Wednesday, January 3, 2018

AV#171 - The business of education - 2017 gave us plenty of evidence: mission of public education is changing


#1.  The business of education (is education)

“After years of focusing intensely on college readiness,
states are turning their attention to students' futures as workers….”
“Growing Number of States Embrace Career Education,” Education Week, Oct. 2, 2017 (see box, page 3)

WSJ: Where does vocational training come in?
Sec. of Education Arne Duncan: “I’m a huge fan. Department of Labor has put $2 billion behind community colleges where real training is leading to real jobs. There are so many good jobs out there with a two-year community-college degree. We want to do more career and technical ed in the high-school space.” The Wall Street Journal, Nov, 23, 2015

“Education is not focusing on the skills demanded by today’s workforce as well as they could or should.”
                                           R. Alexander Acosta, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, June 7, 2017[i]          

**
If you thought my dystopian newsletter (AV#156) of a year ago wildly improbable—or silly...
2071 – Department of Workforce Development – A History
Published by the Colorado Department of Workforce Development and Training
(once known as the Colorado Department of Education), January 2071
… I hope this past year made you realize—perhaps I have a point.  The evidence—read on!—convinces me that business increasingly controls the agenda, and that we march steadily closer to the nightmare I imagined a year ago—when public education’s mission will be “training for the workplace.” 

Remarkable, is it not, given our divisive politics, to see major businesses, leaders in both parties, federal legislation—and our President—speak in one voice on this theme.  Remarkable how few challenge what is now more than a trend – it is the zeitgeist.  Over the next three pages, I capture steps taken across the nation throughout 2017 on Workforce Development—the category used by the Education (yes, Education) Commission of the States in EdClips, its daily “education policy news roundup.”[ii]  I close with examples of the current mantra: “college is NOT for all.” So what is? If business has its way, career education.

Workforce Development  - January 2017
JPMorgan Chase announces $75 million to fight youth unemployment (Bold throughout is mine)
JPMorgan Chase plans to spend $75 million to fight youth unemployment in part through grants to
Whitney S. Smith, Executive Director, Global Philanthropy, Midwest JPMorgan Chase & Co., was among the panelists at CU-Denver’s public forum, “Building Pathways for College and Career” on Nov. 8, 2017.  (More on page 5.)  She joined Superintendent Tom Boasberg; Chair of CareerWise and gubernatorial candidate Noel Ginsburg; and others making the case for these career pathways. “Our focus is economic opportunity,” Smith said.  “We have an equity agenda.” JPMorgan wants “a skilled workforce.” A key step is to see more students earn the needed “credentials.”
states that train young people for 
high-paying jobs that employers struggle to fill. The five-year global New Skills for Youth Initiative encourages states
to invest in demand-driven career education programs … (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 19)   
  

Workforce Development - February
VA Governor Continues Push to Link Workforce Development and Education
A legislative package put forward by Gov. Terry McAuliffe this winter appears to signal the 
In his seventh State of the State address, Gov. Gary Herbert (R) announced the creation of Talent Ready Utah, a collaboration among the governor's office of economic development and state education officials that aims to “help fill 40,000 new high-skill, high-paying jobs over the next four years.”
“Led by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and my education advisor … Talent Ready Utah will expand career opportunities statewide by increasing the number of business and education partnerships.”  Business leaders, parents, and educators from across Utah are also "very close to uniting on an innovative 10-year plan for kindergarten through post-high school," Herbert said. (Jan. 27, 2017)
the continuation of an increasing emphasis on workforce development in Virginia's educational policy. McAuliffe's "number one priority," Virginia Secretary of Education Dietra Trent told The Progress-Index in a phone call Feb. 8, "has been to build that new Virginia economy." (Progress-Index, Feb. 13)







Workforce Development
Aligning Curricula with Manufacturers' Needs
Groups representing advanced manufacturers have teamed up with the Association of Public and 
“Trump Wants More Apprenticeships—
Starting in High School”[iii]
  “In a move that could reverberate through U.S. high schools, President Donald Trump is planning a major expansion of apprenticeship programs to help build a pipeline of skilled workers…
   “The president signed an executive order last week that envisions apprenticeships in all high schools …
   “Apprenticeships are typically posts for adults training or retraining for jobs, through industry, labor unions, colleges, or partnerships among those sectors…. Apprenticeships for American high school students are relatively rare; more often, teenagers participate in internships, or in work-based learning through career-and-technical-education programs.
   “But Trump, who once judged aspiring business executives as the host of "The Apprentice" television series, clearly intends to change that landscape. At a tour of a Wisconsin technical college last week, he said he'd like to see a future that includes apprenticeships at "every high school in America."
   “The president's order punctuates his push for a system of workforce development in which apprenticeships play a key role in supplying the employees the economy needs. Trump's proposal is a response to companies' reports of difficulty finding workers with skills that match their job openings.”
Land-grant Universities to create a committee of six educators who will try to identify how colleges can modify their curricula and industry certifications to better meet manufacturers' hiring needs. (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 23)                                

