California schools to emphasize career technical education to prevent dropouts

In California, students who participate in programs that emphasize career-oriented education have a higher graduation rate than their peers who don’t.

That’s one of the reasons the state’s education administration unveiled a plan that would increase the collaboration between schools and businesses, according to an article in the Lake County News.

Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction, released his Career Readiness Initiative, which is designed to lower dropout rates and give graduates the tools they need to succeed in the workforce.

The program makes career technical education (CTE) courses an integral part of the curriculum, and also increasing the number of “career academies” — which link local businesses with the school. Students who participate in those academies have a 95 percent graduation rate compared to 85 percent for non-participants. African American and Hispanic students also graduated at significantly higher rates from the academies than from the general high school population. Among Latino seniors, the graduation rate for participants was 94 percent, the statewide rate 80 percent; among African American seniors the participant graduation rate was 92 percent, compared with the statewide rate of 76 percent.

“The ongoing budget crisis and an 18 percent dropout rate mean we have to take action to help our students—and our state's economy,” Torlakson said. “Career technical education is a proven way to ensure more of our students, especially those who are deemed 'at risk,' succeed after high school.”

A new plan to help students complete high school in California would integrate career technical education courses  

To learn more about the Career Readiness Initiative, visit www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/cr/index.asp.
For more information on Torlakson's A Blueprint for Great Schools, visit www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/bp/index.asp.

Does your district or state emphasize career technical education? Do you think it helps students who may not succeed on academics alone?