Mar

18

But, will it work?

Filed Under "At-risk" students 

If you would prefer to listen to my post rather than to read it, just click on the audio link above. :)

Change in secondary education is definitely in the air, and it’s about time. Last October 15, Premier Dalton McGuinty acknowledged that “In the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, building a well- educated, highly skilled workforce is crucial to our future prosperity”.
For decades now the emphasis in secondary education has been on the academic programs for university bound kids, the highly educated but not necessarily the highly skilled workforce that is so crucial to future prosperity. We’re always hearing that there’ s a shortage of tradespeople and other highly skilled workers. We need programs that will train people to fill those jobs. Fortunately that need has been recognized , and it’s about time. The vast majority of kids don’t go to university. They go to work, to college or many drop out and don’t even graduate from high school. According to the Ontario government’s own estimate, 30% of students drop out of high school before they graduate. What a waste. of human potential. Something needs to change.

Before I continue , let me say I know school boards have vocational schools, but as far as I can tell they’ve ended up being mainly for students for whom the regular applied or academic program is not appropriate. Vocational schools have an undeservedly bad reputation. Some parents and even teachers see them as being second rate and don’t want to send their kids or students there. That hasn’t been my experience. I taught at one for five years some time ago and saw students blossom and grow because the programs were appropriate and the shops like chef’s training, restaurant training, automotive, woodworking, child care etc. engaged the kids. Some vocational schools are rebranding themselves to get away from the negative reputation they’ve had. You know, just like Kentucky Fried Chicken now calls itself KFC to try to get us to forget the fried part. Schools are into marketing in a big way now. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just a fact.

Now that the- powers- that- be have finally recognized that something needs to change, what’s been done to try to stop the high drop-out rate? I’m pleased to say a number of things have been done, for example now there are student success leaders at each school board to coordinate new programs. More teachers have been hired to work with at-risk kids. There are now also six new locally developed compulsory credit courses to provide greater choice for struggling students in Grades 9 and 10. That’s a good thing , and as a teacher of at-risk kids I’m cheering about this inititive. Also I like the fact that there’s on-line learning and extra help for struggling Grade 9 and 10 students and courses designed to prepare students for apprenticeships and an alternative secondary school diploma, one that applauds the ability to develop a skill or trade. There are even programs and that encourage students who left school to return and earn their diploma. Good. Legislation was passed so that kids have to stay in school until they’re 18 and not be able to drop out at 16. They can learn in the classroom, in apprenticeship programs or workplace training. The trick will be to match the kids with the appropriate program. It will be interesting to see how that inititive will be work. Keeping some kids in school until they’re 18 isn’t going to be easy.

So how is all this working out. ? Well, I think it’s really too soon to tell. Last semester, I taught credit recovery classes where kids who failed two core subjects the previous year were enrolled in my class, and if they worked hard could earn those two credits in the one class in one semester. This would help kids catch up- a kind of two credits for one class fast track. All kids earned at least one credit , most of them did earn two credits. That’s encouraging. The premise behind this two for one deal is that kids who fall too far behind their peers in grade nine and ten quit school, so we are aiming to have all students earn 16 credits by the time they are 16.

There are also other initiatives. More schools are looking to become magnet schools , attracting students by specializing in certain programs. In effect, they’re competing with one another for the 70% of students who stay in school to graduate while at the same time trying to provide programs that entice those 30% of students who drop out for lack of interest. I don’t think competition amongst the schools is a bad thing. These specialized programs are really small specialized schools within regular high schools. Magnet schools already exist and there are more to come. There are magnet high schools now in my board that specialized in the hospitality , in horticultural , the International Baccalureate Program and Flexography Program, just to mention a few. These specialized schools are really smaller schools within a larger school. My school is something like that. It’s a regional center for the gifted , but it could also be a magnet school for business program . The business department is top notch. Student have been winning all kinds of medals in the DECA competitions- ditto for the instrumental and vocal music programs.

I guess we’ll just have to wait until the dust settles around all these initiatives to see what’s what. Like they always say- the proof is in the pudding. Really, results are what count.

PS- The good news is that I figured out how to edit this podcast using Audacity.

The bad news is I can’t get it to load properly. There may be problems.

 
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