Workforce Development - March
Law Would Help Eighth-Graders Pick Career
Indiana Career Explorer, "powered by" Kuder Inc., Adel, Iowa, is described as an online program to help students explore career interests and skills, identify occupations, establish educational strategies and ultimately connect to employers. (Star Press, March 5) 

High School - April
VA explores job training for juniors, seniors
Virginia high school is going to look different for the freshmen who enroll in 2018. A four-year quest for class credits, verified by standardized tests, that students and parents now know will morph into a pair of two-year sections with multiple paths to graduation. (Daily Press, April 4)
                                                                                       
Workforce Development - August
Bill Would Provide States with Grants to Expand Apprenticeships U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) has introduced legislation to boost workforce readiness by expanding apprenticeship programs and investing in public-private partnerships.   (Community College Daily, Aug. 17)

Workforce Development
Americans Value Schools That Prepare Students for the Workplace, Poll Shows
Americans express strong support for classes that give students career skills and favor the idea of certificate or licensing programs that can help qualify students for jobs, according to the 2017 PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. (Education Dive, Aug. 31)

COMMENT: Yes, zeitgeist – a shift in three short years…
   That Phi Delta Kapp education poll (spring 2017) suggests the public has had a change of heart, that it, too, now sees workforce training as a central purpose of schools.  “The (PDK) poll found that more than 80 percent of Americans believe schools should offer ‘career skills’ and industry certificates or licensing courses in schools. More than half of those polled favored more career-oriented courses even if it meant students spent less time in purely academic courses.”
   What a contrast to a poll taken just three years earlier, 50CAN: “Americans rank ‘building character’ above bolstering the economy when asked to name the most important long-term goals of K-12 education.” (“Character-Building Beats Out Economy-Building as Goal”[iv])

Workforce Development - September
RI Models University-Industry Partnerships for Effective Workforce Development
Stefan Pryor, the state’s Secretary of Commerce, said a pronounced effort has been placed on workforce development, and particularly in crafting collaborative pipelines between high school, higher ed institutions and private industries. He points to the state’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School Initiative (P-TECH), in which high school students can enroll in specialized programs to take college courses that will let them graduate with a diploma and an industry-specific associate degree. (Education Dive, Sept. 7)      
                   
From “Growing Number of States…”
   "What we're seeing is that there's been a shift from focusing purely on college readiness to thinking also about career readiness," said Jennifer Thomsen, who analyzes policy for the Education Commission of the States.
   "For the longest time, the 'career' part just kind of dropped off. But now, states are really getting back to the idea that college and career readiness really does mean both of those things…."
   Kansas passed a law that pays schools $1,000 for each student who graduates from high school with an industry-recognized credential. That move was designed to incentivize and support schools to provide programs that get students ready for work, said state Rep. Melissa Rooker, who helped write the law.
   Getting the Word Out - Some states have taken the approach of requiring a better flow of career-oriented information to students and families. Colorado, for instance, now requires schools to include options like certificates, apprenticeships, and the military in their career counseling. (Education Week, 10/4/17)
                                                                                                                                   
Workforce Development - October
Growing Number of States Embrace Career Education
After years of focusing intensely on college readiness, states are turning their attention to students' futures as workers, enacting a flurry of laws and policies designed to bolster career education and preparation. (See box)

Workforce Development - November
MD Governor Promotes Computer Science Education, Workforce Agenda
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has announced a plan Thursday to promote computer science education and accelerate workforce development in the field across the state. (WTOP, Nov. 2)

OK Gov. Mary Fallin Sets Goal for Apprenticeships to Help Address the State's Skills Gap
Gov. Mary Fallin announced Thursday a goal to increase the number of paid internships and apprenticeships in Oklahoma to 20,000 each year by 2020 to help address the state's workforce shortage.  The Earn & Learn Oklahoma initiative will benefit both workers and employers who cannot find the skilled people they need, Fallin said. (NewsOK, Nov. 3)

KY - Workforce Development - 32 Credit Hours, Tuition Free
Healthcare, advanced manufacturing, transportation/logistics, business services/information technology, and construction trades are five of the highest paying fields today – yet they are the fields with the most job openings. The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship (WRKS) Program was developed to address this need. (Lane Report, Nov. 16)
                                                                    
Workforce Development - December
OR Continues Spending to Revive Career Education Programs
Oregon education and labor officials announced they’re giving schools more than $10 million in grants for career technical programs. (Oregon Public Broadcasting, Dec. 4)

Workforce Demands
Public Colleges in OH Seek State-Funded 'Venture Fund' to Expand Education for High-Demand Jobs
Ohio's public colleges plan to seek state money for a "venture fund" to allow schools to expand programs with great demand and job opportunities. Schools would be able to add more students in high-demand programs, including nursing, occupational therapy and engineering. Graduates would work in Ohio for a specific period of time. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 7)

**
Almost predictable, you might say, coming from governors and the business community. Entirely predictable, you might agree, coming from our current President: “…apprenticeships are one of the many avenues that lead to the great jobs, completely debt-free. And who knows more about the word ‘apprentice’ than Donald Trump?” “Trump's Push to Expand Apprenticeships,” Education Week.[v]

And yet it is harder to dismiss when we hear those “speaking” for education embrace the language of the marketplace. Delaware’s Secretary of Education Susan Bunting recently said her state “will hire or replace 30 percent of its workforce in the next eight years. These shifts,” she continued, “require employers and schools to take a more active role in shaping Delaware’s talent pipeline."[vi]  More egregious: the word choice of Brenda Cassellius, the Commissioner of Education in Minnesota, when asked what she thought would “be the most helpful part of the new Every Student Succeeds Act.”  She responded: “This will allow us as a state to focus attention on our ‘World’s Best Workforce’ initiative….”[vii]


Four-year college is not right for everyone, but ….
But what?  Is the business community telling us what is right for most of our students?

