I 100% agree with this. In many other countries, the educational pursuits of a student are tailored to that student’s aptitude (as well as wishes). Children who show a high proficiency in math are shuttled to more challenging programs, same with writing, science, or engineering/technical fields. This leads to highly trained and specialized workers who have developed skills early on. On the other hand, ‘high risk’ kids aren’t abandoned either but their learning is also tailored to their specific needs. The US might benefit from a diverse, yet individualized, educational plan.

There’s no question that the primary goal for K-12 should be college preparation in the overall scheme of things but there’s no reason why programs can’t exist for those who are borderline for college (or worse) to better prepare them for the myriad jobs that will exist that do not require advanced degrees. Furthermore, I look fondly on my non-academic forays as a middle schooler and high school student back in the 70′s pretty much 7 days a week. I learned some really useful skills such as how to sew, how to sand, how to cut wood, the basics of cooking, and in a lucky break for me, how to fix cars. I don’t actually repair my own vehicles but I (1) always have a general sense of what might be wrong with them and thus (2) never get ripped off when I’m forced to have them serviced.

Sadly today’s school system doesn’t train kids how to assemble their own grill or put together an entertainment center. Hell we don’t even give them an inkling how to connect a hi def LCD to a DVR box and still know where the DVD, VCR, and audio system fits in.

As educators, we must prepare our kids for what the world has to offer. We have, as a nation, decided that manufacturing will no longer be the primary engine that fuels the economy. Therefore, placing all our kids on a college-track route has been the ideal (without the appropriate resources, of course). The reality is that many of our kids have no interest in college. We need to bring back vocational training for the service jobs that do exist. For those students who are not going to college (by choice or preparation), we need to invest in our children to the degree that a student is either college-ready or trained to earn a living immediately after high school. A case in point is George Washington High School. They had a successful ACE certified automotive training program until just a few years ago. Many of those kids went on to work for dealers at BMW, Mercedes, FOrd, GM, etc. It was eliminated to make room for yet another mini-school.

We still need ironworkers, masons, carpenters, mechanics, cosmetologists, plumbers, electricians, machinists, technology repair technicians, etc. One of my recent graduates works as a service tech for Cablevision and makes almost as much as I do after 14 years teaching.

Let’s find out where our kids’ interests and gifts are and develop them rather than stretching them in a Procrustrian bed of “college or bust.”