What if the
purpose of high school changed from a place where students follow a prescribed
curriculum, take electives that help broaden or enhance their interest, and socialize? What if high schools were transformed into
something more?
What if high
schools were transformed into an academically based apprenticeship
program? Changing high schools from its
current format of a tiered platform of college prep and general education is
antiquated and does not provide the academic or workforce skills students will
need to succeed in higher education or in a global economy. However, transforming high schools into an
academically based apprenticeship will provide students with the skills to
succeed in both higher education and the global economy.
One of the first concerns some will
have with this concept is this is another form of tracking. Opponent of tracking will claim that
students’ (mainly minorities) from economically distressed communities,
students with disabilities and English language learners will be placed in
certain programs that are “less vigorous” than the others. However, this would not be the case. Academically based apprenticeship high
schools would focus on the Core curriculum with emphasis on applications in
higher education and the global economy.
The apprenticeship program would come at “grade 13.”
Academically based apprenticeship
high schools would be a 4 year program.
“grade13/Senior year” would be strictly based on training and working on
a paid internship with a number of different corporations who are having time
finding qualified candidates in areas such as information technology,
engineering, and research and development.
This 13th grade would give students who are interested in
pursuing higher education the opportunity to work in the field of their
interest prior to applying to college and provide a potential mentor to guide
them through the rigors of higher education in their field of choice. For students who choose to delay higher education,
an internship would prepare them for the expectations of an employer, assists
them with making the transition from high school to the workforce and provides
the employer with an opportunity to mold a young employee. Additionally, the money students receive from
their internships could go to paying a portion of their tuition, or provided
them the start up funds to begin their adult lives (renting an apartment,
purchasing a car, etc).
Lastly, there will some concerns
over how an academically based high school will deal with “troubled” youth or students’
with disabilities. For troubled
students, the incentives of obtaining an employable skill and a paid internship
that could lead to meaningful employment or the opportunity to attend college
may be the impetus to restore their faith and re-engage them in education. As for students’ with disabilities, modifying
the curriculum to meet their needs would be done on an individualized basis
without watering down the content.
If we are serious about closing the
skills gap, having academically based apprenticeship high schools are one
avenue that should be considered.