Some say this shift is a natural reaction to the college-for-all mantra of recent years.  Maybe understandable, too, in light of the real data about both the rising cost of higher education, and the shortage of young people with the job skills business needs.  That first point is now the conventional wisdom: College makes sense for many, BUT…

  Gov. John Hickenlooper (on CBS, Face the Nation): “Two-thirds of our kids are never going to have a four-year college degree, and we really haven’t been able to prepare them to involve them in the economy where the new generation of jobs require some technical capability. We need to look at apprenticeships. We need to look at all kinds of internships.”[viii] (August 7, 2017)
Colorado legislation: “A four-year college degree may be a good fit from some,” said Phil Covarrubias, the Brighton Republican and owner of an excavation company who sponsored House Bill 1041. “But I want students to know that there’s great opportunity in trade schools and through military service that doesn’t require the enormous cost of tuition at universities.” (The new law went into effect in August 2017; it “mandates public schools in Colorado must inform high school students that not all post-secondary paths lead to college.”[ix] (See box above, “Getting the Word Out…”)

“College isn’t always the best path for teens,”[x]
by Sec. of Labor Alexander Acosta & Rep. Virginia Foxx, Rep-N.C., chair of House Education &
Workforce Committee.
   “We need to increase opportunities to build skills through workplace education by rapidly expanding the apprenticeship model. Apprenticeships enable students to earn while they learn. Apprentices develop skills they can use across the country, meeting industry demand for skilled workers.
   “President Trump’s executive order expanding apprenticeships in America boosts the apprenticeship model by directing the Department of Labor to work with business leaders, labor leaders, educational institutions, trade associations and public officials to promote new, high-quality apprenticeships.”  (Nov. 13, 2017)
 To this end, on Dec. 1, Rep. Foxx introduced legislation
“H.R.4508 - To support students in completing an affordable postsecondary education that will prepare them to enter the workforce with the skills they need for lifelong success.”[xi]
Major corporations: “’That’s not to say college access is bad, but if all we do is send the message that it’s college or bust, we’re not really giving the right kind of opportunities to everybody,’ says Chauncy Lennon, who leads JPMorgan Chase’s philanthropic workforce development initiatives.”[xii]
Sec. of Education Betsy DeVos: “The country needs to quit trying to push every student to attend a four-year college, and open up apprenticeships and other workplace learning experiences to more students, according to DeVos.  ‘We need to stop forcing kids into believing a traditional four-year degree is the only pathway to success,’ she said this month at the first meeting of the White House Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion.”[xiii]
CareerWise Colorado: “The same pathway through high school and beyond will not work for every student. College may not be the best solution for every student, but an apprenticeship can be. All students can benefit from learning workplace skills as they gain a practical education.”[xiv]

Noel Ginsburg, CEO of Intertech Plastics, Inc., is also CEO and chair of the board of CareerWise Colorado.  Along with Tom Boasberg of DPS, Whitney Smith of JP Morgan, and other panelists at the November forum at CU-Denver, “Building Pathways for College and Career,” Ginsburg explained why apprenticeships are central to this initiative.  As he is running for governor, we have extra reason to pay heed to his words.

He echoes the college-but line, telling The Grant Junction Sentinel: “What do we tell everyone to be successful in this country? You need a college degree.  But only a third do.  So we’re basically saying to the rest of the country that you’re something less. (College) needs to be a choice that’s attainable, but it’s not the only path.”[xv] Was that article fair in stating: “Ginsburg’s main issue is to change the way everyone thinks when it comes to teaching children”?  Perhaps. In July he told Westword: “CareerWise Colorado is a public-private partnership to change education as we know it in this state and provide more opportunity and choice for our students, so everyone has an opportunity to earn a real living wage.”[xvi] More recently he wrote: “I have a plan to fundamentally transform our education system and expand opportunity that is actually achievable and proven to work.”[xvii]

If business leaders wish to transform K-12 schools, educators must speak up.  I am no defender of the status quo. But let’s ask, as I did at that Pathways forum in November:  Is the mission of public education in danger of being fundamentally changed to serve business and become training for the workplace?   

As I believe educators have every reason to be wary of letting business drive the agenda, Another View will keep posing such questions—in a series of weekly newsletters throughout January.  
  
Future issues will look at our “needy” business community (yes, really!), when it began to control the narrative, how it is changing the mission of community colleges—and more.



[xv] “Democratic governor candidates share ideas on fracking, education,” Grand Junction Sentinel, July 24, 2017.
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