Reports on the effect of the pandemic on learning losses indicate staggering losses for New Jersey students. The achievement gap has expanded to become a chasm as large as the Grand Canyon into which the futures of tens of thousands of students could disappear, particularly African American and Latinx students, who are more likely to come from families living in poverty. State Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz called the results “a jarring alarm to the work that lies ahead,” explaining that 51.1% of students failed to meet grade expectations in English Language Arts and 64.6% failed to meet expectations in math.
Numerous interventions to address achievement losses have been proposed for New Jersey’s schools. Proposals have been made for interventions on an unprecedented scale, the educational equivalent of the Manhattan Project, including intensive targeted tutoring and remediation during the regular school year and summer. High expectations must be established for learning and the development of positive school cultures that support strong teacher-student relationships that will improve students’ self-efficacy and motivation. At the elementary and middle school levels, teachers must focus on improving reading and math proficiency before students complete third grade. Research indicates that achieving proficiency in reading and math by third grade is highly predictive of students’ later academic achievement and graduation rates. All these proposals are well intentioned and based upon the assumption that tens of thousands of New Jersey students upon graduation from high school may not be prepared to do college-level work. But preparation for college should not be the only consideration.
At the high school level, additional pathways are needed. One pathway that has not been discussed in the context of the response to pandemic-related learning losses is an expanded role for vocational and technical education. American society attaches a disproportionate value to the professions and white-collar employment. Many parents and even educators consider blue-collar employment to be lower status. For many parents and teachers, if a student is academically talented and chooses to enter a career path such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical or construction, it may be considered a squandering of ability. So too, students who have successfully overcome their personal achievement gaps and have succeeded academically are strongly encouraged to apply to college, especially if they will be the first member of their family to pursue higher education.
Parents and educators should use the pandemic as an opportunity to reconsider their perspectives on blue-collar careers. Students who develop skills in these career fields as well as the traditional academic subjects have a higher employment rate, develop relevant skills in less time, and make a faster transition from school to the career of their choice. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 40% of students who enroll in traditional four-year colleges do not graduate within four years. On the other hand, only 2% of students who receive career and industry training fail to complete their programs on time.
Reconsidering career paths
Howard Gardner, author of hundreds of articles and 30 books, is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner believes that students have several different methods or channels of processing information. Gardner has identified eight methods. Traditional education relies on only three of these intelligences: linguistic, logical, and spatial. Traditional schools target these three intelligences. Students who process information through different channels may be frustrated, bored, lose motivation and fall further behind academically. Gardner notes that bodily kinesthetic and spatial intelligence, which are rarely addressed in the traditional school curriculum, are frequently high in those who are successful in varied technical trades.
If Gardner’s work is not sufficient to persuade parents and students to reconsider career paths that do not require a traditional four-year college degree, perhaps the median salaries of a few trade areas may be able to persuade.
- Air traffic controller: $122,990
- Construction manager: $95,260
- Dental hygienist: $76,200
- Electrician: $56,180
- Licensed practical nurse: $47,480
According to the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools, there are 20 stand-alone specialized high schools and more than 60 programs and “schools within schools” run by the state’s vo-tech districts. Vocational-technical education is a pathway that should be expanded in the response to pandemic-related learning losses.
The future for blue-collar career paths is bright, class sizes are small, and schedules are flexible. Parents and students should take another look at career-focused programs that both prepare students for 21st century jobs as well as improve skills in language and math. Providing affordable educational pathways that respond to the needs of students and employers is critical to ensure New Jersey’s economic future.