient in the skills needed. These shortcomings in the education system will escalate when in the next 10 years, 80% of job openings will require education or training past the high school level (Achieve, 2010). One third of jobs will require a bachelor’s degree. Lower educational attainment is a national problem. Competing countries now boast more workers with associates degree...
Students’ wouldn’t be able to hold down a job is the second reason they shouldn’t dropout of high school. Many employers would like to have someone who has been too high school and that have been educated so they can handle money and add things p...
It is very common that many high school students hold part time jobs while going to school. When these teens work, they are able to learn and experience life lessons from ethical and moral work. Knowing that school is aways and should be a priority, students should work while in high school because working helps students be more responsible with their lives, help them practice time managment, and also helps students see and experience the real world.
Work-based learning programs come in many forms and sizes. They may be designed exclusively for students at the secondary or postsecondary level or for students at both levels. Work-based learning programs may be schoolwide, districtwide, regional, or statewide, or they may be based on a combination of local and statewide implementation and oversight. Michigan's school-to-work system, for example, is designed and implemented by state and local personnel who work collaboratively to establish partnerships of employers, schools, labor organizations, parents, students, and community members to meet their local community needs by offering one or more occupational learning and career exposure activities (Ingham Intermediate School District [ISD] 1995a).
One of the biggest problems with education is that it is poisoned in the way people view school. Some common phrases among students are that ?school is boring; school is work.? Theses attitudes have a direct effect on the effort that students put into their studies. One will obviously work harder when they aren?t bored with the task. There is a difference between hearing and listening and if students approach school as something that they see as boring and stressful than that student will only be hearing what the professor is saying. They may show up to class but this does not mean that they are necessarily there to learn. If school were fun than students would enjoy learning and thus, would learn more since it would be an enjoyable activity. School is just like a sport or a book in that if the book is well written and enjoyable than there is more incentive to read it, just as someone will put more effort into a sport that is fun than a sport they don?t enjoy. If school were fun, than students would strive to learn more.
...to the fact the being employed increases college graduation rate and teaches many skills that are not taught with in any level of school. The issue is increased as because many of these teenagers are also not in school. A possible solution to this problem is for companies to offer apprenticeships to promising high school students.
At the beginning of one’s journey of gaining more knowledge, most children don’t mind school, for it is a change of environment for them. The majority of elementary school adolescents even enjoy school to some degree. As time wears on, we usually, and sadly, begin to see a change of heart. Children become fatigued from school and therefore don’t take pleasure in going anymore. Maybe their teachers didn’t teach them in the way that they learn most efficiently, or maybe students just become bored with the whole “school scene” itself. Whatever the case, it is apparent that by the time they reach high school, their interest for learning alone has died out.